Post-Mortem: 2021-22 Toronto Raptors

[BlackThought]

The funny thing is a lot of the criticism is coming from a fanbase that waited 4 years for Ben Simmons to learn how to shoot a basketball from beyond 10 feet but somehow Raptors are treadmilling after 1 season. Patience and rationality is hard when you aren't wearing homer glasses.

Hey fellas let's trust the process by winning 10 games a year for 4 years and draft horribly for a decade. I'm sure by the end of it all of us will not feel embarrassed while critiquing other teams.

[KGtabake]

Get a center. And run it back.

[srhcan]

The Raptors still look like a lock for a playoffs again next year, but probably still wont be good enough to get out of the 1st Round.

I think that if the Raptors re-up on both Gary and Fred on extensions next year, they're on a classic 'treadmill'. Running it back with the same core roster season after season. But is that we worst thing?

The term treadmill is generally overused though, and probably has more negative connotation than it deserves. You're either contending or you aren't, and only a handful of teams are truly contenders each season. Last time we had a 'treadmill core', we traded for Kawhi and won. There are many ways to get to where you want to go

Treadmill means you are stuck at a level. You are not talented enough to go above that level. And yet you still have enough talent that you would not fall below that level. Thats the no-man's land Shaq was referring to that Raptors are at and I agree. I would say these are the levels:
1. Championship Contender Level
2. Playoff 2nd Round Level
3. Make Playoff without needing Playin Level (would not get past 1st Round)
4. Make Playoff via Playin Level (would not get past 1st Round)
5. Try hard but could not make Playoff Level
6. Dont even think about Playoff Level

Raptors are at Level 3. They should be able to make playoffs without playin needed. But they cannot get past 1st round with what they have. Hope is 1 more year of Scottie and Achiuwa will propel them to Level 2 assuming Fred and Siakam do not regress. To go to Level 1 they need couple of years of Scottie and Achiuwa together and need to make some trades.

Raptors are at like 2.5 there. A healthy Raps team for the full year is a potential top 4 seed, and I would have loved to see that Philly series with both teams healthy.

I dont see it if other teams are also healthy and playing up to their potential. Can you tell me how will you rank other teams if Raptors is #4 in your list?

[ATLTimekeeper]

The funny thing is a lot of the criticism is coming from a fanbase that waited 4 years for Ben Simmons to learn how to shoot a basketball from beyond 10 feet but somehow Raptors are treadmilling after 1 season. Patience and rationality is hard when you aren't wearing homer glasses.

Hey fellas let's trust the process by winning 10 games a year for 4 years and draft horribly for a decade. I'm sure by the end of it all of us will not feel embarrassed while critiquing other teams.

Most Raptor fans aren't taking these digs seriously.

The only treadmillls that Philly fans need to be concerned about are the ones that Harden seems to have avoided in the gym.

[YogurtProducer]

Treadmill means you are stuck at a level. You are not talented enough to go above that level. And yet you still have enough talent that you would not fall below that level. Thats the no-man's land Shaq was referring to that Raptors are at and I agree. I would say these are the levels:
1. Championship Contender Level
2. Playoff 2nd Round Level
3. Make Playoff without needing Playin Level (would not get past 1st Round)
4. Make Playoff via Playin Level (would not get past 1st Round)
5. Try hard but could not make Playoff Level
6. Dont even think about Playoff Level

Raptors are at Level 3. They should be able to make playoffs without playin needed. But they cannot get past 1st round with what they have. Hope is 1 more year of Scottie and Achiuwa will propel them to Level 2 assuming Fred and Siakam do not regress. To go to Level 1 they need couple of years of Scottie and Achiuwa together and need to make some trades.

Raptors are at like 2.5 there. A healthy Raps team for the full year is a potential top 4 seed, and I would have loved to see that Philly series with both teams healthy.

I dont see it if other teams are also healthy and playing up to their potential. Can you tell me how will you rank other teams if Raptors is #4 in your list?

They were 3 games back and only had a healthy starting lineup for 21 games and went 15-6 in those games (33-28 otherwise).

Isn’t crazy to think they’d win 55ish games if they We’re even moderately healthy. They’re potentially still playing today if they are healthy against Philly to.

[toooskies]

Raptors are at like 2.5 there. A healthy Raps team for the full year is a potential top 4 seed, and I would have loved to see that Philly series with both teams healthy.

I dont see it if other teams are also healthy and playing up to their potential. Can you tell me how will you rank other teams if Raptors is #4 in your list?

They were 3 games back and only had a healthy starting lineup for 21 games and went 15-6 in those games (33-28 otherwise).

Isn’t crazy to think they’d win 55ish games if they We’re even moderately healthy. They’re potentially still playing today if they are healthy against Philly to.

The problem is that if you're playing your starters 35+ minutes a game regularly, you have to expect your starters to get hurt.

[tsherkin]

The problem is that if you're playing your starters 35+ minutes a game regularly, you have to expect your starters to get hurt.

Why? That's been very player-dependent for decades prior.

[toooskies]

The problem is that if you're playing your starters 35+ minutes a game regularly, you have to expect your starters to get hurt.

Why? That's been very player-dependent for decades prior.

OK, look at your players and tell me who has a proven record of not getting hurt? Pretty much just Siakam, who came into the year with an injury.

The Raptors starters were 4 of the top 14 in minutes per game (OG would've made it 5 of the top 15, had he played enough games to qualify) and other than Siakam, none have had a healthy season at their minute workload. Trent set a personal record for games started. So did FVV. Every single Raptors starter except OG set their career high in minutes played, and OG played the second-most in his career.

[tsherkin]

OK, look at your players and tell me who has a proven record of not getting hurt? Pretty much just Siakam, who came into the year with an injury.

Okay, so you mean these specific players, not in general. That's different, I was looking at that as a generic comment.

[srhcan]

Raptors are at like 2.5 there. A healthy Raps team for the full year is a potential top 4 seed, and I would have loved to see that Philly series with both teams healthy.

I dont see it if other teams are also healthy and playing up to their potential. Can you tell me how will you rank other teams if Raptors is #4 in your list?

They were 3 games back and only had a healthy starting lineup for 21 games and went 15-6 in those games (33-28 otherwise).

Isn’t crazy to think they’d win 55ish games if they We’re even moderately healthy. They’re potentially still playing today if they are healthy against Philly to.

The other teams were also not healthy or missing players for one reason or other during the season too. So you have to take this into account before making your projection.

If all teams are healthy and unchanged then Bucks, Nets, Celtics and Heat are clearly better than Raptors. Raptors are in Tier 2 along with 76ers, Cavs and Bulls. So the highest ranking for Raptors is #5.

[alevirfe]

I wonder if we revisit Myles Turner this offseason. not sure what it would cost, but I do like the fit and he would really round out this roster. we also still lack depth overall, but especially at guard

here's what "running it back" with some needed adjustments looks like to me:
- re-sign Boucher
- acquire a reliable scorer/ball handler
- acquire a starting C
- if available, more shooting is always a plus

we don't have a ton of assets to make significant changes unless we include players part of what most consider our core, so we'll really have to think about moving on from a guy like Gary Trent if we don't think we can sign him long term after next season

a big trade I don't like but could be talked into is:
Fred/Gary Trent to Indiana
Brogdon/Myles/Duarte to Raptors
this completely guts our shooting, but rounds out our team pretty well

the other big trade is Siakam for Poole/Wiggins, which at this point might be a pipedream but I would do and kick-off the Poole/Barnes rebuild

more likely, I think it will be small moves around the margins to better round out the existing pieces on the roster (sign & trade Boucher for C or guard, or use the MLE for a C or guard)

[YogurtProducer]

I dont see it if other teams are also healthy and playing up to their potential. Can you tell me how will you rank other teams if Raptors is #4 in your list?

They were 3 games back and only had a healthy starting lineup for 21 games and went 15-6 in those games (33-28 otherwise).

Isn’t crazy to think they’d win 55ish games if they We’re even moderately healthy. They’re potentially still playing today if they are healthy against Philly to.

The other teams were also not healthy or missing players for one reason or other during the season too. So you have to take this into account before making your projection.

If all teams are healthy and unchanged then Bucks, Nets, Celtics and Heat are clearly better than Raptors. Raptors are in Tier 2 along with 76ers, Cavs and Bulls. So the highest ranking for Raptors is #5.

Why are the Nets who were swept by Boston in the same tier? What have
any of those teams done to separate themselves from the 6ers?

[srhcan]

They were 3 games back and only had a healthy starting lineup for 21 games and went 15-6 in those games (33-28 otherwise).

Isn’t crazy to think they’d win 55ish games if they We’re even moderately healthy. They’re potentially still playing today if they are healthy against Philly to.

The other teams were also not healthy or missing players for one reason or other during the season too. So you have to take this into account before making your projection.

If all teams are healthy and unchanged then Bucks, Nets, Celtics and Heat are clearly better than Raptors. Raptors are in Tier 2 along with 76ers, Cavs and Bulls. So the highest ranking for Raptors is #5.

Why are the Nets who were swept by Boston in the same tier? What have
any of those teams done to separate themselves from the 6ers?

Because we are assuming every team is fully healthy and playing all their players. And Nets with KD, Kyrie and Simmons are simply better than Raptors.
76ers do not have as much talent as Bucks, Heat, Celtics and Nets. They belong to Tier 2. Same is true for Raptors.

[YogurtProducer]

The other teams were also not healthy or missing players for one reason or other during the season too. So you have to take this into account before making your projection.

If all teams are healthy and unchanged then Bucks, Nets, Celtics and Heat are clearly better than Raptors. Raptors are in Tier 2 along with 76ers, Cavs and Bulls. So the highest ranking for Raptors is #5.

Why are the Nets who were swept by Boston in the same tier? What have
any of those teams done to separate themselves from the 6ers?

Because we are assuming every team is fully healthy and playing all their players. And Nets with KD, Kyrie and Simmons are simply better than Raptors.
76ers do not have as much talent as Bucks, Heat, Celtics and Nets. They belong to Tier 2. Same is true for Raptors.

Who was not healthy for Nets? We are going to consider a healthy Simmons who cannot even step on a court and lat time he did was a net negative?

[TORW]

Like Masai said in the end of season press conference, an emphasis on development from within which has always been our bread and butter as a franchise.

We're a young super long and athletic team that will continue to develop. It looks like the sky is the limit for Scottie Barnes and he will be the key to success moving forward. I think we have 4 young guys who are the clear untouchables to continue building around (Scottie, Precious, GTJ, OG) Would love to see more of Banton as well.

I think the timeline still works out well as long as those 4 guys continue to develop to complement Siakam and FVV who are still both 28, so there's plenty of ball left in them and plenty of time to still become better players. Areas of focus is definitely to improve rim protection with a traditional big man C, and improve the bench depth with some shooters.