Hi! You freaks sent me some questions in the Locked On Raptors Discord (join it, it’s fun!). I’m going to answer them. No time to waste with a flowery preamble. Off we go!
Jeff Xilon asks: What skill do you think each of the top 4 young guys (Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, Gradey Dick, Jonathan Mogbo) needs to most develop to be still part of the core in the “next good raptors team”
Dick — Finding ways to contribute when shots aren’t falling (aka, defending at as close to a league-average level as possible). He’s always an offense-greaser with his freneticism and gravity, but if he’s giving it all back at the other end, you’re looking at a guy who’s playoff viability is dubious at best. Finishing at the rim is a close second here.
Walter — Still early to really have this one identified, but to me it feels like a strength thing. He’s got such great feel, and I think there’s a pretty high floor for a guy with his mix of handle, feel, defensive footwork and shooting touch. Beef up a little to make his forays to the rim a little more forceful and he’s cooking with gas.
Mogbo — Floater range touch. I’m never expecting him to be a three-point bomber, and his defensive upside remains immense. His role as a small, passing big man is going to demand he command the middle of the floor in short-roll situations, or as a nail-flasher any time the Raptors get zoned up. I think his burst in small spaces and hops make him really interesting in those situations, but not if his floaters are gonna look as wayward as they’ve been so far.
Shead — Catch and shoot threes! Once he gets the rookieness out of his foul-prone defensive package, there’s a lot to like about Shead occupying the classic ol’ reliable backup guard archetype... if he can drop in some treys. 33.3% on 1.4 catch and shoots a game this year is a start, but it’s gotta tick up a few notches from there.
Hickey420 asks: What realistic trade could you see the Raptors doing before the deadline? And what’s a crazy trade that would totally shake everything up?
I am of the mind that it’s gonna be mostly crickets for the Raptors at the deadline. Bruce Brown might be on the move, but he makes a lot of money, hasn’t played very well since returning, and the new CBA is makes bigger salaries tough to move in the middle of a season, especially when financially strapped contenders are involved. Maybe Kelly Olynyk gets moved? But he’s been pretty poor as well. I don’t think there’s really any chance Jakob Poeltl is dealt. The best I’ve got is:
Raptors get: Dwight Powell
Mavericks get: Davion Mitchell
FEEL THE RUSH. I dunno, man. The Mavs get a defensive specialist who might help them in spot minutes in specific situations. The Raptors add to their store of maybe cooked Canadian bigs and get a backup with a pulse who makes only $4 million on a player option for next year. You asked for realistic, I gave you realistic.
I haven’t spent much time concocting huge, franchise-altering moves after spending most of the last two years mired in deep trade machine perversion. But if there is a trade of note, something involving Jakob Poeltl going to the Warriors for a package including Trayce Jackson-Davis, a pick or two and whatever else is needed to match salary is the closest I’ve come to a Jak deal that isn’t a total disaster for the Raptors. I still think the Raps should hold off on dealing the guy who brings the most stability and developmental equity to the team.
MystialAlusion asks: Of all the players currently on the roster, which would you be confident in saying are apart of the next wave of winning raptors basketball?
I still feel good about Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley and the bet the front office has made on them. Barnes walks into good numbers and his defensive leap this year gives him such a high floor as a player. Meanwhile, Quickley, while he has his foibles, doesn’t really make that much money by point guard standards; his $32.5 million annual salary is going to age pretty well in a rising cap world. It’s a figure that doesn’t require him to even be an All-Star to live up to what he earns, and I’m a big believer in him as a traditional table-setting point guard who does a lot to help a team win. I threw around Mike Conley Jr. as a longer term comparison on today’s podcast. That’s a guy you can win with — if I’m right, which I always am.
Beyond that, I’m really high on Walter as a high-floor, two-way shooting guard with the capacity for something more. My money is on him being a starter in a couple year’s time. Jakob Poeltl should be around a while, assuming they try to extend him this summer at a reasonable number. He’s probably not on the next Raptors contender, but he can certainly be on a good, winning version of the Raptors in the coming years in a similar vein as Jonas Valanciunas before he got moved for Marc Gasol.
Beyond that, between uncertain development tracks and the possibility of consolidations trades, I don’t think anyone else is a lock.
Footloose1914 asks: Will Darko lose his job this offseason?
If the Raptors keep playing as lifelessly as they have in the last few weeks for the remainder of the year, then yeah, it’s probably on the table. Not many coaches survive a win total that starts with a “1" no matter how unfair it may be.
I happen to think this team’s best basketball lies ahead of it, and they’ll find some sort of rhythm with the roster now healthy. If not, then hoo boy, things could get real spicy this summer.
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Today on the podcast I linked up with Gavin Schall of Locked On Knicks to talk about RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and OG Anunoby ahead of tonight’s tilt at MSG. Enjoy!
