Roster - Toronto Raptors

News · Roster · Patch · Statistics · Units · Ratings · Schedule · Transactions · NBA Stats · TbT

Looking toward the offseason

The 2016-17 season is mercifully coming to a close for the Toronto Raptors. At 25-49, the Raptors have now been officially eliminated from the playoffs, though the idea of the playoffs weren't really a a consideration for this team at any point during the season. When CarlSpackler stepped in prior to the start of the season, he saw a team that probably had the talent to make the playoffs, but not get out of the first round. So rather than battle for mediocrity now, he made the decision to build a team that could turn into a contender in the next few seasons. Of course, when you take that approach, you're making guesses about players who could be great, or they could be destined for the D-League. Case in point is Kris Dunn. Coming into the season, scouts and pundits were very high on Dunn, suggesting that he was one of the few NBA ready players in the draft. Dunn started for the bulk of the season and while his defensive game is NBA ready, his offensive game is not. It's too early to declare Dunn a bust, as he could start putting everything together and prove that he's the player many expected he'd be.

The Raptors seem to be loaded with these sorts of uncertainties. So what they need to decide as they look toward the draft and the 2017-18 season is what they have and what they need. We'll take a look at each position and see where things stand.

Center - There are a few players on the roster who've played Center for Toronto and some really solid potential. The starter for the bulk of the season has been Gorgui Dieng, though he's is supposedly a power forward. He's been consistently good, averaging a double-double, and leads the team in blocks, but not a major offensive force. John Henson is a player in a similar mold. Big rebounder and shot-blocking machine, but almost nothing in the way of offensive contribution. Kelly Olynyk is supposedly a Center, but has been playing at the Power Forward position (and playing well). This week will be his first shot at Center so it will be interesting to see how he performs there. Finally, there's Willy. Willy Hernangomez is a rookie but has surprised everyone with his impressive play. It's not at all uncommon for him to record a double-double in 15 minutes of play. He's still got some things to improve, but it could be very likely that he'll be Toronto's starting Center and an integral part of this team's future.

Power Forward - Many of the same characters here. Dieng, Henson and Olynyk are all players that have taken turns as the starting PF. Thur far, Olynyk has been the only one to really thrive in this spot. Dieng and Henson aren't big shooters anyway, but both have seen a drop in all of their stats while playing PF versus C, This is particularly surprising for Dieng, who is supposed to be a PF. But he seems far less comfortable here than he does at the Center spot. Next is Derrick Williams and Mirza Teletovic. Williams, like Dieng, seems to be better out of position. He's technically a power forward, though he plays best at Small Forward. Mirza hasn't had much of an opportunity to prove himself because there are so many players in this spot and he's unfortunately the lowest on the PF totem pole.

Small Forward - Jae Crowder has become the de facto star of this team, though he might not even be a starter for several teams in the league. But he's the kind of player that Spackler likes. He can score and he can board, and he's a tenacious defender. Backup Solomon Hill has the potential to be much better than he is at the moment. Yet another gamble in a team that's seemingly full of them. He's shown the potential to be a starter-level player. But he's also shown the tendency to disappear.

Shooting Guard - This is where the roster starts to get really shaky. Starting (and not really having any business starting) is Marco Belinelli. Marco is an ideal backup. When he's hot, he can pour in a lot of points in a short period of time. But he's just not hot consistently. Backing him up is Brandon Rush who, inexplicably, is starting in the NBA. Rush is essentially a warm body. New to the team is David Nwaba. Nothing is really known about him but he got signed to a 10-day contract. Technically, Nwaba is a PG, but there are already 3 guys in that spot, so Nwaba shall be a SG for the moment.

Point Guard - A couple really big question marks here with the aforementioned Dunn and the other rookie, Isaiah Whitehead. Whitehead has gotten the start for the last couple weeks to see how he'd do in the position. Both he and Dunn have shown good defensive skills but little in the way of offense. Finally, there's Shaun Livingston, who is fine as a backup that only sees a few minutes/game.

As we look at each position, Shooting Guard stands out as the weakest spot. But the other positions are by no means secure. Those are the ones that are going to require some tough decisions. There are some players on this roster who've shown a great deal of potential. Do the Raptors play the waiting game with them to see how they develop, or do they move some of those guys off and make room for some new blood? They'll have a few draft picks in the upcoming draft, who'll undoubtedly bring more questions than answers. So there's plenty of work to be done in the coming weeks and months.

But GM CarlSpackler is committed to building this team into a powerhouse: "The Raptors have always been lucky to have a dedicated fan base. And it's been a rough year for all of us. I know we haven't been fun to watch. We owe it to the fans to bring a winning tradition back to Toronto. And we will. We can't thank the fans enough for their support this year. And this time next year, we'll hopefully be talking about our first round matchup."

Previous Article	Page 61/78 2017-03-25 21:56:31	Next Article