Where the Raptors' Rotation Sits After Garrett Temple Signing
Maybe it’s silly to start breaking down the roster for the Toronto Raptors this far out from training camp. There’s still the looming possibility of a Pascal Siakam trade or, frankly, any deal that could totally reshape this roster with three months to go before the regular season.
But on the heels of Toronto’s decision to sign Garrett Temple to a one-year, minimum contract, bear with me.
The Starters: Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, O.G. Anunoby, and Jakob Poeltl
These are the core four for Toronto this season. It’s a group that played 384 minutes together last season, primarily with Fred VanVleet, and was plus-48 in those minutes.
It is, however, an awkward group. Poeltl is a non-shooter, Barnes has yet to find his footing as even a league-average shooter, and Siakam is a low-volume and generally below-average three-point shooter. Only Anunoby has proven he can be a consistent three-point shooter, but his shots come almost exclusively from catch-and-shoot looks.
This group also lacks anything like a traditional point guard and while Barnes and Siakam are good playmaking forwards, the loss of VanVleet complicates this lineup.
5th & 6th Man: Dennis Schröder and Gary Trent Jr.
During Schröder’s introductory press conference with the Raptors, the 29-year-old point guard certainly spoke like a man who thinks he’s going to be the starting point guard for the team. He seems to believe he was brought in to replace VanVleet as the team’s lead guard. But Schröder too isn’t much of a shooter and four below-average shooters on the court together could lead to some long nights for the Raptors, who finished last season 28th in three-point shooting percentage.
Trent, on the other hand, is an above-average shooter for his career but his lack of playmaking chops make him a strange fit in the starting lineup too. He’s shown a willingness to come off the bench in the past, even if it’s not his preferred spot.
For now, I’d give Schröder the edge with Trent coming off the bench, but this is going to be a battle to keep an eye on.
Bench Unit: Precious Achiuwa, Chris Boucher, Gradey Dick, Christian Koloko, and Jalen McDaniels
The Raptors are not going to play 11 players on a regular basis even if Darko Rajaković is a little more egalitarian when it comes to minutes than his predecessor. That said, all five of these players should see regular playing time at points this season.
Toronto is looking for a bounce-back year from Achiuwa who is extension-eligible this summer and will head into restricted free agency next year if he’s not signed long-term. He and Boucher aren’t an ideal fit together, but the two were the focus of the Raptors’ bench unit last year and I’d expect that to remain the case when this year tips off.
Dick didn’t look like a Day 1 impact player in Summer League last month, but Toronto is desperate for a player with his kind of shooting prowess and his development will be key for the organization. Expect his minutes to grow as the season continues.
Koloko was inconsistent as a rookie last season, as expected from a second-round pick. Ideally, he’s a backup big off the bench when Poeltl checks out but he’ll have to prove he deserves those minutes.
The 26-year-old McDaniels is a bit of a question mark for Toronto. He shot just 33% from behind the arc last season but he should be an adequate three-and-D wing for the Raptors. His contract suggests he’ll play some but if Dick seizes his opportunities, McDaniels minutes could dwindle.
The Vets: Otto Porter Jr., Garrett Temple, and Thad Young
Temple is the newest addition to this group and will provide bench guard depth for this team. At 37 years old, he’ll likely be more of a mentor to the young core rather than an impact player.
Toronto had high hopes for Porter last season, but the oft-injured wing was never healthy. He should, in theory, provide some valuable shooting but he’s hard to count on.
Young, meanwhile, fell out of the rotation last year. Toronto surprisingly kept him around this summer but it’s not certain he’ll make the team out of training camp.
Development Group & Questions: Malachi Flynn, Jeff Dowtin Jr., Javon Freeman-Liberty, Ron Harper Jr., and Markquis Nowell
This will be Flynn’s last chance to prove he’s anything more than a depth guard for Toronto. He was never able to impress former coach Nick Nurse but maybe things change under Rajaković.
Dowtin is on a non-guaranteed deal entering training camp. The addition of Temple hurt his chances to stick around, but if the Raptors waive Young or Porter, Dowtin will likely get the final roster spot as another depth guard.
Freeman-Liberty, Harper, and Nowell will all spend much of the season with the Raptors 905 on two-way contracts.
