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OT: The Official Toronto Raptors Thread

Hey, if a tank happens organically, so be it.

I still think this group is probably too good to be bottom 5 without lottery ball luck.
 
for me that entirely depends on the unknowns - Dick Shead Walter Mogbo.

If those guys are capable rotation players than yeah the team is too good to be awful.

But if all of them give us what Dick gave us last year, then this team is way too thin to survive any significant injuries to their proven starter level 4.
 
zeke said:
for me that entirely depends on the unknowns - Dick Shead Walter Mogbo.

If those guys are capable rotation players than yeah the team is too good to be awful.

But if all of them give us what Dick gave us last year, then this team is way too thin to survive any significant injuries to their proven starter level 4.
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I think you're undervaluing the difference between just getting professional bench type performances from guys like Kelly, Davion, Agbaji, actually playing Boucher instead of banishment, etc is worth. Our bench was atrocious last season in the 1st half and then a G League goat show in the 2nd half. Shead plays if he outcompetes a functioning NBA body like Davion. Mogbo plays if he outcompetes a functioning NBA body like Boucher, Walter over Agbaji.

Agbaji fwiw is off to a +0.5 BPM start this season, averaging 12/6 on 59/46 shooting splits with 2 stocks in 28 minutes. 28 minutes is too much, but if he can give that type of performance in 17-20mpg, that's a valuable bench body.

Those guys are replacing unplayable versions of themselves last year, unplayable bench guys we had here like Precious & Malachi, or unplayable G League guys like JFL, Nwora, etc
 
Davion and Agbaji have yet to be "professional bench types" yet in their careers, the coach didn't use Boosh, and Kelly is getting older.

Our bench was atrocious last year and those guys were all a part of that atrocious bench, other than Davion, who was also unplayably bad last year.

BUT, yes, Agbaji is young enough that a leap into effectiveness isn't impossible. He needs to keep hitting that corner 3, and his brain needs to keep catching up to his physique on the defensive end. Davion probably isn't young enough to take that leap, but he does at least have a very specific skillset that a good coach might be able to use to effectiveness....IF the rest of the team is pretty healthy and Davion isn't needed to do more than he can. But again, both these guys were legit terrible last year and have never been legit rotation caliber before.

There is literally not one "safely reliable" rotation guy on the roster beyond the starting 4 guys. Olynyk should be at least 1, though age and injuries are a worry there, and he's the most needed one because you don't want Poeltl being forced into full starting minutes either (unlike BBQ).

But the actual kids are intersestig - as bad as Dick was as a 20yr old rookie it wouldn't be shocking at all if he was actually decent at age 21. And then rooks are wildcards - it wouldn't be shocking if Shead/Mogbo/Walter/Battle could be effective. I'd be less surprsied by these rooks being good than the "young-ish" journeymen above.
 
zeke said:
Davion and Agbaji have yet to be "professional bench types" yet in their careers, the coach didn't use Boosh, and Kelly is getting older.

Our bench was atrocious last year and those guys were all a part of that atrocious bench, other than Davion, who was also unplayably bad last year.

BUT, yes, Agbaji is young enough that a leap into effectiveness isn't impossible. He needs to keep hitting that corner 3, and his brain needs to keep catching up to his physique on the defensive end. Davion probably isn't young enough to take that leap, but he does at least have a very specific skillset that a good coach might be able to use to effectiveness....IF the rest of the team is pretty healthy and Davion isn't needed to do more than he can. But again, both these guys were legit terrible last year and have never been legit rotation caliber before.

There is literally not one "safely reliable" rotation guy on the roster beyond the starting 4 guys. Olynyk should be at least 1, though age and injuries are a worry there, and he's the most needed one because you don't want Poeltl being forced into full starting minutes either (unlike BBQ).

But the actual kids are intersestig - as bad as Dick was as a 20yr old rookie it wouldn't be shocking at all if he was actually decent at age 21. And then rooks are wildcards - it wouldn't be shocking if Shead/Mogbo/Walter/Battle could be effective. I'd be less surprsied by these rooks being good than the "young-ish" journeymen above.
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Eh, you're forgetting Brown as well. Who was a 6 man on a championship team like, 18 months ago.

Assuming Starter Dick sticks:

Brown, Kelly, Boucher, Agbaji, Davion is a functioning NBA bench. The kids would have to play their way into that, it woudn't be immediate jobs for guys like Malachi, Precious, the bag of G Leaguers we've run out there.
 
MindzEye said:
Eh, you're forgetting Brown as well. Who was a 6 man on a championship team like, 18 months ago.

Assuming Starter Dick sticks:

Brown, Kelly, Boucher, Agbaji, Davion is a functioning NBA bench. The kids would have to play their way into that, it woudn't be immediate jobs for guys like Malachi, Precious, the bag of G Leaguers we've run out there.
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Its hard to include Boucher on that list when the coach seems to hate him
 
Back of the rotation looking crispy again. Shead and Davion combining for 17 assists.

Ochai with 10
Boucher with 13
Mogbo with 11 & 4

and of course Gravy with 23 points on 9/11 shooting.

Up 3 on Charlotte.
 
aaaand that went poorly.

Down 7 at the end of the quarter. We play Davion and Shead together for reasons, and then sub them both out for RJ and Grady, with RJ bringing the ball of the court as PG. He and Grady promptly turn it over in a 2 man action.

How about...keep one of the PG midgets on the floor at all times? There's no reason to play both together.
 
I don't get this bit Darko has going on with RJ bringing the ball up court just to hand it to Davion, only then just to hand it off to Jake up top. Took us 9 seconds to get into our set because of this.
 
We might be the worst team in the league by net rating after tonight.

Yeah, no Scottie, IQ, Brown, Kelly. Basically half of the team. But giving up 130 to Charlotte on those shooting splits is fucking embarrassing. EPM has us as a significantly worse defensive team so far this season than we were last season, which is impressive.
 
zeke said:
Looking pretty good these last 10min ive watched
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I turned it off with 3-4 minutes left, but giving up 138 points to Charlotte...woof.

A good night for the tank though the RJ and Grady both dropping 30. Davion with a double/double and Shead with 9 dimes.
 
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