Looking back to the dog days of last season, we were consistently running out lineups comprised of sub-NBA level players. Javon Freeman-Liberty, Jordan Nwora, Jahmi'us Ramsey, Kobi Simmons, Johntay Porter, Malik Williams, Mo Gueye, Marquis Nowell, and Kira Lewis Jr haven't played a single minute of NBA basketball this season. DJ Carton played 33 minutes early in the season for the Raptors before suffering an injury, and hasn't played a minute since. Jalen McDaniels has played 7 minutes for the Wizards this year. That's 11 players from our roster last season that have combined for a grand total of 40 NBA minutes, and 0 NBA roster spots this year.
That same situation hasn't been playing out with our line-ups this year. We restocked our depth in essentially one offseason by adding three draft picks that project to be at least NBA-calibre rotation players from what they've shown as rookies, and a raw, high-ceiling prospect of the type never available at 57th overall, who's produced well in his G-League minutes.
Our auxiliary crop of two-ways in Jamison Battle, Jared Rhoden, AJ Lawson, and Orlando Robinson have taken advantage of the opportunity, and look to have a very good chance of carving out roster spots next year, whether it's on the Raptors or elsewhere in the league. At least two of these players will likely be on the roster next year, and having guys take advantage of their opportunities and says good things about them individually, and the Raptors organization as a whole. To quote Jared Rhoden:
"It's a testament to the organization and the confidence they instill in you. The environment that they provide is very high energy, very loyal. It's very easy to communicate, very easy to fit in, and I think that makes it easy to play. When you go out on the floor you just feel connected with everybody."
Even though many of our most interesting prospects have been dealing with injury, the next-man-up philosophy has translated to the 2nd round picks and two-ways, and players like Jamal Shead have taken the opportunity to nail down their spot in the organization for years to come. To quote Jakob:
It's been impressive to watch. Very mature for his age. I think the development and the boost in confidence... you just see he has a different presence on the court now than he did earlier in the season. Which, obviously everyone goes through that process... but I think he managed to do it very quickly and he's made steps forward that I've not seen a lot of rookies make. He's in a legit, kinda leadership role in his rookie year, which is what you want from your point guards. Seeing those signs in him early is really positive and a good sign for the future. "
"We've made great strides this year in the way we want to play basketball and the way everyone's bought into it... it's unique in the NBA. The amount of aggressiveness, the amount of energy everyone's putting out on the court.
Winning games is a symptom of good coaching and talented players, and the fact that we're putting our players in dis-advantageous situations and still managing to win games bodes well for the future IMO. We may not be the best at tanking, but we're doing an excellent job rebuilding, and I place more value in that than fretting over the quantity of ping-pong balls. Adding Brandon Ingram and a Top-10 pick to this core is exciting and we're in a good place as a team no matter how the lottery draw goes.
