Which players on the Raptors roster will be a part of their regular rotation, and what will their roles be?
STARTERS
PG Fred VanVleet
SG Gary Trent Jr.
SF OG Anunoby
PF Pascal Siakam
C Scottie Barnes
BENCH ROTATION
Precious Achiuwa
Chris Boucher
Malichi Flynn
Otto Porter
DEEP BENCH – VETERANS
Khem Birch
Jeff Dowtin
Juancho Hernangomez
DJ Wilson
Thaddeus Young
DEEP BENCH – DEVELOPING YOUTH
Dalano Banton
Ron Harper Jr.
Christian Koloko
LIKELY TO BE WAIVED
Gabe Brown
Justin Champagnie
Josh Jackson
POSITION BATTLES
The only real uncertainty in the starting lineup is whether the Raptors care about their lack of size in the frontcourt, where instead they’ve opted to go with length and quickness. Theoretically, if a center was added either Trent or Anunoby would slide into a bench role. However, there are few options on the current roster to undertake such a plan. Second round pick Christian Koloko is nowhere near ready to take on that kind of role and both Juancho Hernangomez and Chris Boucher are a bit undersized themselves. Khem Birch is one possibility but he operates best in limited minutes and isn’t likely to start.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
The development of Barnes will be the key to the Raptors ceiling with regards to what they can accomplish as a team. The one other young player who should not be overlooked, however, is Achiuwa. He’s already made great strides since entering the NBA, particularly with his outside shooting where he turned himself from a total non-threat into a viable floor spacer. If he can continue his growth, the Raptors become much more formidable since the drop-off when going to the bench would be more negligible.
There are 3 interesting young players in Koloko, Banton, and Ron Harper Jr. who are unlikely to get that many minutes but could be developed behind the scenes and then ready to take on bigger roles next year. Koloko in particular could be a real find if his game continues to develop at the pace it did when he was at Arizona. Players of his size and athleticism are rare. If Banton takes a leap, he could possibly jump Malichi Flynn in the rotation and give the Raptors a taller guard to rely on who could take some of the ball-handling and playmaking responsibilities off Fred VanVleet. Flynn is a quality backup, though, who knows how to run a team.