Sean Woodley here, the host of the daily Locked On Raptors podcast, with your daily Locked On Raptors newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Raptors and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
Toxic Positivity Friday: Cooper Flagg will be a kick ass Raptor
Jan 7, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) dunks during the second half against the Pitt Panthers at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan/Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images
While I think most folks appreciate the corner of Raptors coverage I’ve carved out for myself, I still get accused of being too much of a happy-go-lucky peddler of optimism when hard times fall upon the team. And hey, maybe that’s fair. When you write a blog and do a podcast about a really bad team everyday, you have to search for flecks of light in the dark as a means of self care.
But one area of rampant, blind hopefulness I rarely wade into is Draft Hopium. I’m scarred by the Andrea Bargnani pick in 2006 deeply enough that I should probably talk to someone about it. As a result, I’m something of a draft skeptic. Obviously, the draft is real important as a means of player acquisition; I just think draft success is way more about luck than skill, and largely out of anyone’s control. Those who disagree, to me, are the real toxic positivity merchants.
Projecting your hopes and dreams of franchise salvation onto speculative teenagers is a strange, silly exercise. You can throw around “can’t miss,” “generational” and all manner of other hyperbolic adjectives to describe incoming prospects, but the reality is that most guys don’t hit their high-end outcomes, because it’s extremely hard to do. Every draft class is the best class ever until it’s not. The league’s sadder franchises perpetuate this annual cycle of hope and disappointment until luck strikes, sometimes after years in the wilderness. It’s awesome that the Orlando Magic have Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner now. But those fans ain’t getting the entirety of the 2010s back, a stretch where lottery night was the best and worst night of the year for 10 years on the trot.
All that said, let me give this draft optimism thing a spin. The Raptors are 8-30, and while they’re inching back towards respectability, they’re close to locking down Top-5 lottery odds and we’re not even at the halfway point. Maybe it’ll be nice to look forward to something.
The Raptors are winning the draft lottery, and Cooper Flagg is gonna kick f***ing ass for this team for a decade to come. He, or should I say HIM™, and Scottie Barnes will be the NBA’s most daunting duo of event-creating wing defenders, powering Toronto to another extended run of 50-plus win title contention. No, Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster’s Vision 6'9 model wasn’t doomed to fail, it was just ahead of its time. That time, as it happens, is June 2025.
Flagg is the too-good-to-fail prospect who was promised, a hyper-athlete who’s issues with halfcourt self-creation at Duke so far can be chalked up to janky college spacing and “being 17 years old.” For a Raptors team that has idyllic second and third creator types in Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, giving Flagg the keys to the offense is going to tie the whole operation together. And who better than Flagg to fill in the defensive gaps RJ Barrett and Gradey Dick open up?
Now you may be saying, “Sean! Slow your roll, man! Even if the Raptors hold strong as one of the league’s three worst teams, they only have a 14% chance at the number one pick!”
Pft. Ever heard of karma? After a month of blowouts fueled by unfortunate injury and illness, your fightin’ Toronto Raptors are back to ethically tanking, Thursday’s narrow loss to the best team in the league marking the official return to being the fun kind of bad. As the Lotto Gods looked fairly upon Toronto’s trials in Tampa Bay, so will they favour a team going down with a competitor’s spirit. The Wizards? The Hornets? The Jazz? These are shameless, depraved franchises doomed to drop, Pistons-style. You might worry about the Pelicans, whose 7-31 record is largely fueled by injury, too, but I doubt the powers above will be duped by their promise to safely shepherd yet another high-flying Duke star to perennial contention. Fool them twice, etc.
The Flagg era in Toronto may as well start now. It’s been written in the stars. Toronto’s rebuild will be as swift as the borne fruits will be delicious. All we’ve left to do to is wait out a few more months of morally upright losing before the end of the rebuild is officially rung in as Adam Silver steps up to that dais and declares Flagg a Toronto mans. There is no way this can possibly go wrong.
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Today on the podcast I broke down a thrilling loss to the league-leading Cavaliers. Enjoy the show, and have a great weekend!
Jan 4, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) reacts after making a three point basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at Intuit Dome. | Kiyoshi Mio/Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Kawhi Leonard left the Clippers behind in Denver on Wednesday, he travelled solo back to Los Angeles to meet his family as they evacuated their home in the Pacific Palisades. As of Thursday, the Palisades Fire — the biggest of the five separate fires burning in L.A. — has scorched through close to 20,000 acres of land, homes, buildings and infrastructure. Leonard’s family and their home are safe, and because natural disasters thankfully still trump the audience demand for athlete participation, Leonard’s also able to be away from the team and focus on what’s most important.
Not to draw too flimsy a point between disaster and basketball, but Leonard’s return to the Clippers had been top of mind for me prior to the fires, and his necessary absence now offers another lens to view his prolonged absence this season.
After he was pulled from Team USA’s Olympic play this summer, Leonard underwent a surgical procedure on his right knee. It’s same knee he had surgically repaired after an ACL tear in 2021 and a meniscus tear in April 2023, as well as the quad injury that eventually led to him parting ways with the Spurs over concerns of recovery mismanagement.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Home and Away
Replay Toronto Raptors fans witnessed a thrilling game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The match showcased intense back-and-forth action, reflecting the team’s resilience and determination. (Raptors HQ)
Rumor Trade chatter is heating up around Toronto Raptors forward Chris Boucher. Insider sources suggest potential moves could be on the horizon. (Sports Illustrated)
Analysis Despite a loss to the Cavaliers, the Raptors showed signs of progress. Key takeaways reveal improvements in their gameplay and strategy. (Sports Illustrated)
Ranking As the trade deadline approaches, the Raptors’ position in the NBA power rankings becomes crucial. Evaluations highlight their current standing and potential moves. (Bleacher Report)
Must Read Steve Kerr and JJ Redick share the impact of the Los Angeles fires on their families’ lives. (ESPN)
Biz Aging NBA stars like Jimmy Butler may be in for a rude awakening. (Forbes)
Friday’s NBA Fantasy Basketball Slate: Injury Updates and Streaming Options
Jan 8, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) drives against Washington Wizards forward Richaun Holmes (22) during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher/Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The NBA action continues with seven games on tap for Friday, and there’s no shortage of intriguing storylines to follow. Let’s dive into the key matchups and player situations that fantasy managers need to keep an eye on.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Philadelphia 76ers
The Pelicans-Sixers matchup is plagued by absences on both sides. For New Orleans, Herb Jones (shoulder), Brandon Ingram, and Trey Murphy (ankle) are all sidelined. However, Zion Williamson is set to return after sitting out the previous game. The Sixers will continue to be without Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, and KJ Martin.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Orlando Magic
The Magic are on a back-to-back, while the Bucks are in a favorable schedule spot. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Khris Middleton are all listed as probable for Milwaukee. Orlando will be without Gary Harris, and Jalen Suggs is expected to remain sidelined. Paolo Banchero is reportedly set to return for this game.
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Raptors podcasts.
Thursday — Raptors take down Celtics for best win of the season Sean goes solo talk about the Raptors’ taking down the Boston Celtics 110-97 on Wednesday night for their best win of the season to date, and digs into the play of Scottie Barnes, Gradey Dick and RJ Barrett in the victory.
Wednesday — Why do the Raptors stink in the clutch, and Dylan Harper vs. Ace Bailey Sean goes solo to field listener questions in a mailbag edition of the show! Topics include Chris Boucher, crunch time struggles, the pair of star prospects at Rutgers, the future of the front office and more!
Tuesday — You can only hope to contain Chris Boucher! Raptors take down Warriors 104-101.
Sean is joined by Vivek Jacob to talk about the Raptors taking down the Golden State Warriors on Monday on the back of a thrilling 17-point fourth quarter by Chris Boucher. He’s a maniac!
