Amid disarray in NBA, Raptors betting on controlled chaos
Toronto brings back same core players with plan to wreak havoc on court
Chaos reigns in the NBA.
Look no further than last season's Finals combatants: the champion Warriors are dealing with fallout from Draymond Green punching teammate Jordan Poole in practice, while the Celtics are helmed by a new head coach after Ime Udoka was suddenly suspended for the year just before training camp.
Given that, plus owner drama in Phoenix, trade-demand drama in Brooklyn and more, the question that will define the coming season may well be: is it possible to reign amidst chaos?
The Toronto Raptors are betting that the answer is yes — if that chaos is controlled.
Compared to the above teams, the Raptors' off-season barely made a peep. When they tip off their season at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. ET), it'll be mostly the same cast of characters.
The starters will likely be Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. Except for opening night, those five began every game in which they were all healthy together a year ago.
WATCH | Raptors eliminated by 76ers in Game 6:
Toronto's most impactful off-season addition may be Otto Porter Jr., a former Warrior who should inject some much-needed shooting. Its most notable addition may have been Juancho Hernangomez, who is best known for starring as Bo Cruz in the movie Hustle.
The Raptors spent their lone draft pick, a second rounder, on centre Christian Koloko, who was born in the same Cameroon city as Siakam. Koloko instantly became the team's only seven-footer.
The bench will feature steady veterans Porter Jr. and Thaddeus Young alongside a pair of highly talented but mistake-prone centres in Chris Boucher and Precious Achiuwa.
Those are all the controlled variables — elements that proved they can work in harmony as the Raptors captured the East's fifth seed in last season's playoffs before falling in six games to the Philadelphia 76ers.
"I just kind of sense a little urgency, I sense some togetherness and I sense some real intensity this summer, and I think those are all three really good words going into a training camp," Nurse said during media day. "I think the team's shaping the identity that showed up a little bit late last year. They know who they are and are looking to expand it. It was a good summer."
Barnes, Siakam exemplify experiment
The Raptors are a basketball experiment: instead of "position-less basketball," Toronto assembled a roster of players that all essentially play the same position.
That position is vaguely defined — reigning rookie of the year Scottie Barnes, ostensibly your prototypical six-foot-seven forward, was listed at guard/forward on the team's season-opening player list.
"I don't know what position that guy plays. He's one of those guys who just plays basketball and is an incredible basketball player," Ujiri said.
WATCH | Barnes records double-double in win over Nets:
The same could be said of Siakam, Anunoby, Achiuwa, Boucher and even Young.
Ideally, all those players can organize an offence, make plays with the ball and connect on open catch-and-shoot opportunities. Defensively, they can all rebound and defend opponents regardless of height, weight or speed.
The others bring enough elements to make it work enough for the Raptors to play their preferred style of basketball — creating turnovers with speed and wingspan, scoring in transition and ultimately earning more possessions than the other team.
Last season, the Raptors forced the second-most opponent turnovers while collecting the second-most steals in the NBA.
In a way, it's refreshingly simple: if you take more shots than your opponent, you're likely to score more points.
VanVleet key to success
Where the Raptors ran into trouble last season was converting on those extra opportunities. Toronto's field-goal percentage ranked 25th in the league.
Amid the swath of 10 players listed between Barnes at 6'7" and Boucher at 6'9", VanVleet stands out.
His job is to keep the Raptors afloat, both as a traditional 6'1" point guard and as a 38.2 per cent three-point shooter for his career. While Barnes and Siakam work to tighten their handles, VanVleet is already there. He is control amid the Raptors' chaos, able to settle things with a clutch shot or a deftly run pick-and-roll.
WATCH | VanVleet joins CBC's FrontBurner:
But if VanVleet, in a way, represents the Raptors' floor, then Siakam and Barnes are the ceiling.
Between the 2019 championship run and the pandemic, the Raptors hadn't enjoyed a normal off-season for four years until this past summer. After the previous one, Siakam won Most Improved Player.
If there's another leap, it would go a long way toward filling the Raptors' superstar void. Two possible elements of growth for Siakam are ball-handling and the ability to create his own shot.
Barnes, meanwhile, is potential personified. At his best, there are hints of LeBron James as a point-forward who creates for others while forcing turnovers playing free safety on defence.
If the 21-year-old hits a sophomore slump, the Raptors may once again become first-round fodder, or even fall back to the play-in games.
But if Barnes and Siakam stride forward once again, Toronto could make a real run – at least, that's the hypothesis.
