Review of last season
In the 2022-23 season, the Raptors recorded a record of 41 wins and 41 losses, ranking 9th in the Eastern Conference. In the playoff play-offs, the team lost to the Bulls 105-109 and ultimately missed the playoffs.
Main personnel movements during the offseason
Joining: Rajakovic (head coach), Schroeder (free market), Grady Dick (draft)
Leaving: Nurse (head coach), VanVleet (free market)
Continued About: Poeltl
Review of offseason operations
Looking back at the Raptors’ offseason, a total of 4 major things happened. The first one was the replacement Handsome, on April 21, the team fired the meritorious coach Nurse, and then they hired Grizzlies assistant coach Radjakovic to serve as the team’s new head coach. The second thing is the departure of VanVleet, free this year After the market opened, VanVleet changed careers and signed a three-year, $130 million maximum salary contract with the Rockets. The third thing was the draft. In this year’s draft, the team used the No. 13 pick to select a player from Kansas. The university’s shooting guard Grady Dick. The fourth item is the renewal of Poeltl’s contract. During this offseason, the team completed the extension with Poeltl with a four-year, $80 million contract.
Reviewing what happened to the Raptors this summer, the biggest feeling is that there is no direction and I don’t know which direction this team is going to go. Is it going to continue? Competing for the playoffs? Or rebuilding? If you want to continue to compete for the playoffs, then why let VanVleet leave the team? If you want to rebuild, then why keep Siakam and Anunoby on the team?
All in all, we don’t understand what happened to this team this offseason.
Lineup depth
The following is the Raptors The general situation of the new season lineup:
Guards: Schroeder, Gary Trent Jr., Grady Dick, Mara Qi Flynn, Temple, Jeff Dowding
Forward: Siakam, Anunoby, Scottie -Barnes, Achiuwa, Otto Porter, Thaddeus Young, Jaylen McDaniels, Achiuwa
Insider: Poeltl, Chris Boucher, Christian Kollock
Objectively speaking, Each line of the Raptors is pretty good, each line has strong players, and each line is very deep.
Outlook for the new season
Looking at the current Raptors, the core problem is that they are leaderless. , who is the leader of this Raptors team? We have no answer. Even the Raptors management has not determined the answer to this question, otherwise they would not develop Scotty Barnes while also bringing Siakam, Anunoby and other old players are still on the team. For the current Raptors, the old and new players get along with each other in the team, and it feels awkward no matter how you look at it.
The reason why such a problem occurs is largely due to the management. It is the management’s indecision that led to today’s situation. If the Raptors lose VanVleet, If we are determined to rebuild, the situation will be much better than it is now. At least the team will have a clear direction. When doing something, the scary thing is not the low starting point, but the lack of direction. The Raptors are now in a A directionless state.
The team’s strength has declined significantly compared to last season, and the management does not have a clear plan for the team’s future. , based on these two points, the author is not optimistic about the prospects of the Raptors in the new season. There are many strong teams in the Eastern Conference today, such as the Bucks, Celtics, 76ers, Cavaliers and Knicks, and there are also many new teams that are rising. , such as the Pacers, Magic, Hornets and Pistons. In such a general environment, the Raptors in the new season may become a weak team in the Eastern Conference.
