No Raptor has had a better start to the 2022-23 season than Dalano Banton. He played wonderfully at the AmeriCup for Canada. Word out of training camp is that he is playing great there, and remember Nick Nurse is happy to publicly throw his players under the bus if they perform poorly no matter the venue. And Banton was one of the most surprisingly effective players for Toronto against the Utah Jazz, showing off an improved handle and great touch within the paint.
Of course, Banton started last year with a bang, too — hitting a full-court shot as his first NBA bucket in front of his hometown fans — before fading down the stretch. His jumper made him a deficit in the halfcourt, and his defensive awareness and positioning made him a deficit on the other end. For all his strengths, and his oozing potential, the Raptors ended up 2.8 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the floor than on the bench, better than only Yuta Watanabe, Malachi Flynn, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Scottie Barnes (!?) among at-times rotation players.
So a good start doesn’t guarantee anything for Banton. He’s currently fighting for a roster spot, with little guaranteed. But it’s not just that Banton is playing well — it’s that he’s succeeding in some areas that limited him last season. Improvement is always welcome, and Banton is showing lots of it.
Banton also showed incredible verve and delight in transition against the Jazz. He used his romping steps and side-to-side motion to quiver around opponents, and he finished 2-for-2 at the rim on the fastbreak. The commentators wouldn’t shut up about George Gervin because of Banton’s finger-roll prowess. But the important thing there is that despite Banton’s reputation as a fastbreak devil last season, he was actually the third-least efficient fastbreak player in the league, scoring 0.84 points per possession on a hefty 1.0 possessions per game. He had the juice last year, but he didn’t have the same touch. And touch was Banton’s best asset against the Jazz.
Three layups does not a reformed Banton make. But it’s a good start. Million-dollar-moves, 10-cent-finishes are worth 10 cents, after all. Banton didn’t flub a single gimme against Utah. In combination with all the other improvements, it’s very encouraging.
Banton finished with two steals, one of which came off the ball as he poached in the passing lane. That’s normal stuff for a Raptor player with length. But by far the more encouraging play came as he was guarding the ball, stayed with the drive, and used his enormous wingspan to force a nonsense play from Jared Butler, resulting in a turnover.
Sure, Banton’s defensive gaffes usually came off the ball last year, especially in rotation situations. (Remember the famous clip of Chris Boucher running away from a shooter last season during the height of his slump? That was actually Banton’s mistake, X-ing out to the wrong place.) And preseason is not the right place to look for off-ball defensive focus. But Banton’s defense was a weapon against the Jazz, and that in itself is improvement.
Most impressive, though, was Banton’s control of the ball. His slide last season came right about when opponents realized he did not have an NBA-guard-level handle of the ball, and they dug into his body, forcing him to move side to side more often than north-south, limiting his ability to initiate the offense for Toronto.
Banton didn’t have a ton of opportunities to initiate the offense in the halfcourt, but his handle didn’t limit Toronto there, either. He didn’t waste a single possession trying to keep from turning the ball over. (He finished with just one turnover.) More often than not, Banton gave up the ball early, positioning himself off the ball in the half court and using his cutting and crashing the glass to move the chains on that end. His control of the ball in transition was impressive on its own. Banton didn’t completely revamp his game, bursting past opponents from a standstill. But he made real, tangible strides.
And that’s the point: Banton doesn’t need to revolutionize his game to become a contributor. He’s such a strong rebounder and connective passer that his strengths will always be positives. He just needs to chisel away at his weaknesses to the point where they don’t overwhelm the rest of his game. Banton probably isn’t going to become a traditional point guard who comes in off the bench and runs the halfcourt offense. If that is going to be in the cards, it’s a long way down the line. For now, Toronto would be thrilled for a 12-minute-a-game wing who forces turnovers on the defensive end, finishes in transition, and moves the ball with rapidity.
That’s what Banton looks like at the moment. That doesn’t guarantee he’ll remain a helpful bench player once the season starts, but signs are positive.
It’s almost more difficult to improve as a young project on a good NBA team. More than anything else, young players need time in NBA games to get better. And it’s hard to earn those minutes for teams that are competitive and fighting for the playoffs. Win-now players can steal those bench minutes. Toronto has several of those vets on the bench who will certainly be playing long swaths of the game, such as Otto Porter jr., Thad Young, and others. But Banton offers a level of pace-changing gumption that few others players on the roster possess. He doesn’t harness those abilities every time he’s on the court, but that’s to be expected. The more he adds to the ceiling, the more opportunities he’ll have to work on his floor.
Shooting, of course, is a determinant of Banton’s floor. For as good as Banton may become elsewhere, if he can’t punish opponents by hitting triples, then his utility will always have a limit. And he missed the only triple he took against Utah. Banton’s jumper looks improved, but the results need to show up. That will take time. Banton isn’t even guaranteed to make the team, but he put himself in great standing after his offseason followed by the performance against Utah.
Toronto’s bench may be better this season than last, but there are still question marks. If Banton can start becoming a declarative — an exclamation point! whenever he enters the game — then it will change the texture of games, a few minutes at a time. Banton does a lot that the Raptors already do well — offensive rebounding, running in transition, and more. His quick decision making and connective passing is something the Raptors need more of. Banton has a path to the court. Now he just has to make sure he keeps whittling away the obstacles that stand in his way.
