2015-16 has been a dream season for the Toronto Raptors. A franchise record 51 wins (and counting!), hosting of the first All-Star Game held outside of America, a successful building towards the playoffs, and above all, it’s just been fun.
And it’s simply inevitable that the Raptors will win their third straight Atlantic Division title, so we get to hang another banner in the rafters of the ACC…move over Bon Jovi, we’ve got a banner to raise!
Who would have expected all of this? Especially when considering the six week absence from Jonas Valanciunas, and the even longer absence of star free agent signing DeMarre Carroll.
And the only real downside you can draw from the entire season has been the absence of DeMarre Carroll, who is still hopeful to return before the season ends. Can you imagine adding a hopefully healthy Carroll to a 51+ win team?
It all feels like a dream come true.
We even stayed close to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night despite sitting both Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan for rest. One of the greatest statistical teams in history, a group who was at full strength, and one that has yet to lose a single game at home this season, took everything they had to beat a group that was lead by Cory Joseph, Delon Wright, and Norman Powell. Even Coach Pop seemed to have significant praise for the Raptors:
“I think you’re going to get to the Finals. I swear to God. No bullshit.” – Gregg Popovich to Dwane Casey
Maybe.https://t.co/CQ2T7jfPQr …
— Chris Walder (@WalderSports) April 3, 2016
I’m terrible at reading lips, but it sure does seem like Pop is high on the Raptors come playoff time.
Entering the season though I had one main concern about the configuration of the roster: depth, and the problems that health concerns could cause. And yet here we are, with two rookies who have both shown the ability to contribute to a winning environment when called upon.
It’s the proof that our new D-League team has already been a success. Delon and Norman are able to hold their own in the NBA now, and even Bruno has shown steady improvement during his time with the Raptors 905.
And this is where the new problem comes into play. Where it used to be a concern that the youthful bench limited the team’s depth, Powell (and Wright to a lesser extent) is now making the case for more meaningful minutes. The return of Carroll could force Powell out of the line-up, which is a problem based on his recent play.
The bench is now stocked with young talent who can fight for minutes, and the challenge will be finding those minutes to continue the development. Granted, it’s a good problem to have, but it’s a problem if a player like Powell can’t receive minutes that have been rightfully earned with his play of late.
And here’s where I hope things get weird. The return of Carroll and the emergence of Powell could allow for the Raptors to play some intriguing small-ball units. Could we see a line-up of Lowry, DeRozan, Powell, Caroll, and Valanciunas? Strong defence, three point shooters surrounding Jonas in the middle, and weird enough to be fun. If you want to go really small you can even switch Patterson for Valanciunas.
But what really excites me when it comes to the successful development of our young players is what it could mean for the upcoming draft. This is the first time I can remember being confident in Toronto’s ability to develop young talent.
Coming into the season it felt like the Raptors had five roster spots committed to players (Wright, Powell, Bruno, Anthony Bennett, and Lucas Noguiera) who were not yet ready for any NBA minutes. And it’s doesn’t take too much of a stretch of the imagination to imagine Wright, Powell, and Noguiera being able to contribute next season when called upon.
The development of our current youth can both extend the franchise’s window of competing, but also allows for the Raptors to enter the draft with every possibility available to them. Drafting an unready, long-term, and high ceiling prospect like Marquese Chriss (my personal preference at the moment) or Skal Labissiere is now a possibility with the Knicks/Nuggets 2016 pick, and even the possibility of using both draft picks might not be off the table (although I still think it’s unlikely).
With the Raptors proving their ability to develop youth/talent, it’s not just a matter of drafting based on NBA ready. Toronto can have their cake and eat it too, compete for wins while also developing the future.
