"The Toronto Raptors' most recent era was defined from the transition to Scottie Barnes. He replaced Pascal Siakam, who replaced Kyle Lowry. In the grand scheme, the Raptors have found meaningful faces of the franchise. But beneath Barnes, the Raptors were, at least initially, unable to supplement the roster in ways that made sense. It's not that they missed in the big picture. ( Although, maybe.) But for years, the Raptors couldn't hit around the margins."
"The Toronto Raptors spent years pulling proverbial rabbits out of proverbial voids. A late-first-round draft pick joining the All-NBA team? Check. An undrafted player becoming an All Star? Yessir. A castaway point guard becoming one of the most important drivers of success in a decade? The foundation of it all. Such events constitute joy for fans and wins for teams."
Scottie Barnes became the franchise face after Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry. The Raptors historically unearthed high-value contributors from unlikely places, including late first-rounders, undrafted players, and castaway point guards. Recent Summer League performances lacked obvious breakout prospects and signaled fewer 'rabbits' found in overlooked places. The team struggled to add complementary players around Barnes early on, failing to replenish marginal roster upgrades that once defined prior eras. From the 2021 to 2023 drafts, only Gradey Dick remains as a rotation player on the roster, while other selections failed to develop into consistent contributors.
Read at Raptors Republic
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