3 Questions Toronto Needs to Answer as Raptors Media Day Nears
Media Day is less than two weeks away for the Toronto Raptors and still, there are plenty of questions yet to be answered.
1. What’s the status of the lawsuit the New York Knicks filed against the Raptors alleging members of the organization conspired to steal proprietary information from the Knicks?
Ever since news of the lawsuit broke last month, there’s been precious little information from either side about what is going on. NBA commissioner Adam Silver declined to comment on the topic and both sides have stayed quiet since their initial statements.
At this point, it seems like the lawsuit won’t have any significant impact on the Raptors and it’s unlikely head coach Darko Rajakovic is punished in any punitive way. That said, questions will be asked when media day rolls around. What happened? Who knew? When? Don’t expect many answers but until this lawsuit is settled, there’ll be some uncertainty hanging over the organization.
2. What’s going on with Pascal Siakam?
It’s been an unusual offseason for Raptors’ star Pascal Siakam who has been at the center of more trade rumors than normal and remains without a contract extension as he heads into the final year of his contract. Siakam was away from the team throughout Summer League, and it increasingly seems like Toronto is ready to turn the page on the 29-year-old All-Star as the organization looks to a new era with Scottie Barnes at the helm.
For now, Siakam remains in NBA purgatory. He’s reportedly conveyed a disinterest in being traded this summer, trying to exert agency in trade talks around the league. Toronto, meanwhile, appears disinclined to sign him to a long-term contract. Some clarity on how Siakam is feeling toward the organization and vice versa will be among the most important questions as the season nears.
3. Who expects to start for the Raptors this season?
It’s not necessarily an important question for Rajaković who likely won’t have an answer heading into the season, but there are likely six players on Toronto’s roster that envision themselves as starters this season. Siakam, Barnes, O.G. Anunoby, and Jakob Poeltl all return as the starters for Toronto when the season ended last year. That leaves one spot for Dennis Schröder and Gary Trent Jr. to fill.
Schröder has made it clear he thinks he’s going to start for the Raptors. He said as much during his introductory press conference when he called himself the starting point guard. He backtracked a little bit when pushed on the topic, but it’s apparent he thinks he’s going to start.
Trent, meanwhile, never complained when it came to coming off the bench in the second half of last year. That said, he made it clear he has big goals for himself during his season-ending media availability. He may be more likely to come off the bench for the Raptors, but a starting lineup without Trent raises some serious floor-spacing issues due to Toronto’s dearth of shooting.
