To understand the upgrade the Raptors have made at this position, you have to look at some historical context around the small forward spot. Raptors starters at this position over the years include Jamario Moon, Joey Graham, Antoine Wright, Linas Kleiza, Hedo Turkoglu, Rasual Butler, and Sonny Weems, and I can go on. I really can.
Morris Peterson was the last legitimate small forward we had, and prior to that, you would have to go back to Tracy McGrady to find a quality player at the position for the Raptors. The mistake of selecting Rafael Araujo over Andre Iguodala was compounded by picking Joey Graham over Danny Granger the next year, and the Raptors never recovered from the double-whammy that the 2004 and 2005 drafts delivered.
DeMarre Carroll is such a significant upgrade over anyone the Raptors have had since Tracy McGrady, that I don’t think there’s a position in the league this summer that has been improved as dramatically. From Terrence Ross to DeMarre Carroll.
What Carroll means to this team has already been documented so there’s no point going into details here. The key points here are:
- The Raptors have someone who can guard the opposing team’s best wing player, and the league has plenty of those around
- They have drastically increased their team defense because Carroll’s aggressive play can influence the game and his impact isn’t just limited to his man
- He can play the three or the four, giving the Raptors three-point shooting (39.5% last season) at the most dynamic position in the league – the “stretch 34”, which many teams are still figuring out how to defend
- Though he’s reliant on others to create three-point shots for him, he can score on his man if he needs to, which means the ball doesn’t have to go back out to DeRozan or Lowry if a possession goes stale
- He’s a tenacious player whose activity can be infectious, which is the opposite of Terrence Ross who started at the position last year
Also read:
- DeMarre Carroll: I’m the black Kyle Korver
- DeMarre Carroll promised larger offensive role
- Breaking it Down: Ways in Which DeMarre Carroll Gets Steals
- DeMarre Carroll Fantasy Basketball Player
The Raptors 25th ranked defense needed all the help it could get, and Carroll’s going to be counted on to provide a lot of it. Backing him up is the coach’s whipping boy, fan favorite, martial artist, black-belt wielding, pine-riding, neck-tattoo sporting, not-as-manly-as-a-voice-as-you’d-expect-from-a-guy-who-looks-like-that, James Johnson.
Last year, James Johnson surprised everyone with his work ethic, discipline, and basketball play. When he was signed, he was almost treated like a recovering alcoholic who the fans feared would relapse. In the end, he ended up being a mature professional who by silence and obedience had proven his coach didn’t really know what he was doing, and that he should’ve gotten a lot more playing time than he did.
James Johnson enters this season bringing the exact same things he brought last year: a strong will to attack the rim off the bounce, good rebounding, solid defense which at times can border on gambling, and absolutely no semblance of a three-point shot (unless he’s worked on it this summer which would make him DeMarre Carroll 2.0). Given what the Raptors have on offer at that position (their third string SF is Bruno Caboclo), there’s absolutely no reason why James Johnson shouldn’t see more playing time, even if as a tandem with Carroll playing the three while the latter switches to the four, or vice-versa.
The ‘argument’ against playing him is that the defense leaves him to help on our scorers and results in a congested floor, which is completely unfounded because Johnson has time and time again proven that three-point shooting isn’t the only way to beat a sagging defense. His first step on the baseline, back-door cuts, and general movement causes enough worry to a defense that they can’t forget about him, so this narrative that we’re down to four men on offense is complete bullshit.
The 6’8″ 212 lbs Carroll, and the 6’9″ 250 lbs Johnson give the Raptors significant size at the three, and both are capable of playing the four. These two will almost always have a rebounding edge over whoever they’re going up against, and it would be criminal not to utilize that. Neither of them is a great post-up player, but both can, in spots, back a man down and execute a move or two, simply on account of frame and bulk.
They’re both intelligent and emotional players who can read the game well as it comes naturally to them. James Johnson’s growth in this area has been exponential over the last three years, and Carroll’s always been a quick study. They’re equally likely to create flashpoints in a game that can swing momentum, light up teammates, and change the nature of the game. Whether it be a sick dunk, a key three, or a steal leading to a score at the right moment, there’s a lot of energy here that the Raptors can’t afford to keep bottled up. The team might be headlined by DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, but it’s this position that can provide the spark that lights the fire under this team.
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This post would be incomplete without mentioning Bruno Caboclo so here I am mentioning him. Here’s what I believe about Bruno Caboclo and his type of player, and I could be completely wrong:
You cannot expect someone to be a quality NBA player if they haven’t played an organized game until they were 18 years old, especially if they didn’t start playing the game until they were 13 years old. There are always exceptions like Hakeem Olajuwon who started late but he was gifted with the footwork of a ballerina. For Caboclo, we’re relying entirely on his skeletal frame. The Raptors are hoping that somehow they can figure out how to use his 7’7” wingspan in an NBA game for more than blowout fodder purposes. They’re hoping he can start knocking down threes which in theory would be unblockable. They’re hoping that he can fix his footwork so he’s not backing up 4 feet on every single jab step. They’re hoping he can drive without giving up what he’s trying to do well before he actually drives. They’re hoping to turn him into a basketball player, and they even purchased a D-League team just for him.
For the purposes of team depth, Caboclo doesn’t matter. He’ll spend his time in the D-League and will put up a show, either using his basketball skill, or more likely, the hype around him. He’s a cartoonish figure that has his own reality show in Mississauga, and we’re all very interested, if for nothing than for shits and giggles. And maybe he’ll even pan out, but probably not.
Quick hits to round-off the discussion:
Biggest Strength: Defense and size – The Raptors have one of the best 1-2 defensive combos at the position, and they should be able to provide enough of a challenge to wing players like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, and Paul George.
Biggest Weakness: Playmaking and ball-handling – though James Johnson made some nice passes last year, neither is a great ball-handler so the Raptors don’t have a point forwardish type player.
What I like: The fact that we have a credible defender at the wing in the starting lineup, who requires almost zero coaching and is someone Dwane Casey can just throw out there without even a word being said to him. He’ll also generally defend our worst problem.
What I don’t like: An injury to Carroll means that we lose our best three-point shooter and best defender in one shot. Would’ve liked to have some more backup in terms of three-point shooting.
Unfortunate prediction: Unlike in Atlanta, the Raptors offense won’t generate enough clean looks for Carroll and he’ll end up forcing shots.
Bold prediction: Bruno Caboclo will play meaningful minutes this season in recalls from the D-League.
X-Factor: How effectively will small ball be used with James Johnson and DeMarre Carroll playing at the same time? Play these two with Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and Patrick Patterson at the 5, and you’ve got yourself a lineup that’ll be tough to match up with. Not saying it’ll work, just curious to see what it would look like.
