The Toronto Raptors kick off a new season Oct. 21 at Scotiabank Arena versus the Chicago Bulls. Last season at this time, the Raptors were considered a play-in tournament team at best. But now, according to the latest Vegas odds, the team has cracked the league’s top 10.
The difference is the arrival of Kawhi Leonard, a two-time NBA champion and a top-five all-around player in the NBA when healthy. But to compete for a title, it’s going to take more than the arrival of The Klaw back in the 6ix.
Here are my top five things the Raptors need to do to compete for a title this season.
The third option
Leonard plays great isolation basketball. He can create his own shot with ease and is a great three-point and mid-range shooter. Barnes is okay at creating his own shot and very good at creating shots for others. But the third option is a challenge. I like RJ Barrett, but he is a very inconsistent shooter. Some games, he is great. Others, his shot is horribly flat and painful to watch. He is best playing his unique brand of bully ball, muscling his way to the basket and drawing fouls and/or getting layups. Is that enough? I don’t think so.
The best option for a third scorer on this team is Immanuel Quickley, and the arrival of Leonard is about to unlock a new level for IQ. With Barnes and Leonard, Quickley, although listed as a point guard, is unlikely to be running the team. He will play much more off the ball as a catch-and-shoot guard, which plays to his strengths. He is the best shooter in the starting five and also decent in the paint with his patented floater if defenders chase him off the three-point line. If he flourishes in this role, the Raptors are in business. If it fails and they rely more on Barrett, it’s not good.
Barnes the monster
Despite the arrival of Kawhi Leonard, this is Scottie Barnes’s team. And although he is already a top-20 player in the NBA, to win a championship he needs to take it to yet another level. But it’s not what you think. And this is where Leonard comes in.
When he’s playing at his best, Barnes is virtually unstoppable. But even last season, he was prone to lapses in concentration and judgment that resulted in silly turnovers and hare-brained plays. Leonard knows what it takes to win a championship. He is the ultimate competitor, characterized by incredible focus. That’s what Barnes needs. Leonard not only gives the Raptors a bona fide superstar to pair with the budding Barnes, he does double duty with his ability to show Barnes that side of the game. To lead by example and make sure Barnes is locked in every game, every play. That’s what it will take for this team to win. And Leonard will help Barnes get there.
Solidify the middle
This year, more teams are getting bigger and taller. The Wemby effect. And the Raptors understand the assignment, signing a number of big men, including Nate Brittle who had his contract converted to a two-way and could see action this season.
Although much-maligned over the past couple of seasons, Jak is a talented big man with great hands. He’s a good passer and knows the game incredibly well. But he is also injury-prone and can get overmatched when pitted against stronger centres in the league. Backup big man Collin Murray-Boyles will help. And the experiment of playing both big men in the same lineup this pre-season seems to indicate that the team is ready to try new things to decrease the pressure on Poeltl and, hopefully, the grind of a long season on his back.
And we also have Trayce Jackson-Davis backing up the middle this season, along with bruising young power forward Allen Graves. Even journeyman backup Kyle Anderson can help in the middle. So the team has gotten a lot bigger. And that’s a big thing for Jak over a long season.
Bench mob redux
For me, the biggest question marks come from the second unit. There is considerable talent here, but concerns as well. Murray-Boyles is going to be a breakout star this season. He is fantastic and is only going to get better.
Last season, Ja’Kobe Walter and Jamal Shead were the first two or three players off the bench. They do a lot of things well. Both are great young defenders, primarily. Shead needs to be better offensively. A lot better. And in the pre-season, he also turned the ball over too often. Walter needs to be a consistent three-point shooter. He proved that he has this potential last season, but he needs to lock it down now.
Bold prediction: Shead is going to be challenged for the role of backup point guard this season by Jaden Bradley and possibly Alijah Martin. Both players are taller, stronger and a step up offensively while still providing some of the tenacity that makes Shead such a popular and valuable player. Shead needs to rise to that challenge.
One more trade
When the Raptors were on the rise and looking like a championship contender in the Eastern Conference, Masai Ujiri didn’t take any chances. He pulled off another trade halfway through the season to bring Marc Gasol to the team. And that was the missing link that made it all work.
The team is in that position yet again. They are close. But they are likely one move away. That move could come in one of two places: point guard or center. There has been some chatter online about targeting Kyrie Irving this season, which would be a great fit for the team offensively and a serious upgrade at point guard with a true passer and scorer. But there is also a great option, possibly two, at centre. One is Domantas Sabonis, who the Raptors tried to acquire last season. Could we revisit that scenario? He would be an even better fit than Irving. And, of course, one of the great question marks this season is how things will go in Washington with the Wizards. If things start to go south, and Anthony Davis starts grumbling for a trade. Well, that could be 2019 all over again. Just saying.