Respected executive Masai Ujiri’s surprising dismissal in late June intensified what I already saw as a pivotal turning point in the Toronto Raptors’ journey. I still thought that the “Trust Masai” concept would be the dominant alchemy at work when I looked at this somewhat perplexing Raptors core before Ujiri split up.
Even if the conference appears to be as open as ever, the Raptors don’t have many redeeming traits to make up for their opaque financial status and on-paper grim competitive outlook in the East, according to the more critical basketball viewers and outspoken NBA commentators.
Raptors seem far from being truly competitive, even with their all-in core.
Ryen Russillo, who recently joined Bill Simmons of The Ringer for an intriguing podcast episode detailing “The Bleakest NBA Team Situations” over the next five years, is one such commentator who frequently criticizes the Raptors’ current state.
In the July 6 episode of The Bill Simmons podcast, Russillo shared his thoughts on the current Raptors team:
“Being a Toronto Raptor is not what I want to be. Despite the fact that Scottie Barnes is superior to some of the other team’s greatest players, I don’t want to be a member of the Toronto Raptors. For him, it is $38.5 million. The amount for Brandon Ingram is $38 million. The amount for Quickley is $32.5 million. R.J. Barrett is worth $28 million. [Jakob] Who’s okay, Poeltl? $20 million will be added to the extension, you know. You now want to claim that Ingram didn’t play the previous season. RJ Barrett failed to complete 60 games. [Jakob] Poeltl failed to complete 60 games. [Imanuel] 33 was played by Quickley. Scottie Barnes only made 65 appearances….”
“I believe that some of Scottie Barnes’ metrics are concerningly trending in the wrong direction. However, I’m not prepared to dismiss him as someone who will suddenly have a terrible year after having his best year ever in his second year. That doesn’t seem totally fair, then. Despite my preference for [Scottie] Barnes, there aren’t any meaningful movements here for Toronto, and all of these players—aside from RJ [Barrett]—have contracts that expire in three years.”
So, what is there to take from this?
The Raptors’ decision to pay what is essentially a mid-tier core, which has rapidly developed into an expensive lineup on par with an all-in, championship-contending team — when this version of the Raptors simply isn’t that — is what I often hear Russillo complain about, not the talent in Toronto per se.
Does it appear depressing at first glance? Heck, if I pretended that it didn’t, I would be deluding myself. I am aware that in previous years, Masai Ujiri’s Raptors have demonstrated their ability to endure adversity or entirely turn around their average expectations in order to surprise a lot of people.
However, that is merely wishing for the best in a circumstance that is really inevitable.
In the end, analysts like as Russillo are merely examining the current facts and making decisions based on them. The argument of “Well, what if this happens?” cannot be used all the time. But when the contrary occurs, how can you justify that assertion?
Although it’s not the best reputation in basketball circles right now, the Raptors have an obligation to improve their core and position themselves for future success.
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