>Can the Raptors land some real developmental wins on the back half of the roster? Can they find a defensive style that doesn’t entirely depend on Jakob Poeltl?
On best choice for the 5th starter
>Bruce Brown.
>I think Dick is most likely to start.
On some potential surprise players:
>I would keep an eye on Jonathan Mogbo and Jamal Shead, two of the Raptors’ three 2024 second-round picks on the roster. It is silly to expect those guys to produce this year, but each has one NBA-ready skill — Mogbo as a grab-and-go guy in transition, Shead as a perimeter defender — that should give them a chance to contribute at some point.
On Masai’s future:
>I’d say the chances Ujiri is still with the Raptors at that point (if Larry is gone) is 35/65 (yes/no) … and the man who has helped him navigate the NBA’s inner workings will probably (a guess) be out of MLSE. Keith Pelley, the new CEO of MLSE, is a smart man, but the combination of longevity, new challenges and change will lead to a parting of ways. That’s my best guess, at least.
On if the Raptors can be Thunder east:
>The Raptors definitely don’t have a single player who is as valuable around the league as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Chet Holmgren, and most NBA executives would take Jaylen Williams over Scottie Barnes, especially when considering their roles.
>The Raptors have interesting young players. The Thunder have excellent young players (and four above-average contributors no longer on their rookie contracts in addition to SGA.).
Dangerous-Thing3910
The articles and opinions coming out this summer really show that people forgot how good Scottie was before getting injured.
2 Comments
Tidbits:
On things to watch out for:
>Can the Raptors land some real developmental wins on the back half of the roster? Can they find a defensive style that doesn’t entirely depend on Jakob Poeltl?
On best choice for the 5th starter
>Bruce Brown.
>I think Dick is most likely to start.
On some potential surprise players:
>I would keep an eye on Jonathan Mogbo and Jamal Shead, two of the Raptors’ three 2024 second-round picks on the roster. It is silly to expect those guys to produce this year, but each has one NBA-ready skill — Mogbo as a grab-and-go guy in transition, Shead as a perimeter defender — that should give them a chance to contribute at some point.
On Masai’s future:
>I’d say the chances Ujiri is still with the Raptors at that point (if Larry is gone) is 35/65 (yes/no) … and the man who has helped him navigate the NBA’s inner workings will probably (a guess) be out of MLSE. Keith Pelley, the new CEO of MLSE, is a smart man, but the combination of longevity, new challenges and change will lead to a parting of ways. That’s my best guess, at least.
On if the Raptors can be Thunder east:
>The Raptors definitely don’t have a single player who is as valuable around the league as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Chet Holmgren, and most NBA executives would take Jaylen Williams over Scottie Barnes, especially when considering their roles.
>The Raptors have interesting young players. The Thunder have excellent young players (and four above-average contributors no longer on their rookie contracts in addition to SGA.).
The articles and opinions coming out this summer really show that people forgot how good Scottie was before getting injured.