A little more than two months till training camp.
NBA Offseason Report Cards for Every Team | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights
Raptors: B
Notable Additions: Cameron Payne; Devin Robinson; Dewan Hernandez; Matt Thomas; Rondae Hollis-Jefferson; Stanley Johnson; Terence Davis
Notable Exits: Danny Green; Jeremy Lin; Jodie Meeks; Kawhi Leonard
Notable Re-signings: Patrick McCaw
Kawhi Leonard’s departure is not baked into the Raptors’ grade. It can’t be. It doesn’t sound like they could’ve done anything to re-sign him—short of relocating to Southern California, of course.
Whether they could’ve paid Danny Green enough to keep him out of Los Angeles is anyone’s guess. His fit was not tied to Leonard’s fate. Retaining him made all the sense if the world if Toronto planned to run it back with everyone else.
Then again, the Raptors aren’t positioned to make that promise. It looks like they’ll give the incumbents a chance to get their rings as members of the team. How long that victory lap will last is up for debate. The Leonard trade was made last summer under the guise that team president Masai Ujiri would eventually hit reset.
That still feels like the plan. The Raptors have squeaky-clean books each of the next two summers. They can play out 2019-20 without committing to a direction. They can also blow it up closer to the trade deadline. Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry are on expiring contracts and too old to headline a gradual reinvention.
Ujiri hasn’t exactly hedged against every conceivable outcome. He stocked the roster with question-mark wings, some of whom aren’t shooters. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Stanley Johnson and Patrick McCaw keep in theme with the Raptors’ defensive malleability, but they crimp the floor balance. Terence Davis and Matt Thomas must prove they can let it fly in an NBA setting.
In the absence of cap space, though, loading up on defense-first wings isn’t a bad strategy. The Raptors obliterated opponents last season through the 324 possessions Lowry and Pascal Siakam played without Green and Leonard. Sustaining the offensive output over the long haul will be tough. But with a full year of Gasol and the additions of Hollis-Jefferson and Johnson, they have the tools to ride a gritty defensive identity back into the playoffs—and maybe even the top four of the Eastern Conference.
If you are considering taking the advice below and putting it into action, there’s some good sports betting advice to keep in mind.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0hC2JNnSkG/
Toronto (58-24) – The Raptors won the NBA title and then watched Kawhi Leonard – and Danny Green, it shouldn’t be forgotten – exit in free agency. If that makes them long shots to defend their title, it doesn’t mean they aren’t a solid bet to again finish in the top four in the conference. Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet all played major roles in winning the title. O.G. Anunoby, entering his third season, could have a Siakam-level breakout after missing the playoffs while recovering from an appendectomy. Pistons 2015 lottery pick Stanley Johnson landed with the Raptors, looking for a career reboot, as did his former Arizona teammate, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. The wild card is whether the Raptors will go all in for a title defense or start selling off pieces as the trade deadline nears – veterans Lowry, Gasol and Ibaka are all on the final years of their contracts – to better position themselves for a shorter rebuild.
NBA rankings: The Top 100 players of the century (100-81)
100. SERGE IBAKA
Stats: 12.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.2 bpg, 51.4 FG% in 10 seasons
Accolades: One NBA title, three All-Defensive 1st Teams, two-time blocks leaderAn outstanding role player and a defensive specimen in his prime, Serge Ibaka has enjoyed an impressive career since reaching the NBA back in 2009-10.
Ibaka has been surrounded with elite talent for a lot of his time as a professional, reaching the NBA Finals back in 2011-12 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and again in 2018-19 with the Toronto Raptors, sharing the frontcourt with Kawhi Leonard.
The big man’s blend of shot-blocking and floor-spacing has helped set him apart as a complementary piece throughout his playing days.
Kyle Lowry Drops Knowledge on Carson Wentz [WATCH] | Heavy.com
You can take the boy out of Philly, but you can’t Philly out of the boy. Toronto Raptors All-Star Kyle Lowry stopped by Eagles training camp Saturday and spent some time around the team. Lowry, who recently won an NBA championship, was particularly interested in bending Carson Wentz’s ear.
Lowry and Wentz talked at length at midfield while reporters looked on and attempted to lip read. Maybe they were comparing championship rings, or perhaps they were talking about Allen Iverson. One thing is for sure: they weren’t feeling sorry for the Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott. In a team-issued video, Lowry professed his Eagles fandom and hopes for another Super Bowl title this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ9HFRVPNEs
NBA free agents 2020: The 55 best available players – SBNation.com
13. Fred VanVleet
The Raptors quite possibly have two priorities in the summer of 2020: keep Siakam and keep VanVleet. Fred is the tougher case because his value is high, but not max level, and because he’s an unrestricted free agent. Masai Ujiri knows what he’s doing. But this one could be a real test.
Toronto Raptors
Slotting the Raptors among the disclaimers has nothing to do with their losing Kawhi Leonard and everything to do with team president Masai Ujiri.
Toronto can carve out more than $74 million in space if it holds off on a Pascal Siakam extension and renounces every other free agent. That’s while penciling in a salary for the No. 15 pick (estimated finish) and assuming Stanley Johnson exercises his player option.
Here’s the thing: Next summer is not the offseason to have that much scratch. Ujiri knows this, and he’s no doubt planning for it. Expect the Raptors to take a more conservative approach unless a stud restricted free agent becomes gettable or Anthony Davis develops the itch to play in Canada.
How the Raptors’ Win is Inspiring Kids All Across Canada –
As it turns out, kids are SO pumped over this historic Canadian triumph! There were schools in Halifax, my hometown, where the kids were encouraged students to wear basketball clothing every day during the playoffs. Kids there played more basketball games during lunch and recess than before. “I think the kids [my daughter’s] age want to fit in and want to be like everyone else. Right now, fitting in means liking basketball,” one parent said.
These passionate youngsters are not alone. Interest in basketball is growing all over Canada, among kids and adults alike. Think about it. Kids follow what’s popular, and right now, basketball is huge. It’s also a sport that’s a lot easier for youth to get involved with than, say, hockey. Where playing hockey requires pricey equipment that needs replacing as the child grows, all basketball requires is a pair of sneakers. No, these sneakers are not always cheap, but they’re a heck of a lot cheaper than the cost of shin pads, elbow pads, chest protectors, gloves, pants, skates, and helmets put together. This makes it easier for kids from just about any socioeconomic background to indulge their interest in basketball – an interest that has been significantly piqued since the Raptors’ big win in June.
Another parent commented that he thinks kids are always looking for heroes and role models to look up to, and since the NBA championships they’ve been increasingly looking at basketball players in this way. If a fun guy like Kawhi, a native of civil war-ridden Congo like Serge, and a determined player like Kyle can make it to the top of the basketball world, so can any kid. If it was a possibility for these guys, it can be a possibility for any kid in Canada.
Why Toronto Raptors 17-5 record without Kawhi Leonard is misleading
Internal growth/decline
One of the ways that Toronto can cover for the absence of Kawhi is the internal growth of younger players on the roster. Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, and OG Anunoby should all take steps forward next season.However, the same argument works against the Raptors with players on the wrong side of the aging curve. Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, and Serge Ibaka are all likely to take steps back next year. Lowry’s already lost the ability to attack the basket, Serge had a bounce-back season but will be on the wrong side of 30 once the year starts, and Gasol loses some of his defensive prowess every season.
At best, it feels like it’s fair to push the Raptors growth/decline at an overall wash. If a younger player or two regresses slightly, things could get much worse.
Back-to-backs
The one area where the Raptors can take solace in their record without Kawhi is the high percentage of games which were the second night of a back-to-back.Leonard rested during 10 of the Raptors 12 back-to-backs; Toronto went 8-2 during those games. Yes, they might have been against weaker opponents, but playing the second night of a back-to-back against anyone in the NBA is difficult. Toronto’s impressive record during that span shouldn’t be overlooked.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0gb0m7HF9G/
NBA Analysis: How to solve the Raptors’ logjam at the power forward position – Raptors HQ
I was a fan of Stanley Johnson prior to the draft, and I still want to be. Defensively, he has flashed a ton of potential in the NBA, gaining notoriety for his abilities “guarding” LeBron James during the 2016 Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Since then, the hope has been for his offense to catch up. In three and a half years with Detroit and half of a season with New Orleans, it hasn’t exactly happened yet. Obviously Toronto is hoping to unlock Johnson’s offensive potential, but how can they do that?
Overall, Johnson is largely a negative on offense, but there are a couple areas where he can be successful. In three of his four seasons, he has finished in at least the 50th percentile in assist percentage among forwards. On the other hand, he also had an unusually high turnover rate. In the best offensive system of his career, there is potential from him to flourish as a secondary creator.
Johnson has consistently been one of the NBA’s worst shooters since entering the league, and that is likely not going to change. However, last year, he was above average as a mid range shooter, and his willingness to take shots from outside could turn into something helpful.
The best way to utilize Johnson is to put him as a secondary creator with essentially the rest of the starters, where he is surrounded with shooters and a primary ball handler. He could be used as a slasher or as a distributor with the ball in his hands. For example, a lineup of Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, Norman Powell, Johnson, and Gasol/Ibaka would provide a perfect blend of two way production.
