Agent X: Raptors’ Ujiri will swing for the fences this summer | Sportsnet.ca
For the most part, Masai is a man of few words—until he isn’t. A typical interaction with him will begin with a generic greeting. After that you never know if he’s simply going to walk away or corner you for 15 minutes to talk about a subject of his choice—a potential new signing, contract details, information on happenings around the league, etc. If he does this you better have answers on the questions he’s asking because he is going to be very direct.
But the reverse is not true: He will not allow himself to be pinned down on anything.
If you try to approach Masai on your terms and corner him, he won’t let you. He’s flat-out just walked away from me on things. At the time it was annoying, but I’ve come to appreciate in a way. He absolutely wants to keep an air of mystery about himself and the Raptors’ business. Looking back at those interactions now, and considering his success, it’s something you have to respect.
I’ve enjoyed every interaction I’ve had with Masai, whether in-depth business dealings and contract negotiations (I’ve had multiple people play for him in both Denver and Toronto) or simply running into him and talking about everything but work. But as most people will tell you he does not get in-depth or particularly detailed in everyday interactions, and pressing him to do so makes him visibly uncomfortable.
So it can be hard to get a read on him. But whether he lets on or not, you know he’s going to be extremely active this summer.
T&S: Can DeRozan & Lowry bring a championship to Toronto? | Sportsnet.ca
Tim runs through the history of the NBA to highlight how championships are rarely won without transformation talent. With that in mind, we ask if DeRozan, Lowry & JV are enough to win a title for the Raptors.
In Defence of Re-signing DeMar DeRozan | Raptors HQ
Now, my point is, teams need both of these things. You need production and you need high impact guys. And when you have a superstar, it is really easy to fill in the blanks on those. You can get guys that balance mediocre contributions in both categories because you’ve got elite contribution from one guy in both already. And have a few specialist types that provide one or the other.
But if you don’t have one of those guys (and you usually don’t), it’s not so easy. You need to have some top level production guys just to manage enough scoring to be in games. And you obviously need those impact guys who don’t necessarily provide that production if you hope to have any real success. So if you are stuck with no production-and-impact superstar (and as great as Lowry is, by this definition of superstar he falls short), you have to patch together guys who can fill those holes.
You need high production guys, but the league is littered with high production, negative impact players. High volume shooting, low efficiency, me-first players. Not good. So you have to hunt out the rare (though not as rare as a superstar, not by a long shot) high production, neutral impact player. DeRozan is the poster boy for this – he’d fall well short last season but in this one he was pretty ideal in this sense. Scores with volume and decent efficiency, moves the ball to allow for secondary scoring, contributes with other boxscore production like rebounding, and doesn’t completely tank your defence.
Toronto Raptors: Why Dwane Casey’s Extension Is Deserved | Hoops Habit
While it’s good to examine recent results, it’s important to look at the bigger picture with a deal such as this. The agreement to lock down the franchise’s all-time winningest head coach for the next few seasons is a no-brainer for the Raptors.
During his time in Toronto over the last five seasons, Casey has been a driving force behind the Raptors’ steady improvement.
The team’s win total has climbed from 22 games in his first season to 56 games this season, an all-time high for the franchise. That growth is even made more impressive when you consider the unusual circumstances (i.e. the transition from former general manager Bryan Colangelo to current GM Masai Ujiri) it was made under.
On an individual level, Casey has made his mark on the team’s current stars in Lowry and DeRozan. Under his guidance, the duo has grown to become All-Stars and he’s empowered them by helping create an offense where they have both thrived in recent seasons.
Additionally, the progress made by the team’s starting big man Jonas Valanciunas ever since arriving to Toronto a few seasons ago has been a key for the Raptors and it’ll be interesting to see where it goes in the future under Casey.
Henry Ellenson works out for Raptors ahead of NBA draft | Toronto Star
The latest possibility for Toronto was in for an individual workout Thursday and fits precisely the idea that Tolzman is espousing. Marquette’s Henry Ellenson — projected in some mock drafts as a potential No. 9 selection by Toronto — is a six-foot-11 shooting big man who knows which way the game is going.
“I played point guard all the way up until the eighth grade, and then I had a coach during my sophomore AAU season who said, ‘hey, you’re six-nine, time to go on the block,’ so I was able to take that summer and find a mix of playing inside and outside,” he said.
“The way the game is going, having a versatile four is huge. Being able to play all over is huge.”
The best of both worlds, and the rarity, is a player with both inside and outside skills.
“I wish so many of them had learned how to be on the low block when they were younger; it’s such a forgotten talent these days,” Tolzman said.
Breaking Down Offseason Priorities for the Toronto Raptors | Bleacher Report
The Raptors are set in the backcourt and on the wings but still lack a true starter at power forward.
Patrick Patterson can theoretically fill that role. His shooting complements the starters very well, and the numbers back up his importance. Toronto outscored its opponents by 9.3 points per 100 possessions with him on the court, the best figure by any Raptor who saw regular playing time, according to NBA.com.
Patterson usually plays better coming off the bench, and head coach Dwane Casey has pointed out that the 27-year-old is more valuable as a reserve. Unless a quality power forward somehow falls into Ujiri’s lap, Patterson will likely finish games, but finding someone who can log around 20 productive minutes at the position is a must.
The draft offers some possibilities, but Toronto would need a rookie who is ready to contribute immediately. Those players exist—Norman Powell’s first year is evidence of this—and they can often be found outside the lottery. Trading down is an option, and the Raptors’ early draft workouts indicate that might be a possibility, according to Dave Zarum of Sportsnet.
A player like Domantas Sabonis could be worth a look. His strong post game and tenacious rebounding should immediately translate to the NBA, and he has some upside if he can develop a reliable jumper. Playing next to Valanciunas could breed some spacing issues, but with an appropriate staggering of minutes that could be circumvented.
Toronto will also have the mid-level exception, allowing the team to sign a free agent to a first-year salary of nearly $5.63 million. That slot won’t be nearly as useful as it was before the cap boom, so finding value will be tough.
Hopes From The 6: Breaking Down Bruno Caboclo’s Season With The Raptors 905 | Ridiculous Upside
For being such an inexperienced player, it was notable to see how comfortable Caboclo appeared on both ends of the floor. That was extremely evident on the offensive end as Caboclo acted as the “swiss army knife” of the Raptors 905. With a wide array of offensive skills: cutting, perimeter shooting, crashing the boards and facilitating.
Caboclo’s defining skill is currently as an on-ball cutter, as 40% of his shots came from inside the inside the paint. He was extremely efficient from inside the restricted area, as he shot 71%. The Raptors forward was able to accomplish such efficiency due to the combination of his solid speed and incredible length.
In a similar mold to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Caboclo moves to the paint like a gazelle, as he can move from the perimeter to the paint in around 2-3 steps. Alongside that, his 7’7 wingspan has allows him to finish in ways that most players aren’t able to. Even when he’s not able to speed past his guy, Caboclo has some impressive handles which allows him to work past an opponent as he cuts to the basket. As evident in the play below, Caboclo is able to use a pretty spin move to maneuver his way past an inside defender and get an easy dunk.
Although Caboclo’s offensive game is headlined by his ability as a cutter, his developing ability as a shooter could push him from being a solid prospect to a bonafide stud. That progression was apparent over the course of the season. He closed the season shooting 33% from 3, Caboclo actually shot 36% from beyond the arc once the calendar turned to 2016.
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