By Jonah Drew

Record: 36-46

The Raptors really haven’t found their footing since they won their ring with Kawhi Leonard back in 2019. They had a couple years of contention but never anything with real championship aspirations. Longtime GM Masai Uriji made the decision to fire the coach who won him a championship, Nick Nurse after the 2022-23 season. In his place, they hired Darko Rajakovic. His first season wasn’t a great one but I would definitely still say the jury is out on him as Raptors head coach. The Raptors went 25-57, missing the playoffs entirely. The real interesting part though came at the trade deadline, where the Raptors were arguably the most active team in the NBA, making 2 blockbuster deals. The first one sending defensive stopper OG Anunoby to the Knicks in exchange for Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and a 2024 Secound Round Pick. Then, they traded All-Star Forward Pascal Siakam to Indiana for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and 3 First Round Picks. Obviously it is way too early to tell who came out on top in these deals but all I know is both of the guys that Toronto dealt are absolutely flourishing in their new homes. It is clear Toronto believes in their guys though, as both Quickley and Barrett were paid handsomely not long after being sent up north. Quickley was very solid in his expanded role, going from a 6th man to a lead ball handler and primary option is tough but he handled it well. He averaged 18.6 PPG on .518 eFG% with 6.8 APG to boot, very respectable marks. The real breakout came from the native Canadian, RJ Barrett. In his return home, Barrett averaged 21.6 PPG on an extremely efficient .601 eFG%. Barrett was also a much improved rim finisher and c&s jump shooter. This is the RJ Barrett we were promised all those years ago. Scottie Barnes is the future of the Toronto Raptors. The former Rookie of the Year is already a star at 23 years old, but the sky is the limit for what he could become. I will save my Scottie Barnes erasure for the team MVP bit, but just know I am a believer. The Raptors big man situation is about as mediocre as it gets. The center minutes will largely consist of Jakob Poeltl and Kelly Olynyk, not great by any stretch but serviceable enough. Bruce Brown continues to be one of the most underrated players in all of basketball, he is the ideal modern role player and any contender would love to take him off Toronto’s hands. The collection of young rotation guys such as Gradey Dick, Jakobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo and Davion Mitchell is very exciting. Anyone of these young talents could breakout into a quality NBA starter and I wouldn’t be surprised at all. As a whole, I am buying this Raptors rebuild, centered around Scottie Barnes, I do not believe that this group is all that far away from being a playoff team.

MVP: Scottie Barnes

Scottie has flashed since the minute he stepped foot on an NBA floor, winning Rookie of the Year back in 2022. 2023 was essentially status quo but 2024 was the breakout we were hoping for. He put up 20 PPG on .528 eFG% with 8 RPG and 6 APG to boot. He was also vastly improved as a three point shooter, he shot .341 from downtown on very significant volume in 4.9 3PA/PG. He is becoming a very complete offensive player. If he can sustain this very solid 3 point shooting then he becomes one of the only wings in the game who can truly do it all. He is arguably the best playmaking 4 in all of basketball, he is great getting downhill and can now apparently stretch the floor. However, offense has never been Barnes’ calling card. Scottie Barnes is one of the best defenders in all of basketball bar none. He averaged 1.3 SPG and 1.5 BPG, but that is just the start of it. He is in the 100th percentile in defensive positional versatility. He is also an 87th percentile defensive playmaker. To go along with that, he is an 82nd percentile perimeter isolation defender. Scottie Barnes can truly do it all.

DPOY: Jakob Poeltl

It feels like Jakob Poeltl has been around for what feels like forever but I still feel like his winning impact continues to go unnoticed. I do believe it is worth mentioning that Scottie Barnes is this team’s best defender but with him being MVP, this honor goes to Jakob Poeltl. With that out of the way, let’s discuss the ever overlooked, Jakob Poeltl. Poeltl is averaging 1.5 BPG with a 5.1% Block Rate. Poeltl can really protect the rim. Getting advanced, Poeltl is in the 95th percentile in D-Lebron among centers. He also grades out as an elite help defender. Respect Jakob Poeltl.

Breakout: RJ Barrett

RJ Barrett has long been one of the most frustrating players in basketball. In New York he always showed flashes of being the star he was touted as but more often than not he was an extremely inefficient basketball player who’s playstyle was not conducive to winning whatsoever. In the first part of the season in NY, Barrett averaged 18.2 on .469 eFG% but since coming back home up north, he averaged 21.2 PPG on .605 eFG%. That is an absolutely drastic jump. He has come so far as a rim finisher, he is towards the top of the league in finishing talent, rim shotmaking efficiency, rim shot quality, and floater talent. The only argument I would hear is that he already broke out, but I believe the best is still yet to come for the young 24 year old.

Sources

Basketball Index

Basketball Reference

ESPN

Statmuse