Raptors learning you cannot win and develop simultaneously in the NBA

• Two-timeline approach doesn't seem feasible

• Step forward through internal growth hasn't happened

• Starting lineup an odd mash of veterans and youngsters

• Effort and focus haven't been consistent

You might think the Toronto Raptors and the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors have nothing in common, but the two teams are actually on similar trajectories.

After all, each saw their fall from grace following the 2018-19 season and drafted high in the lottery shortly thereafter. Each is coming off a fun, rejuvenating season in 2021-22, where they exceeded expectations — although to radically different degrees.

And most importantly, each is learning it’s nearly impossible to win at a high level and develop young players at the same time — that the two-timeline approach is fraught with difficulties.

The Warriors began their title defence by going 3-7 to start this season, and while they have bounced back to 14-15, they are 2-13 on the road. Their starting lineup — which consists of core, veteran players — is one of the best in the league, while their youthful bench has brought them down, necessitating that they add veteran talent if they are going to repeat as champions.

While the Raptors' story is not quite as straightforward due in large part to the struggles of 28-year-old point guard Fred VanVleet, they are in a very similar position. The Raptors were supposed to take a step forward from last season’s 48-34 record, betting on development from their young players and continuity from their group, bringing back 12 of the same players and most of the same schemes from last year.

But a third of the way through the 2022-23 season, the Raptors are 13-15, including 3-11 on the road. Problems abound, and while the poor three-point shooting will come around and the injuries will subside, the Raptors are learning that you cannot win at a high level while developing several young, inexperienced players; that sooner or later in the NBA, you need to pick a direction.

“I think we obviously want to win and all that but with the roster that we have, some of us are really developing, trying to play better and figure out the schemes and find ways to be on the court,” Chris Boucher told Yahoo Sports Canada. “And others are the starters where they have a core, they’ve been together for a long time and they are trying to bring us to win.

“I think it takes time, obviously. When you have different guys from different levels, different skills, different styles of play, I think when you want to put a team like that with experienced and young guys [together], it takes some time. So while you try to make people learn and stuff, that also takes time.”

The Raptors have a top-12 player in the league in Pascal Siakam, who is having a career year and looks like the type of superstar who could potentially be the best player on a championship team — something the Raptors haven’t had besides one year of Kawhi Leonard. They also have a potential All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year in O.G. Anunoby, who has taken a significant leap in his sixth season. And while VanVleet has struggled this season, he is a former All-Star with a long track record of success.

And yet, around them, the Raptors start 22-year-old rookie Christian Koloko at centre, typically the most difficult position for a rookie to provide plus-value at, and a 21-year-old second-year player at forward, with the reigning Rookie of the Year, Scottie Barnes, going through the sophomore slump as he adjusts to the scouting report being out on him and the rigours of an 82-game NBA season. They are also bringing 23-year-olds Gary Trent Jr., Precious Achiuwa, and Dalano Banton off the bench.

The Raptors are learning it’s more difficult to succeed the second time around with a young, up-and-coming team than it is the first go around. Last season, everything was new and exciting, and it was relatively easy for the young players especially to get up for every game in order to prove something to a league and fan base that knew almost nothing about them.

When I asked 16-year veteran Thad Young if it was harder to win the second time around, he said: “For sure, for the simple fact that now teams understand you, they understand who you are, they understand what your identity is. They try to take away those strengths and make you play to your weaknesses.

“For us, it’s always just going out there and imposing our will on the game. Some games we try to coast into it and can’t do that. We don’t have the leeway to actually do that. We have to come out and impose our will on the game. We have a big, strong physical team… We just have to impose that will on the game. And if we do, it puts us in a position to win.”

It’s a lot easier said than done, especially for a team as reliant on young, inexperienced players as the Raptors are. In order to impose your will, you have to be ready at tip-off every single game. And in order to be ready at tip-off, you have to have developed the type of habits and routines that make your body feel good and your mind ready to take on the challenges of an 82-game season — not to mention the maturity to play to your strengths, even if in Barnes’s case that means attacking the rim relentlessly, which he is not doing. The Raptors' young players aren’t there yet, and it’s especially showing up in their starts, where they have the ninth-worst scoring margin in the league in first quarters.

“We’re concerned,” head coach Nick Nurse said. “…There’s a level of consistency you’re trying to push toward. For me, we talked about it all during that injury stretch, I’m anxious to try to start building. I felt like we were. And now we’ve got to keep working toward building again. We’re always building. We’re too young not to be building still.”

Watching the Raptors, it’s clear something is off. They don’t play as hard, as consistently, and with as much focus as they did last season and the way we are used to seeing from Raptors teams. There is a lack of trust on defence and a lack of role-definition on offence, with guys not playing with the same fun and enthusiasm we are used to seeing.

In fact, the Raptors franchise has become known as the hardest-working team in the league. That, more than anything, was their secret to (regular-season) success over the years, with Kyle Lowry being the leader and tone-setter. Even last year, when VanVleet and Siakam successfully stepped into that role, I wrote that “what the Raptors lack in skill, they more than make up for in hustle. What they lack in size, they make up for in physicality and toughness. And what they lack in depth, they make up for in attitude and grit, determined to win every game no matter the odds and sacrificing their bodies to do so.” There has been very little of that this season. And when they play hard one game or one quarter, they tend to lay a dud the next, failing to win three straight games so far this season.

“I feel like we play two-to-three quarters of good basketball, and then we just let up in one of the quarters,” Barnes said when asked about the team's struggles. “It's just about us… We got to just keep developing and keep getting better.”

“It just makes us realize how hard we have to work and we can’t take possessions off,” Boucher said. “I think a lot of us have to look ourselves in the mirror and see what we can do to help the team.”

After all, you cannot successfully set a tone if your teammates don’t follow it. And for whatever reason, there seems to be a disconnect among the Raptors this season, with the veterans and coaching staff failing to get everyone on the same page when it comes to how hard they have to play and with what level of focus and execution they need to bring to the game plan. The buy-in and sacrifice that is needed for the team to reach its potential and to be better than the sum of its parts simply isn’t there right now, which is why it’s not surprising to hear Masai Ujiri met with Barnes a couple of weeks ago to deliver hard truths to the second-year player, or to see that Nurse doesn’t trust his bench, playing his veterans heavy minutes for the second-straight season.

“We need our team to be who we are,” Siakam said about how to bounce back. “Have some fun playing basketball, enjoying, because that's the type of team that we are. We have the players to do it and when everyone is always having fun and playing well, we can be dangerous…

“We’re losing, it’s not fun. We don’t like losing. This organization is not about losing and not winning games is not part of who we are. So obviously you know the mood’s gonna be a little different… but at the same time, we don't want to just let the losses kind of take us down and take the mood and fun out of everything. Just gotta keep it fun. And keep working because I believe that's what’s going to get us out of it.”

To an extent, Siakam is right. Winning does solve a lot of problems in the NBA. But at the same time, the Raptors don’t seem to have any clarity on their offensive hierarchy or role definition and acceptance, making it difficult for the offence to flow properly, especially when Siakam is off the floor and it becomes a your-turn, my-turn style of isolation offence. It’s no wonder the Raptors have the eighth-lowest assist percentage in the league and the fifth-fewest assists, with VanVleet calling their ball movement and willingness to pass up a good shot for a great one “inconsistent” and “something that we need to get better at for sure.”

“For us to get to our full potential we need everybody to be there and we need everybody to know their roles and we haven’t got that yet,” Boucher said. “It’s still ups and downs. We still gotta figure out rotations and how everybody’s gonna play and who’s gonna do this and that. Once we figure it out it’s gonna be a lot easier.”

Despite rumours in the offseason about players wanting bigger roles, the Raptors brought back the gang expecting everybody to be happy sacrificing shots in the name of wins. But with the wins not coming — whether it’s because the on-court fit doesn’t work or because the mix of personalities isn’t right — it’s clear something has to change.

Fortunately, the Raptors have all their future first-round picks and a number of tradable contracts. And with the opportunity to add talent via trade approaching — with players that were signed as free agents this past summer potentially being moved as of Dec. 15 — the Raptors' time for gathering data and analyzing their roster is nearing an end. They need to pick a direction before it’s too late.

If the Raptors are truly committed to a long-term rebuild, they should increase Barnes’ usage and give their young players coming off the bench more opportunities to grow. But if they want to prioritize keeping Siakam happy and build a championship team around him, they need to start adding veteran talent this season, whether it’s in the form of a starting centre, a backup guard, or a shooter — someone who is willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the team and help set a tone.

The Raptors don’t need to make an all-out push to win the championship this season, but it has become clear that the current roster is not going to fix all of its problems through internal development alone. Plus, the sooner the Raptors add talent, the sooner they can convince veterans like Siakam that they are building towards something, helping re-sign them when their contracts are up.

It’s clear the two-timeline approach doesn’t work in the NBA. The question is: when will the Raptors accept that?

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