Raptors Mailbag: Agbaji's Development, Point Guard Play, Tanking, & More

The Toronto Raptors are finally back home after a two-week length road trip and appear to be finding a bit of a groove. They now have a winning record at Scotiabank Arena and looked pretty good on Sunday night against the Miami Heat, save for the last few minutes of the fourth quarter.

There seems to be some anxiety from fans about how good or how bad this team will be this season and what that could mean for Toronto's lottery odds in the spring. We'll touch on that and more in the latest mailbag article. As always, if you have a question for a mailbag article feel free to message me on Instagram @aaronbenrose.

Do you think the Jazz didn’t use Ochai right or did the Raptors just make him better? - @aidanschonewille

I wasn't exactly tuning into Jazz games to see how they utilized Ochai Agbaji early last season. From what I saw in Toronto last year, he seemed very limited offensively, and his Summer League showing didn't exactly inspire confidence. Whoops.

It turns out Agbaji has more potential than I — and the Jazz — realized. He’s shooting 47.1% from three-point range and is proving to be a valuable 3-and-D role player. I’d say that’s a combination of credit to the Raptors' development staff and Agbaji's own hustle to work on improving his game over the offseason. Players don't normally get enough credit for their own development, so kudos to Agbaji for getting so much better this year.

Do you think Scottie is really our future? - @brit.merr

Until proven otherwise, I’d say. It’s always safe to bet against a player being a No. 1-type of player on a championship team and I'm skeptical Barnes will ever be in the MVP conversation. That said, he’s clearly an All-Star level player and has All-NBA upside if he can continue to develop out his game.

The Raptors are certainly betting on him being their future and until someone better comes along with a higher ceiling — potentially in the 2025 NBA Draft — Barnes is going to be The Guy for Toronto.

Do you think the Raps are hurting the tank job? - @ali.beydoun24

The Raptors aren't currently tanking. For now, this is merely a rebuilding team that is battling a slew of injuries, a ridiculously tough schedule, and is still trying to figure out what is has on this roster. I'd imagine the Raptors will eventually start tanking later this year and actively try to lose games, but we're not there yet.

As for their lottery odds, Toronto was never going to be as bad as Washington this season, and trying to lose every single game was never going to happen. Ideally, the Raptors would lose more of these coin-flip games, but as long as they're in the bottom five or so, they should be in a pretty good spot to get a very good pick.

Should Scottie Barnes be our full time PG (move IQ to SG) - @galactic_hoop

I expect they'll both be part-time point guards when Immanuel Quickley is back and alternate who is handling the ball based on the situation, the defense, and who is having a more effective game. Quickley will certainly play off-the-ball where he's very good and so will Barnes as a roll man and post-up player. I wouldn't get too fixated on who is the "starting point guard" because I think they'll both play a variety of roles when they do eventually play together.

Should the Raptors trade Jakob Poeltl? - @ballerdoller27

It's certainly too early to do that now. However, I'd take calls on Jakob Poeltl when that time does come. I wouldn't move him just to move him, but if there's a good offer, I'd strongly consider it.

The problem with moving Poeltl is the Raptors will inevitably be looking for a center to replace Poeltl immediately after they trade him and would be forced to start their ascent next season without a reliable center. Conversely, getting rid of Poeltl would certainly make the Raptors one of the league's worst teams and if Toronto wants to put itself in the best possible position for a top pick, moving Poeltl would help.

What do you think of RJ - @j_wad82

I think he has a remarkable ability to get into the paint, get to his left hand, and to finish inside even when everyone knows he's about to do it. He's been one of the league's best finishers in the paint this season among non-centers and is beginning to flesh out his game as a playmaker.

That said, I think he'd benefit from having a smaller offensive role with more talented players around him. Immanuel Quickley's return should help alleviate some of that pressure on Barrett which should help his offensive efficiency.

Defensively he has a ton of work to do too. If he's going to be a high-end role player for Toronto, he simply has to get better defensively.