The DeMar DeRozan Experiment Revisited | Raptors Republic
Of course, when I wrote that piece on DeRozan nearly a year ago, there was some hope Kevin Durant could actually be considering the Raptors. Nonetheless, the money Durant, Mike Conley, Al Horford, and other free agents demanded this summer, meant that the money paid to DeMar made practical sense. If you’re in the market for a two-time all-star that’s top-10 in the league in scoring, it means that you’re either at the max, or pretty damn close to it. And don’t forget, when the salary cap rises even higher next year to projected levels in the $100M – 110M range, this contract may look that much better. Currently, we’re looking at an increase around 22% as compared to 2016/2017 levels, meaning guys like Lowry or prized free-agent Russ Westbrook could command money in the $30-$35 million range. That’s just silly; and it’ll allow us to put DeMar’s contract into a much better perspective next summer. Who knows – at some point in the near future, DeMar’s contract could look like Lowry’s does now (seriously).
What can’t really be quantified however, and something we didn’t really consider coming into last year, was DeRozan’s attitude. As Masai Ujiri said in the DeRozan presser on Thursday, the integrity, commitment, and loyalty DeRozan showed throughout the free agency process was pretty incredible – and for someone who works as hard as DeMar does, he developed somewhat of a soft spot with Coach Casey and Masai. Here’s a super athletic guy, drafted by the Raptors,and working his tail off and showing improvement every year – why not take our chances and reward him instead of starting over with something you’re not sure of? From that perspective, this deal, while made for clear on-court reasons, was also made to reward a first-class citizen off the court in the prime of his career.
All things considered, the DeMar DeRozan experiment at least thus far, has been a success. You have an above-average volume scorer that gets to the line at an elite level, and can deliver solid mid-range scoring to compliment the three-point shooting and ranginess of Kyle Lowry. He’ll never be a locker room problem, is an outstanding role model for young players, and has earned a great deal of respect from his coaches. For the long term, I’ll take whatever comes with that.
The Raptors continue to build culture, sustainability this off-season | Raptors HQ
Re-signing DeRozan not only ensures the team’s second-biggest asset doesn’t walk for nothing, it also keeps Toronto’s biggest supporter in the locker room. There’s mutual interest in keeping him around – despite a game that at times seems maddening, DeRozan has been exceedingly vocal in his support of the Raptors, which both coalesces his team and perks the ears of free agents.
Draftees Poetl and Siakam weren’t attractive first round picks, but they fit the mold of what the Raptors are trying to build. Poetl has shown in Summer League that he can grow to be a capable defensive big, moving his feet and challenging shots from like-sized players. Siakam may be a surprise, another motor forward that Ujiri has coveted on every stop in his management tour.
The team’s lone free agent signing, Sullinger, is admittedly fraught with weight issues. The Celtics, who have leaked almost everything internal this off-season, weren’t shy in expressing their feelings on Sully’s paunch. Still, he’s 24, he can rebound and stretch the floor, and was signed during a cooling period on NBA bigs. A starting power forward approaching his prime was signed for $6 million in an off-season where Timofey Mozgov drew almost triple that. Better yet, he seems to have an understanding of what the Raptors are building.
There haven’t been trades, but you can assume there will be. Terrence Ross is an old cap player playing below his new cap value, and teams will value his three-point shooting. The Raptors are tired of waiting for him to become a multi-tool player and if they can find a partner who wants a mercurial, athletic wing, he will be on the move.
Just because that trade or any others didn’t happen though, just because the Raptors are staying the same, doesn’t mean Ujiri isn’t building.
How do the Raptors measure up in the East? | Sports on Earth
The Raptors got an up-close view at what championship level basketball looks like in the playoffs against the Cavaliers, who they took two games from in Toronto. Kyle Lowry and DeRozan had their signature moments in the series, after fighting through individual shooting slumps in the first two rounds against Indiana and Miami, but after the series was tied 2-2, the Cavs went to another level, beating Toronto in Game 5 at home by 38 points, and clinching the series in Game 6 handily on the road. The playoff run was a huge accomplishment for the Raptors, but it also showed them how far away they remain from getting an invite at the championship table.
How Masai Ujiri can get the team there is the question that will loom over whatever success this core group achieves next season. Unfair perhaps to keep raising the bar for a team that’s been on an upward trajectory for three years now, but that is the reality of the NBA: Intermediary success is just a checkpoint, and the reward is to ask: What’s next?
There isn’t a clear answer as to how Toronto can take that leap. Ujiri rejected a draft night trade proposal from Oklahoma City for Serge Ibaka after the asking price was deemed too steep. A Paul Millsap trade was discussed, but didn’t materialize after Al Horford chose the Celtics. Pau Gasol considered Toronto, but went to San Antonio instead. On Thursday, the Raptors also introduced Jared Sullinger, their main free agency addition this summer, a low-risk, high-reward signing at one-year, $6 million, but also not the type of roster upgrade that can push the Raptors to the next level.
In lieu of acquiring a superstar, what the Raptors have is roster flexibility and an All-Star backcourt. DeRozan is the only core player that’s signed to a deal that reflects the market value of the new financial landscape of the NBA. Others, including Terrence Ross, DeMarre Carroll and Jonas Valanciunas are signed to deals that look like relative bargains compared to the money handed out this summer, especially when you consider the roles and number of minutes they play on this roster. That roster flexibility extends to the bench, where Patrick Patterson and Cory Joseph stand out as two of the best contracts when you take into account the rising salary cap.
Norman Powell named to All-NBA Summer League Second Team | Raptors Republic
Powell made the First Team a season ago, but a panel of media members decided he was only among the 10 best, rather than five best, this time around. The truth is that Powell showed he’s too advanced for this setting, although there’s plenty of good reason to still have him there if you’re the Toronto Raptors. Taking on a primary ball-handling role in the offense and generally drawing the toughest defensive assignment, Powell averaged 19.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and one steal while hitting 12 of his 26 3-point attempts, getting to the line seven times per-game, and somehow improving his offensive efficiency metrics from last summer. He also took on a large leadership role, something we’ll have more on later this week or next.
The best part about this would-be snub is that it almost certainly motivates Powell’s grind, because everything motivates his grind.
Impressive performance earns Raptors’ Powell All-NBA Summer League nod | Sportsnet.ca
After leading his team to a number one seed and despite a heart-breaking loss in the quarterfinals, Toronto Raptors shooting guard Norman Powell has been named to the All-NBA Summer League’s second team.
Powell, who was named to the first team in his Summer League debut last year, led the Raptors in scoring in each of their five games, averaging 19.8 points per game, which was good for ninth. After going a perfect 3-0 in round robin play, Powell led all players in PER and showed off a markedly improved shooting stroke, particularly from beyond the arc.
Powell also chipped in 4.4 boards and one steal per game. One particular point of emphasis for Powell heading into the Summer League was his drive-and-dish game, taking advantage of his ability to draw multiple defenders as a ballhandler due to the threat he poses getting into the lane . While his 2.4 assists per are a little lower than what he and the team would have liked, Powell did place an emphasis on playmaking throughout the Summer League.
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Toronto Raptors: 5 Things Learned From Summer League | Tip of the Tower
The Raptors are the best MLB team in the NBA. The organization puts a great amount of effort into developing young talent, even though the squad as it currently exists is in ‘win now’ mode.
The Raptors were capable of rolling out a lineup of Wright/Powell/Coboclo/Siakam/Poeltl during summer league, which consists of players that all have contracts with them. As the NBA roster is designed now, Wright, Caboclo and Siakam may see more time in the d-league, but that’s the system working as intended.
The Raptors 905 is more closely tied to their NBA team than any other d-league team and their NBA affiliate. The 905 play at the Hersey Centre which is only about 30 minutes away from the ACC, making it very easy from the players to move between leagues.
If Wright or Siakam look like they are developing into better pieces than those on the roster, or if players get injured, they’ll get called up to the NBA to play like Powell did during the 2015-16 season. Otherwise they’ll continue to develop in the d-league, until the Raptors think their young talent is good enough to effectively contribute to the team.
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Raptors announce signing of Fred VanVleet | Raptors Republic
This is mostly just a procedural note, but the Toronto Raptors announced Monday that they have signed undrafted free agent Fred VanVleet to a multi-year deal.
Raptors Republic broke news of the signing from Las Vegas Summer League on Tuesday. Official terms were not disclosed, but the deal contains a partial guarantee in the first year and means VanVleet will be in camp with the club. As we explained at the time, you shouldn’t read too much into the signing just yet
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NBA Free Agency: Raptors sign Fred VanVleet to multi-year contract | Raptors HQ
The obvious issue to take with the move is one of position. The Raptors now have a whopping four point guards under contract — Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph, Wright and VanVleet. It’s important to keep in mind here, however, that the Raptors are just trying to keep a solid player they like around. VanVleet could have conceivably gone overseas to play, so the move may help convince him to stick around in the D-League with the Raptors 905. At the very least, VanVleet will be with the big league squad through training camp to push the rest of the roster and improve his own game. Then, a more final decision can be made — at which point, as an affiliate player, some other team can pick up VanVleet (a la Axel Toupane).
Raptors Sign Fred VanVleet | Toronto Raptors
VanVleet’s conference honours include MVC Player of the Year twice (2014, 2016), First Team All-MVC three times (2014, 2015, 2016) and MVC All-Defensive Team three times (2014, 2015, 2016). He was also a two-time finalist for the Bob Cousy Award (2014, 2015), given to the nation’s top point guard.
Raptors sign G VanVleet to multiyear deal | NBA.com
VanVleet played four seasons at Wichita State (2012-16), averaging 10.2 points, 4.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 26.8 minutes in 141 career games (102 starts). He ranks first all-time in school history in assists (637), steals (225) and assists-to-turnover ratio (3.08). VanVleet helped the Shockers to three Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) titles, three MVC regular season titles and nine NCAA Tournament victories in four trips.
VanVleet’s conference honours include MVC Player of the Year twice (2014, 2016), First Team All-MVC three times (2014, 2015, 2016) and MVC All-Defensive Team three times (2014, 2015, 2016). He was also a two-time finalist for the Bob Cousy Award (2014, 2015), given to the nation’s top point guard.
NBA: Ranking the Eastern Conference | Cheat Sheet
The Raptors, much like the Pistons, made few moves to improve their roster. But when you win 56 games and nearly edge out the Cavs for the No. 1 seed in the conference, you can get away with only tinkering a bit. The biggest move for the Raptors — other than locking up head coach Dwane Casey on a three-year deal and shooting guard DeMar DeRozan on a five-year deal — was bringing in former Celtics big man Jared Sullinger.
Toronto will likely be stuck in the good-not-great region yet again next year, with their star power not bright enough to take down LeBron James and the mighty Cavaliers in the playoffs. But the silver lining is that they should be good enough to claim the No. 2 spot yet again.
Bruno Caboclo’s Future With The Raptors | Raptors Rapture
It seems that keeping Bruno for the remainder of his contract is the best course of action. Barring a sudden need for cap or roster space, Bruno adequately fills the role of 15th man. Without Bruno the team would fill his spot with another player who would not get playing time. While this roster spot could be filled by a veteran who provides leadership, the Raptors’ core is experienced and has evolved past the need of contracting leaders. With the Raptors gearing up for another run at the defending champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bruno’s appearances should be few and far between, and ideally he will spend the year working with the 905.
If we are keeping Bruno, the question then becomes, what do we expect him to become? From his stints in both the NBA and D-league, it is clear that the Raptors organization is trying to shape Bruno into a three-point shooter. This year, with the Raptors 905, he shot 6.9 three-pointers a game, which accounted for 53% of his total field goal attempts. Bruno made these threes at a rate of 33%, which ranks lower than the NBA average of 35%. His physical characteristics indicate that this number should improve. Bruno’s wingspan gives him the potential to be a lethal shooter. Similar to Kevin Durant and Channing Frye, his long arms give him such a high release point that it is incredibly difficult to contest these shots. Furthermore, this length should help when finishing around the rim, allowing for a more refined offensive game.
Raptors sign Fred VanVleet, point guard impressed in Summer League | Toronto Star
VanVleet will have a chance to make a further impression on GM Masai Ujiri and coach Dwane Casey in training camp. The Raptors are stocked at the point guard spot, with Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph and Delon Wright set to eat up all of the minutes for the coming season, though VanVleet could be a player who the Raptors stash with their D-League team.
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