NFL
By: Greg Rector
The Toronto Raptors enter the 2022-2023 NBA season in the all-so-familiar territory. They are a solid NBA team that goes unnoticed or is dismissed by far too many. They don’t get games on TNT or ESPN/ABC. That is a big reason why they have an “Us Against the World,” attitude, and the fanbase joins them from coast to coast. It’s why their motto is WE THE NORTH. They know it’s not just the city of Toronto, but Canada as a whole that stands with them. Let’s look at what lies ahead for the Raptors.
Expected Starters
PG- Fred Van Vleet
SG – Gary Trent Jr
SF- OG Anunoby
PF- Scottie Barnes
C- Pascal Siakim
Now that lineup of course is a bit deceiving considering the Raptors are considered a “Positionless,” team. They could also move Trent Jr to the bench and add Precious Achiuwa to start depending on the opponent. Realistically though that grouping is on the defensive end of the court only. Head coach Nick Nurse has already stated offensively that Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakim will play “point forward,” moving Van Vleet to his more favored position of the shooting guard. Van Vleet’s minutes will also be reduced, last season’s 38.9 minutes were far too many. That was forced upon the Raptors due to their injury situation last year. It led to problems especially after the all-star game and in the postseason as Van Vleet played through a knee inflammation situation.
The other player that must remain healthy is OG Anunoby. Anunoby needs to play a full season, he can lock down opponents, and as you all know that is the calling card of the Raptors, tenacious team defense.
My favorite example of this is to look at the Bucks monster Giannis Antetokounmpo’s career numbers against the Raptors. 19.5 points 9.1 rebounds 5.2 assists per game. While his rebounds and assists are close to his usual numbers his scoring goes down when facing Toronto. It’s a major reason the Raptors have been able to consistently beat the Bucks. Here’s where Nick Nurse and the Raptors simply don’t get enough respect from too many fans and the media. Much like the way Bill Belichick has taken away the opposing quarterback’s favorite targets in the NFL, Nurse and the Raptors players will take away what opponents like to do best. They might not always target the number one option, but quite often they take away the second and third options, depending on the opponent. The one area that has to be improved upon though is defensive rebounding. Limiting second chances was the biggest weakness of the Raptors.
The Rico Effect
One of the league’s most sought-after player development gurus is now calling Toronto home. Rico Hines has been highly respected for years and signing him was a major coup. You can watch the Drew League and other offseason exhibitions but if you haven’t paid attention to the “Rico Hines Runs,” you miss out on so many of the league’s best putting in the work to improve. The Raptors have long been praised for their player development and made an area of strength even better by signing Hines. Here’s where it could pay off in a major way for Toronto. The rookie of the year Scottie Barnes put in major work with Hines. The shot improvement is evident already. Barnes is also a good 12 to 15 pounds bigger. That means he can be more physical especially down low. I’ve always said the difference between Demar DeRozan and Kawhi Leonard comes down to their body types. The bigger stronger Leonard makes him harder to play against than facing Derozan. The increased size also applies to Siakim who had a full offseason for the first time in a few years (Covid/Shoulder surgery) Having Hines present all season will be a huge benefit to every Raptor.
Better Depth
The bench especially lacking consistent offensive production was another area that needed to be improved. It improved some last year after acquiring veteran Thaddeus Young, who also re-signed for this year. He has more help now with the Raptors also signing fresh off an NBA championship, Otto Porter Jr. Another improved player thanks to the Hines Runs, is Dalano Banton who will see minutes as the backup PG. Banton has remade his dribbling and looks far less careless protecting the ball. Juancho Hernangomez aka Bo Cruz is coming off an excellent EuroBasket championship where he led Spain to the title. The bench will score more consistently and that will help reduce the minutes the starters are needed for.
Outlook
Go ahead and ignore the Raptors. Disrespect them all you want. Do so at your own peril. They feed off it. They managed 48 wins last year despite all the injuries (Only 23 games with their starting five) thanks to their commitment to team basketball. I said on Twitter the other day the Eastern Conference has 9 legitimate playoff teams. That means a good team will miss out on the playoffs. Don’t expect that to be the Raptors. If they stay healthy this is a 52-55 win roster and will be in the playoff mix.
As always you can find me on Twitter @GregsCowboys
