Five questions heading into Raptors training camp

Where does JV fit in the rotation?

When the Raptors take to the practice court for training camp, Valanciunas is bound to be the elephant in the room. The team certainly wasn’t shy with its intention to trade the Lithuanian big man this summer, two years after rewarding him with a four-year, $64-million contract extension.

But after Toronto failed to find a trade partner, Valanciunas remains with the team that drafted him fifth overall in 2011. His role in the starting lineup, however, appeared to be on shaky ground. A transition to the bench certainly made sense, but when the Raptors met with the media ahead of training camp, the team seemed to tip its hand on what they plan to do with JV.

While JV will likely continue to start at centre, it’s his usage throughout the game that now becomes the question. In recent years, JV has often found himself sitting on the bench in the fourth quarter while the other starters close out the game. Casey will likely continue to be creative with Valanciunas’s usage, potentially pulling him early in the first quarter and rolling him out with the bench unit to start the second.

Meanwhile, Pascal Siakam ― who was named D-League Finals MVP last season ― appears to be primed for a breakout year. After starting 38 games at PF for the Raptors last season, Siakam could find himself closing the game with the starters while Ibaka shifts over to centre. Valanciunas’s usage will largely depend on nightly matchups, but we do know that his starters job appears to be safe… for now.

Who will start at small forward?

Two players will enter training camp in a battle for the starters job: C.J. Miles and Norman Powell.

Miles is lethal from beyond the arc, and with the Raptors vowing to shoot more threes this season, his presence in the starting lineup makes sense. But Powell is also an interesting option to start at the three. The University of California alumnus averaged only 8.4 points last season, but he thrived with the starters when filling in for an injured DeMarre Carroll in the playoffs. He’s easily Toronto’s most athletic player, but at 6-foot-4 Powell is undersized for a starting small forward.

Toronto is committed to shooting more threes and after shooting .413 from beyond the arc in 2016-17, Miles appears to be the safe bet for the starters job. But we’ll have to wait to see how training camp and the preseason goes until we have a definitive answer.

Can Dwane Casey and Kyle Lowry get the offence going?

For years, Raptors fans have complained about the team’s stagnant, iso-heavy offence. This approach was on full display in the 2017 playoffs when the Raptors were swept by the Cavaliers. Sure, we can attribute Toronto’s struggles in the postseason to Lowry and DeRozan going cold at the worst of times, but ball movement ― or a lack thereof ― has plagued this team’s offensive output for too long.

If the Raptors are serious about becoming a three-point shooting threat in 2017-18, Lowry and Casey are going to have to get on the same page with moving the ball and facilitating the offence. This shouldn’t be a problem for Lowry, who relishes in his role as one of the best point guards in the NBA. But Casey, who prides himself on coaching a strong defence, is going to have to get creative in order to promote ball movement, spreading the floor and finding open looks from beyond the arc.

Will the Raptors’ youth step up?

With the departures of Cory Joseph, Carroll, Patrick Patterson and P.J. Tucker, a youth movement has officially taken over on the Raptors bench.

Toronto’s reserves will feature Siakam, Powell, Jakob Poeltl, Delon Wright, Fred Van Vleet, Bruno Coboclo and OG Anunoby, all of whom are under the age of 25. Add in a few young faces attempting to make the roster out of training camp ― Kyle Wiltjer, K.J. McDaniels, Alfonso McKinnie and Kennedy Meeks, all under 25 ― and it’s obvious the Raptors will rely on young reserves to round out their bench.

The NBA is a young man’s league, but coaches often lean on experience off the bench ― just look at Vince Carter (40) in Sacramento and Jason Terry (40) in Milwaukee. Toronto got younger in the offseason, but players such as Powell, Wright, Poeltl and Van Vleet have some decent NBA experience under their belts. And of the new faces vying for a roster spot at training camp, Meeks is the only rookie in the bunch.

How the Raptors’ youth movement will fare in 2017-18 is sure to have a heavy impact on Toronto’s success in the upcoming season.

Who will round out the 15-player active roster?

The Raptors figure to have 13 roster spots already occupied heading into training camp, leaving two up for grabs with six players vying for a bench role.

Lorenzo Brown – Guard
K.J. McDaniels – Guard-Forward
Alfonzo McKinnie – Forward
Kennedy Meeks – Centre
Kyle Wiltjer – Forward
Andy Rautins – Shooting Guard

Based on what we’ve already discussed, we can quickly identify shooting guard and power forward as positions of need heading into camp. With this in mind, McDaniels, McKinnie, Wiltjer and Rautins appear to be the frontrunners to crack the 15-man roster. McDaniels is an athletic forward who has averaged 5.3 points and 1.3 three-pointers in his three NBA seasons. He can play at the two and the three, making him a player worth keeping an eye on.

McKinnie hits training camp after a standout 2016-17 season in the D-League. He averaged 9.2 points and 8 rebounds per game with the Raptors’ summer league team, showing great athleticism and an improving stroke from long distance. McKinnie would provide depth at small forward, which could shift Powell to back-up shooting guard, assuming Powell doesn’t start at small forward.

Wiltjer is an intriguing option as well. At 6-foot-10 with a smooth three-point stroke, the Canadian could give the Raptors a stretch four that would provide some depth at power forward. Rautins, son of current Raptors analyst Leo Rautins, is a sharp-shooting guard and his presence at training camp only confirms the Raptors are serious about shooting more threes.

Following training camp in B.C., the Raptors will travel to Honolulu, Hawaii, for a pair of preseason games against the Los Angeles Clippers. When they return to Canada to complete the rest of the preseason, we should have a decent idea of which players have a foothold on the two remaining roster positions.

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