Viewpoint: Raptors Supporters Have Hope for the Future of The Team
The Toronto Raptors sold winning from 2015 to 2020. regular season success, an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals, a regular home court advantage in the playoffs, and ultimately an NBA Championship.
Things changed in the 2020–21 Tampa season when the Raptors marketed optimism rather than winning. The hope that they will be able to move back to Scotiabank Arena, the hope that supporters will be able to attend games again, and the hope that they will be selected highly in the draft to help the team in the future.
That optimism persisted in 2021–2022, when it was mixed with a little amount of success. The squad made it back home, Scottie Barnes surprised everyone by winning Rookie of the Year, and although though their postseason run was not as long as planned, they were safely in the postseason as the fifth seed in the East.
It’s been unclear what the Toronto Raptors have been attempting to market since the start of the last campaign. They could have tried to sell winning, but it was clearly not working. Toronto surrendered a first-round selection to re-acquire Jakob Poeltl, even though the team was not even assured a berth in the play-in, much less the playoffs, and ended up as the ninth seed in the East with a.500 record. Their play-in game was lost due to a late lead, leaving little hope for the future and much less chance of winning.
Both losing Fred VanVleet and Nick Nurse didn’t help either department, as the team struggled to start the season and gave the impression that they weren’t committed to letting go of OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, two prospective free agents.
Nonetheless, it appears that Raptors management has made up their decision and revealed their cards throughout the last six weeks. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to win with the lineup they had put together. Supporters demanded a reconstruction and said they would put up with a losing squad as long as they knew there was a long-term plan to succeed. They wanted to believe that things would improve because they were tired of the product they were receiving.
They should be happy that they received exactly what they requested, in my opinion. focusing solely on the behind
Immanuel Quickley
When I first saw the original Anunoby trade, I was ecstatic to have Immanuel Quickley. IQ was a wonderful fit since he was a young primary ball handler who would provide this team with much-needed guard play and was demanding more minutes that were just not available in New York.
Quickley, who won’t turn 25 until June, is probably going to sign a long-term contract to serve as Toronto’s starting point guard for many years to come. His career-to-date output is comparable to that of Tyrese Maxey, the guard chosen four spots ahead of him in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Despite having quite different responsibilities, their per-36 production was relatively close during the first several seasons of their careers. Since the conclusion of his rookie campaign, Maxey has started the great majority of his games, whereas Quickley has spent the most of his time in New York as a sixth man.
Now that he is beginning as a lead guard, Quickley has the chance to advance on his own. Though I’m not suggesting that the Raptors guard will reach All-Star status as fast as Maxey did, it’s heartening to watch a player with a similar archetype succeed so well in the same position.
Quickley’s usage rate has only gone up by 0.6% since joining the Raptors, but in the short time he has been in Toronto, his assist percentage has risen by almost 11%, to a career-high 26%. His points per shot attempt has plummeted to a career low, placing him in just the 32nd percentile among point guards this season.
What does all of that signify? In essence, Quickley is not holding the ball much more than he did in New York, but he is dishing out far more assists despite his decreased shooting effectiveness. While his efficiency from floater range has declined dramatically, from 58.6% in New York to 31% with Toronto, his three point percentage has actually climbed.
The lack of a lob threat probably has an impact on his floater efficiency as well. Therefore, Quickley has every chance to develop into one of the better starting point guards in the NBA if the Raptors can put together a roster that suits his style of play.
Barrett, R.J.
To be honest, I wasn’t first convinced about getting RJ Barrett, but the Canadian wing has done tries his hardest to refute me. Barrett, who is only 23 years old, has already demonstrated some of the scoring ability that helped him land the third pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Barrett has the capacity to take over games when he gets hot, so while I don’t anticipate him to become a superstar, he should develop into a reliable second or third option in terms of scoring as he advances in his career.
Barrett’s usage rate has dropped while his points per shot attempt has increased in Toronto—basically the exact opposite impact that the deal has had on Quickley. In comparison to his stay in New York earlier this season, he is scoring the ball with greater efficiency from all three levels.
Barrett and Scottie Barnes have gotten along well, and they appear to be the cornerstones of the Raptors’ future development. The stars appear to be aligning for Barrett as he returns to his hometown, works with the Raptors development staff, and reunites with Masai Ujiri, his father’s lifelong friend. I’m really excited about Barrett’s future development in Toronto.
Dick Gradey
As of February 14th, when this piece was written, Gradey Dick had just finished his best game in his short NBA career. Dick scored 18 points against San Antonio after shooting 7/10 from the field and 4/5 from three just over a week ago, despite his 22 points against New Orleans.
The 13th overall selection in the previous summer’s Despite not having the rookie season that Raptors supporters had hoped for following his spectacular draft outfit, he has since shown signs of maturing.
After returning to the starting lineup on January 20, Gradey has played for more than 19 minutes in eight of his 12 outings, indicating that his position with the Raptors is finally changing as he appears to be rediscovering his footing and confidence.
The 6’8″ wing’s scorching performance over the past five games demonstrates his skill as a three-point shooter. Dick is shooting just under 58% from long range and 60% from two points, but he attempts more three-pointers than any other kind of shot on average.
Maintaining the other facets of Gradey’s game while combining Because of his height and wingspan, he has the potential to develop into one of the league’s best pure scorers as well as a top three-point shooter. With Gary Trent Jr. most likely heading out on free agency, Gradey should see more playing time in the future and may be able to establish himself as the team’s sixth man in terms of scoring as early as the next campaign.
Return on Siakam Trade
The Pascal Siakam deal left a lot of people unhappy, and I believe that’s fair, but there is still reason for optimism.
Although Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster were unable to acquire a worthy trade partner for Bruce Brown at this year’s trade deadline, he can still be moved in the summer or he can choose to exercise his team option for the following season and try again. Bruce Brown was one of the most important players on a championship team. Who knows? Based on how the upcoming season plays out, Brown might even prove valuable to the Raptors, who might decide to keep him. In any case, they obtained a piece that may be traded for additional future assets or a valuable player as they attempt to build.
During his brief stay in Toronto thus far, Jordan Nwora has demonstrated moments of greatness. He is probably what he is, which is a great shooter and a scoring option off the bench, even though he is only 25. Like Brown, Nwora has abilities that clubs vying for championships want. He may be traded for additional draft picks, or he may continue to play that role for the Raptors as they try to develop him.
Agbaji Kelly & Ochai Olynyk
For the third consecutive trade deadline, the Raptors actually sent away a first-round pick. Speaking about draft picks. Despite the negative talk around the deal, which led one to believe that the Raptors made the decision, I am a big fan of the move.
The 2024 first truly came from the Utah Jazz and is carefully guarded. This is the third trade it has been involved in, so there are a lot of conditions, but in the end, it will be the least advantageous of Utah, Houston, the LA Clippers, or Oklahoma City. Given that the Clippers and Thunder are two of the NBA’s top-5 teams this year, this pick is probably number 28, if not earlier.
There are several late first-round selections who went on to become NBA stars, which is the counterargument here. Pascal Siakam ranked 27th, Jimmy Butler and Desmond Bane ranked 30th, while the second round selections were Nikola Jokic, Draymond Green, and Manu Ginobli.
The fact that Toronto also owns Detroit’s second-round pick, which will still be in the top-35 even if it doesn’t land at number thirty-one overall, is something that is not brought up in that discussion.
This gave the Raptors the opportunity to take a chance and get two rotational players for a pick that, more often than not, does not turn into a regular NBA player. They add another native, Canadian star in Kelly Olynyk, but this one has 11 years of NBA experience.
At the end of the season, Olynyk will be a free agency, but the Raptors are reportedly already interested in signing him to a contract extension. The 6’11” center, who shoots 42% from three this season, plays a big man role off the bench and adds much-needed bulk to a position that lacks depth behind Jakob Poeltl. Since Chris Boucher’s 2021 season in Tampa, and prior to that, Serge Ibaka in 2020, Toronto has not had a player of his quality in this role. Olynyk probably stays on as a seasoned player for a young, developing team, where he may be traded for further assets if the tanking continues, or he could help lead them back into the postseason.
Although Ochai Agabji has a significant boom-or-bust potential, I believe he is the key player in this trade. Agbaji, selected with the 14th overall choice in 2022, won the NCAA Men’s National Championship with Kansas and was named the postseason’s Most Outstanding Player in collegiate basketball. Not to belittle this player in the slightest, but Jimmer Fredette and other players show that success in college basketball does not guarantee success in the NBA. Regretfully, Agbaji has spent his first two NBA seasons with the same group of players; he had a mediocre rookie campaign and underperformed in this, his sophomore year.
Final Words
In the NBA, one thing is for certain: team success does not always follow from individual achievement. Consider how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander progressed while playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who placed fourth last in each of their 2021 and 2022 seasons. That appears to be the strategy in place in Toronto, where the team aims to position its key players to play excellent basketball going forward, grow both as a unit and as individuals, but still end up losing games for the rest of the season.
My optimism for Raptors basketball’s future is rooted in the club’s youthful core’s individual growth and the new additions that should bring success to the team soon. While I may not support the team to score more points than their rival, I will cheer for Scottie Barnes, Gradey Dick, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley for the time being. Though the rest of the season could be difficult to watch and encourage, keep in mind that there is still hope and light at the end of the tunnel.