#toronto-raptors

#toronto-raptors

No, the Toronto Raptors have lots to figure out.Even NBA intellectual extraordinaire, Zach Lowe, on his latest podcast with John Hollinger, proclaimed Toronto as one of the most confusing NBA teams heading into the season. Rightfully so. All the way down the roster there remain questions about fit, roles, rotations, long-term vision, you name it. General Manager, Bobby Webster, might claim to know the answers to those questions; so, too, might head coach, Darko Rajaković. But from the outside looking in, it's all opaque.

Brown was a key x-factor for the Denver Nuggets during their 2023 NBA championship run. After the team celebrated their victory and moved into the 2023 offseason, Brown hit free agency. During the team parade, he highlighted that re-signing with the Nuggets was a priority for him. However, Brown decided to chase the bigger payday, signing a two-year, $45 million deal with the Indiana Pacers.

In the opening moments of his media day availability, Toronto Raptors head coach made it clear what the Toronto Raptors will be hanging their hat on this year and that's defense. Last season after the all star break the Toronto Raptors had the second best defense in the league, only behind the 2025 NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. "When we talk about defense I really believe that everything starts with Scottie Barnes... our identity starts with him" said Rajakovic.

Rhoden is on the same page as Jones and Rajaković, saying that his role in the NBA is going to be as a defender first. Both the players and coaches have echoed the idea that running similar systems has helped make it easy to "directly translate" what they do in the G League to the Raptors. And not a lot of players end up in Rhoden's shoes - spending their third straight season on a two-way contract -

Out of nowhere, Houston is now going to be in need of a guard upgrade. Meanwhile, Quickley is one of the Raptors' more tradeable pieces, and Toronto has reportedly been open to moving him in order to upgrade their roster. The Rockets are a partner that could work well in a potential deal for a number of reasons. The first of which being that they need specifically what Quickley brings to the table.

It doesn't get more devastating for an NBA team than hearing that one of their key players has been injured and will likely be out for the entire season. That's exactly what has happened to Fred VanVleet, the former Raptors star who is now with the Houston Rockets. Yesterday, Shams Charania announced the injury news on X, revealing that VanVleet had sustained an ACL injury during offseason training.

What if it was possible, when facing a critical juncture in life - a big job interview, an emotionally charged conversation, even the prospect of parenthood - to plan for every potential variable by rehearsing the situation over and over. From a meticulous recreation of The Alligator Lounge to (small spoiler alert!) packing a 737 full of actors to circumvent aviation laws and investigate the dynamic between pilot and co-pilot in a cockpit, Fielder's formulaic, flowchart-driven approach is intended to leave nothing to chance.

Headed into his 16th season - the days of Temple adding value with his on-court play are behind him, but he can still provide value on the sidelines, and in the locker room. With there being a bevy of young players on the Raptors roster such as Ja'Kobe Walter, Gradey Dick, Jonathan Mogbo, and Collin Murray-Boyles, Temple has ample opportunity to guide new players.

Hats off to Markkanen for making the most of his situation in Utah. He was a key piece in the Donovan Mitchell trade to Cleveland back in the 2022 offseason, and the Finnish sharpshooter surprised everyone by stepping into the role of Utah's franchise player right away. Markkanen would, of course, be awarded the Most Improved Player award and earn an All-Star selection during his breakout in 2023. That season, he averaged nearly 26 points on 49.9% shooting from the field, 39.1% from three, and also grabbed 8.6 rebounds.

Toronto entered the 2022 draft coming off a 48-win season and a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. Their reward was a first-round matchup against the fourth-seed Philadelphia 76ers, led by Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey. The series began poorly, with Philadelphia racing to a 3-0 lead behind blowout wins in Games 1 (20-point margin) and 2 (15-point margin). Game 3 went to overtime, but the Sixers edged Toronto in the final moments.

But there's one guy who might get overlooked in that conversation, and I'd argue he was a pretty noteworthy signing at the time. Considering Toronto's limited appeal to free agents, grabbing Otto Porter Jr. seemed like a sleeper move; I remember being pretty excited to see a savvy veteran and a still-solid player (at least I thought so) join the Raptors.

Just a few months ago, the NBA rumor mill was buzzing with speculation that Toronto might make a big splash over the summer by trading for a 'big fish', with names like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant at the forefront. As it turned out, those rumors were mostly just smoke and mirrors. Giannis seems set to stay in Milwaukee for the foreseeable future, and Durant ended up being traded to the Houston Rockets instead.

Summer might be winding down for us regular folks, and I bet some other basketball stars are still enjoying their offseason ventures, but for Mamukelashvili and a host of other European talents, they are currently engaged in FIBA EuroBasket play. The tournament, which kicked off on August 27 and runs until September 14, features 24 different countries. Some of the NBA's top talents are participating, including Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Alperen Sengun, Franz Wagner, and many others.

To be clear, it's a stretch to say that he's the Raptors' secret weapon, but there's two realistic possibilities exist. One, the Raptors' transition defence remains strong and aggressive defensive schemes allows - or even hides - some of Mamu's defensive weaknesses. Two, he'll be less of a liability on defence as he already has the physical tools - he moves well - but he'll need to make better reads.

Matt Thomas, who played parts of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons with the Toronto Raptors, has signed a deal with Spanish club Fundacion CB Granada, according to Alberto De Roa of HoopsHype's transactions list. Known for his three-point shooting, Thomas has enjoyed a long career overseas, split up by a quick stop in the NBA. In addition to his season-and-a-half with the Raptors, Thomas played 19 games with the Utah Jazz during the 2020-21 season before playing 40 with the Chicago Bulls in 2021-22.