Talking Myself Into The Draft… | Raptors Republic
As I write this it’s barely been 24 hours and I’m already comfortable with Jakob Poeltl, which is remarkable progress for me. He has a low bust potential, good advanced stats, and if you only watch the DraftExpress strength video it’s easy to see Jakob Poeltl as the potential best player in the draft (avoid the weakness video…just pretend it doesn’t exist).
In truth, Poeltl is a fine pick. He can help add some depth at centre to help compensate for the inevitable loss of Biyombo through free agency. He’s a fine, albeit an unspectacular pick, but he’s just fine.
And I’m sure I’ll come around on Pascal. He put up 20.4 points and 11.8 rebounds, so that’s fun.
Despite my disappointment, I’m trying to keep perspective on the situation. I’m trying to rationalize what just happened, and I’ll get there.
So let’s all take a step back from the ledge and recite the mantra: “I will trust in Masai Ujiri.”
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Report: DeRozan won’t take free agency meetings with teams beyond Raptors | CBSSports.com
Not taking meetings is a serious indicator of where DeRozan stands. It’s one thing to say you want to return, another to not even consider other options. That’s an indication of trust on both sides, with DeRozan indicating he believes the Raptors will act in good faith.
That’s not to say the decision shouldn’t be complicated for Raptors GM Masai Ujiri, even if it seems like Ujiri has made up his mind on his decision. DeRozan’s inability to hit from range causes problems with spacing, and his over-reliance on getting to the free throw line led to a downright horrible playoff run. DeRozan scored 20.9 points on 19.9 shots per game in the Raptors’ somehow-unimpressive Eastern Conference Finals run, shooting 39 percent from the field and just 15 percent from deep.
DeMar DeRozan focusing on re-signing with Toronto Raptors | ESPN
“My mindset has always been Toronto,” DeRozan told reporters the day after the Raptors were eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers. “I’ve always preached it. I was passionate about it when we were losing, when we were terrible. I said I was going to stick through this whole thing, and I want to be that guy who brings this organization to where it is now. I definitely don’t want to switch that up after we win.”
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With two new rookies, it’s time to re-consider the backend of the Raptors rotation | Raptors HQ
Now, when you start to really stare hard at the Raptors’ current frontcourt situation, things look thin. Valanciunas is a lock at centre, as is Patterson as, at the very least, the backup at power forward. The team will have Bebe and Poeltl duke it out for the backup centre minutes. And then decide either to bump Patterson to the starting lineup and play Siakam or get some other, bigger (and better) name to be the starter. If Poeltl and Siakam do indeed find minutes, that brings the roster up to 11 usable players, plus two in the D-League, with spots for two more.
I’ve documented all of this because, well, I’m still trying to work out how all of these pieces will fit together. For positions one to three, the Raptors have a logical procession of names: Lowry to Joseph, DeRozan to Powell, Caroll to Ross. The frontcourt continues to be an absolute jumble though, with only two known quantities and then questions, questions, questions. Who will the team play? Who will fill those last two roster spots? Where is all of this going?
Much like this past season, the Raptors as currently constituted are still in the middle of an experiment. They have talent that vaults them into the top half of the Eastern Conference. But they also have an even bigger pool of developing players. Can they attempt both — contending and developing — at the same time again? Will the investment they’ve made in some of these players pay off in a bigger way? Answers to those questions will be determined as next season begins.
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Raptors Draft Pick Pascal Siakam Does Have A Jump Shot | Pro Bball Report
s a freshman at New Mexico State, Siakam took 59.3 percent of his shots at the rim and connected on 69.8 percent of them. Hoop-Math.com reports he hit 39.7 percent of his jump shots in 2014-15, but didn’t make a three-pointer. However, he wasn’t incompetent from 15 feet out, hitting on over 75 percent of his free throws.
Siakam extended his range and took more shots away from the rim as a sophomore as he led the WAC in field goals, field goal attempts and points scored. He only took 36.7 percent of his shots at the rim, connecting on 73.3 percent. 60.4 percent of his shots were two-point jumpers on which he shot a respectable 43.8 percent. He also attempted 15 three-pointers and made 3.
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Raptors Player Review: The Breakout of Bismack Biyombo | Raptors HQ
Statistics
Starting with the basics, Biyombo played all 82 games for the first time in his career and upped his averages to 5.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks. He also shot 54.2% from the floor while shooting over 60% at the free throw line for the first time in his career at 62.8.
During the playoff run the per game averages stayed about the same, as he posted 6.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while the field goal percentage rose to 58%.
The advanced stats are where his rebounding and defensive prowess show out, as he was fifth in the NBA in both Defensive Rebound Percentage (DRB%) at 29.5 and Total Rebound Percentage (TRB%) at 20.8. Biyombo’s block percentage was even more impressive as he was 2nd in the league at 6.1, only topped by Hassan Whiteside’s at 9.7. He also posted an individual defensive rating of 100.8, good enough for 15th best in the Association.
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Where do you rank Kyle Lowry amongst the best players in the league? | Reddit
Top 10? Top 20? 30?
And where does he rank in his position – PG?