The NBA Summer League means nothing. That is what Toronto Raptors fans will be telling themselves as the team recovers from a modest showing in Las Vegas. While opinions will vary over the worth (or lack of) that these games have for an NBA franchise, they have become a popular addition.
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A first-ever NBA Championship in 2019 was followed up by their sixth division title in just seven years in 2020. Failure to qualify for the playoffs twice in the last three seasons has quickly put to the test the faith of their fans after such a superb time. A recent 1-4 showing at the NBA Summer League will have supporters worrying about the season ahead. Is this justified or can the Raptors bounce back? Let’s find out.
A 41-41 record was only enough last season to see the Raptors in a play-in tournament game against the Chicago Bulls, a matchup they lost 109-105. 11 points in front at the half and nine heading into the final quarter, it was a game that the Raptors should have put away long before the Bulls put up 37 in the 4th quarter.
It was a season where the Raptors were never better than two games over .500. Seven games under as late as February 1, they at least had some fight in them back in the spring but they never remotely looked like troubling the better sides in the Atlantic Division, let alone the NBA as a whole.
The Summer League got off to a poor start for the Raptors, losing 83-75 to the same Bulls who had ended their 2022/23 season. An 11-point lead in the first quarter was quickly squandered by the Raptors and by the second half, it was almost all Bulls.
Markquis Nowell top-scored for the Raptors with 17, including draining 4-6 from beyond the arc. Moses Brown hit 5-6 field goals, using his seven-foot-two frame to good effect to lead the team with nine rebounds.
Just two days after the loss to the Bulls, the Raptors suffered a heavy 99-76 defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers. For the second game in a row, the offence failed to get 80 points on the board, looking very lackluster in the process.
11 points from the rookie Gradey Dick was the top score from any Raptor, Dick also led the way in assists and rebounds in a game where the offence failed to turn up. They never held the lead, shot field goals at just a 34.6% clip and only had 50 points after three quarters. 26 points were put up in the final quarter but that was only after the Cavs eased right off the gas.
The only slight defence to give to the Raptors about the performance is that the Cavs were exceptional in the NBA Summer League. They were the only side to go unbeaten, 6-0 in their games, so at least this heavy beating came at the hands of an in-form team.
The Summer League record stretched to 0-3 against the Detroit Pistons but there was at least a little more in the way of competitiveness (in the second quarter at least) as the Raptors lost 94-90. Dick scored 22 points to lead the side in scoring again with a decent contribution of 15 points off the bench from RJ Nembhard.
A second-quarter explosion of 36 points was the high point but it was the exception rather than the norm. The points in the other three quarters were just 18, 19 and 17, levels that need vast improvement on if this season is to be anything other than a struggle.
The Pistons would go on to a 4-1 record in the NBA Summer League. It was hugely disappointing that the second period which saw the Raptors lead by as many as 17 points was not backed up in the second half. An 11-point lead given up against the Bulls and a 17-point margin blown against the Pistons raises serious concerns over the Raptors.
This was very much a game of two halves as the Raptors fell in overtime to the Nets, 99-94. The Raptors followed up a poor 36-point second half against the Pistons with an even worse 34-point first half in this contest. Thankfully for their fans, the second half was a massive turnaround, putting up 57 to turn around a 14-point halftime deficit.
While the overtime period was a disappointment, outscored 8-3, the second half at least showed a little more in the way of fight. Ron Harper Jnr led the way in points on this occasion with 19, just in front of Joe Wieskamp who had 18 on the board.
It was another performance that had some promise in it. While ultimately it was another Summer League loss for the Raptors, the fact that the Nets had a lead of 17 and the Raptors fought back to take the lead was a pleasant change compared to the games against the Bulls and Pistons.
The final opportunity to pick up a Summer League win was duly taken as the Golden State Warriors were topped 108-101. Dick led the way once more, this time with 21 points as the Warriors ended up 0-5 in the Summer League to sit on the bottom along with the Orlando Magic.
It is tough in this instance to know exactly what the Raptors achieved with the win. The positive is that at least it was not a whitewash in the Summer League but, with their only success coming against a team who failed to win a single game, it does suggest that the level of quality needed was not a high one.
It was a 40-point 4th quarter that finally propelled the Raptors to a win. The leading scorer was Wieskamp whose 27 points was not enough to stop him from being waived less than a week later.
At least it was a mark in the right column. Only a small step but there was a slight improvement with each performance over the course of the NBA Summer League. The hard part now is for the Raptors to continue to build on that when it means much more come October.
The 2023 NBA draft in late June was a chance for the Raptors to re-tool. In Gradey Dick they have picked up a natural shooter with the 13th selection, a player with plenty of size. In fact, there were a number of experts who believe Dick to be the number 1 shooter in the class of 2023.
He was expected to go a few slots earlier with both the Utah Jazz at number nine and the Orlando Magic at number 11 potential landing places for him. For the Raptors to pick up Dick at 13 was a solid result for their sole pick this year.
Dick was the 2022 National Player of the Year, following in the huge footprints of the likes of Alonzo Mourning, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard. It is no sure sign that Dick will end up being an all-time great but that was ratified air as a high school player that few have ever been able to breathe.
The 19yo played a single season at Kansas where he averaged more than 14 points per game, shooting field goals at a .442 clip and .403 from beyond the arc. There is a quality young player there, of that there is no doubt. Whether he can bring that same level to the NBA as a rookie is going to be a question that he will have to answer as the season goes along.
Just to find their way back into a playoff berth this season would be a win for the current Raptors roster. The loss of Fred VanVleet will be seen as a serious one but perhaps it will allow a few more of the younger players to mature quicker as they will have to play more meaningful minutes this season.
OG Anunoby led the entire league in steals last season with 128. A career-best mark by quite some distance, the Raptors will be looking for the British-born player to keep up that kind of prowess this year. He notched up almost 17 points per game which will be an important level to keep to if the team are to cover the loss of VanVleet.
Nick Nurse is gone as coach and in his place is Darko Rajakovic. Nine years as an assistant coach for Oklahoma, Phoenix and Memphis, Rajakovic has his first chance to prove himself with his own team. Nurse was an assistant in Toronto for five years before taking over the year the Raptors won it all. That familiarity with the side is something that Rajakovic lacks which could see him take some time to get the team playing the way he wants them to.
The future of Pascal Siakam is still up in the air. The top-scorer for the Raptors last season has said that he does not want to sign with anyone bar Toronto and the Raptors do not seem to be in any rush to move him on. To lose both of their top scorers from last season would see them potentially languishing. Could they tank like they did a couple of seasons ago when they picked up Scottie Barnes at 4?
It is always tough on the fans when a team is unsure if they are trying to compete or if they are going to go into a full rebuild. At present, the Raptors appear to be treading that fine line without much of a direction as to what side of that line they want to end up on. Perhaps the first half of the season will answer the question.
The Toronto Raptors are currently +8000 To win the NBA Championship this season. It would be a brave man to back them as they are double the odds they were at the start of last season, a campaign that failed to go anywhere.
There is a lot of water to flow under the bridge before the new season starts in October. There was a general sense of improvement with each of the games in the Summer League but whether that is going to roll over into wins in the regular season is a huge question that the team are going to have to answer on the court.
Even the most rabid fan will know that this team is not yet the finished article to have any hope of repeating 2019. The fans deserve better, continuing to pack out the Scotiabank Arena to the tune of the 4th highest attendance in the league last season.
Sadly, it looks like another season of struggles for the loyal fans as the Raptors search for the right formula for success. The most difficult thing for fans is the uncertainty of exactly what this team is trying to achieve.
Once the front office of the Raptors decides upon the direction, things will be much clearer. Until then, this season looks like one out in the wilderness so small wins will have to be taken as and when they can be found.