Zarar, Blake and Will get together to create a little content for the weekend.
I’ll level with you here, precious readers. Things are dire here in Raptors Republic. We’re hurting for content. There’s not much going on in Raptorsland at the moment. The two weeks that separate now and the start of preseason is a haunting abyss. We’ll have individual player assessments, win projections and a whole lot more in store, but in the meantime, we turn to the generic roundtable gimmick to fill these unspent columns. Cheers.
1. Most impactful transaction of the offseason?
Zarar: Re-signing Kyle Lowry. It set the tone for the rest of the summer and was the first domino to fall in the Raptors bringing the rest of the group back. If he would have gone, the questions that would’ve been asked were going to be about what DeMar DeRozan would do when his contract is up. Instead, we’re talking about winning and moving forward.
Blake: Re-signing Kyle Lowry. Every other move was made at the margin, and while they improved the team and Lowry technically didn’t (since he was here last year), his loss would have been far greater than any gains the team could have made elsewhere. Not only is Lowry a great talent on both ends of the floor, his return also keeps the team chemistry and identity in tact, for as much as that’s worth. He’s the team’s best player and the franchise’s branding strategy’s avatar. This was paramount.
William: The correct answer is Lowry, but just to buck the trend, I’ll tab the re-signing of Patrick Patterson. I’ll admit, after seeing shooters like Jodie Meeks and Ben Gordon inking deals at exorbitant prices, I thought a young floor-stretching big like Patterson would be priced out of the Raptor’s budget. Instead, Parrerson is back in-tow at a reasonable price. He gives the Raptors a different look at the four, and helps balance offense in the second unit. To top it off, he’s in his prime. A tidy bit of business for Masai Ujiri,
2. Amir Johnson or Patrick Patterson? Who would you start at power forward?
Zarar: Amir Johnson. Patterson’s energy is better suited off the bench, and I’m a fan of playing Johnson and Valanciunas together. I find that Valanciunas isn’t mature enough as a defender to be played consistently as the lone big in a small-ball rotation, at least not yet. There’s also a better chance of good hi-lo play between the two, then it would be between Patterson and Valanciunas.
Blake: Johnson is superior defensively and in the pick-and-roll, but Patterson’s floor spacing is a major asset to the entire offense. In terms of the starter, I’d pick Johnson in a vacuum as he’s the better player, but Patterson is probably a better fit with the starters on offense (and Johnson can play some limited reserve five, where the team’s a bit thin). That said, Johnson and Valanciunas have a nice chemistry and Johnson is nice to have for experience alongside Valanciunas, and there’s no clear reason to break up the band. Really, though, last year they averaged 28.8 (Johnson) and 23.3 (Patterson) minutes; as long as those numbers are close to even, this matters little and could be match-up dependent.
William: There’s really no wrong answer. The numbers point to Patterson as the superior option offensively, but Johnson is far better defensively. For the sake of not rocking the boat, Casey should keep Amir in the starting lineup, but as they did last season, a mid-first quarter substitution should break up the pairing of Valanciunas and Johnson. Match-ups should also play a factor. Granting the bulk of the minutes to Patterson against a rim-protector like Roy Hibbert is a must to help open space for drives.
3. More impactful bench performer — James Johnson or Lou Williams?
Zarar: My vote goes to James Johnson because it’s easier to make a defensive difference than an offensive one, and he doesn’t have to battle back from injury like Williams does. Johnson actually has a role to fill in the rotation, whereas I’m still struggling to see where Lou Williams fits into the picture, but I’m all for a pleasant surprise.
Blake: Bruh…BRUH. Bruno Caboclo, next question.
Seriously, I’d figure Johnson will have the bigger impact, though it may only manifest itself in certain match-ups. I used to love Williams, but he’s here for depth and as a flier, and his path to playing time is very crowded with Lowry, Vasquez and DeRozan dominating minutes in the backcourt. Johnson fills a need as a three who can body up bigger small forwards, and as frustrating as he’ll surely be – he hasn’t ironed his wrinkles out much since he left – there will be games where he’s an appreciable asset.
William: I’m hoping for big things from Terrence Ross this season, so I think James Johnson will see limited playing time (no more than 20 per game). Williams should reduce the amount of minutes DeRozan has to shoulder, which isn’t to be discounted if the Raptors have eyes for a post-season run. Williams is a good ball-handler and has a decent track record of thriving in two-point guard lineups. That makes him an ideal backcourt partner for Greivis Vasquez, though that also introduces concerns defensively.
Look for Part Two to drop tomorrow morning. In the meantime, drop us a line about our shiny new page design.
