Notice all the 6’9″ players? If you know the traits the Raptors look for in players, the first thing you’ll know is they better play defense. For head coach Nick Nurse and his staff to succeed. The title was won primarily by defending better than anyone else, forcing teams out of their comfort zones, and this was accomplished by the more traditional roster of a true center (Gasol) and Serge Ibaka off the bench. Notice there is no true center currently on this team. That may change if the expected Goran Dragic trade to Dallas brings back Moses Brown a 7’2″ former UCLA Bruin. Minus that this roster is loaded with players who may not have the prototypical height or build of a center, but they all come with amazing wingspans, most are at a minimum 7’2″ to 7’4″. Because they aren’t the typical centers here’s where the Raptors are going against the grain. The players they have drafted or acquired in trades all are capable of defending either the 1 through the 5 or the 1 through the 4 at a minimum.

The first sign of this direction happened on draft night when with the 4th overall draft pick the Raptors took 6’9″ Scottie Barnes from Florida State. Highly touted for his defense and basketball IQ after just one year as a Seminole, but also highly criticized for not being the typical NBA shooter (Not a 3 point shooter) so that immediately had many experts saying the Raptors were making a mistake, sorry the pick ruined your draft boards folks, but Barnes is the type of player the Raptors love. He is such a versatile defender and showed he can create his offense in the Summer League, just not by jacking up a three-point shot (The shame) Barnes averaged just under 21 points, nine rebounds, and 4.5 assists. Now yes that’s a small sample size (4 games) however the signs are all positive outside of the 28% 3 point shooting. Shhhhh the Raptors have developed VanVleet, Siakam, and Anunoby, etc… from horrific to mediocre 3 point shooters into capable ones.

Meanwhile, the player the Raptors received in the Kyle Lowry deal that they were most excited for was Precious Achiuwa. He may only be 6’8″ but in limited court time with the Miami Heat, Achiuwa proved more than capable of defending bigger players. He relishes the opportunity and was very good as well in the Summer League. Now I give Summer League games a cursory glimpse as to what players might be able to do in the real season. The indications again though were positive for Achiuwa. That includes shooting threes, something Eric Spoelstra didn’t have him doing in Miami.

Dalano Banton, the first-ever Canadian selected by the Raptors 6’9″ PG selected 46th overall is a much more raw prospect, though he also had moments that were impressive in the Summer League. Like the first two players, mentioned Banton’s wingspan and defense are the first things you notice.

Looking Ahead

The way Ujuri and Webster have built this roster, it’s clear they intend to have a young team with very versatile players. No one is going to be a superstar this year of the guys acquired via the draft, trades, or free agency. What they will do is compete and defend you to death. Given the return of Siakam is slated for early to mid-November after shoulder surgery, the scoring will have to spread out early next year. One thing you can expect though is a tenacious group of players defensively. The deflected balls, loose balls, and rebounds will be contested game in and game out.[pickup_prop id=”7800″]

Another year of slight improvement offensively for Anunoby, a slightly better VanVleet in terms of being a finisher, and Siakam returning to a more consistent form, means three leaders who already have championship rings, can lead this Raptors squad infused with young, hungry players back to at least a team that will challenge for a lower end playoff position. The question marks will be at shooting guard, can Trent Jr take the next step up? Will someone off the bench also be able to play well off the ball. Can Malachi Flynn lead the bench? Will they be able to rebound better on their own end? That’s been the biggest issue for me since the playoff bubble. Hopefully, these younger athletic guys are better able to prevent second and third chances for opponents.  There are still rumors that Siakam could be dealt with, but I don’t see it happening until the next off-season. His value is lower because of the injury and Ujuri typically doesn’t deal from a position of weakness.

The return home to Scotiabank Arena on October 20th looks to be a go finally. Playing in front of a rabid group of fans as you’ll find anywhere, can only help the Raptors as well. Ask around and you’ll hear many an opposing player tell you that crowd is not fun to deal with as a road team. The Raptors’ moves this off-season may not be the traditional ones, however, they are going to be back making life miserable for opponents. I am going to say the oddsmakers and many so-called experts saying 36 wins or less, will be proven wrong by this team.