The Raptors’ development is on display at Summer League
Through three days of Las Vegas Summer League action, the Toronto Raptors have looked pretty solid. They edged the New Orleans Pelicans in a close 96-93 game on Friday, and on Saturday, they demolished the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 97-72 beatdown. While first-round pick O.G. Anunoby isn’t suited up due to his his ACL rehabilitation, the Raptors have rolled on behind their trio of players already on roster — Jakob Poeltl, Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam.
Each has made it abundantly clear their presence in Summer League may be superfluous. Siakam posted 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting in the Pelicans game. Poeltl has two double-doubles. And VanVleet has looked like the steadiest hand at the point guard spot at LVSL so far, averaging 14 points, seven assists and four rebounds per game while bringing top-notch execution rarely seen at this event. The three Raptors’ youngsters are here to continue working on their games, but so far they all are looking pretty good.
Poeltl, last year’s ninth overall pick, showed most of his development on the offensive end in his rookie season. But so far, the defensive side of the ball has been where he’s made the biggest impression. The knock on Poeltl has been that he’s too slow to defend at a high NBA level, but in this setting, he’s done a great job of containing the pick-and-roll so far, shutting down the baseline and using verticality in the paint to contest opposing guards.
Poeltl’s been put in a lot of post defense opportunities, showcasing one of his biggest strengths. But he’s done a nice job in space, and that’s been the real victory for Toronto. If he can defend on the perimeter at all, he’s a lock to be an NBA rotation player, as his offensive skill set is excellent. He’s finished well in the pick-and-roll, as expected, and he’s still one of the most promising young short roll decision makers in the league.
Siakam, meanwhile, has been all offense. The D-League Finals MVP from Raptors 905’s championship run, Siakam looked offensively limited in his time with the NBA Raptors last year, averaging just 4.2 points per game in 15.6 minutes. In Summer League, it’s been clear the Raptors want to have him use his quickness and length to his advantage as a scorer. He’s been given free reign to attack off the bounce, and it’s hard to argue with the results — 41 points on 16-of-25 shooting. He’s shown solid fluidity on drives, and with a full green light, he’s hard to stop attacking downhill.
VanVleet’s passing has orchestrated everything up top. The Wichita State alum has taken the mantle from Delon Wright, who impressed with his poise last year. VanVleet has shown confidence and craft out of the pick-and-roll, and the excellent chemistry with Poeltl has been on display.
His heady decision-making around the rim is also advanced well past what you’d expect out of a Summer League guard. This is just peak Old Man Game, and you’d expect nothing less from one of the most successful college lead guards of the last decade.
The Raptors have one of the strongest up-and-coming development staffs in the league, and this Summer League has shown it through the play of their three best prospects. None of these three inspired much confidence coming into last season. Poeltl was a stiff rim-finisher and post presence, Siakam was a reach at the 27th pick, as a 22-year old raw athlete and VanVleet narrowly won the last roster spot in training camp.
Flash forward a year, and all three look like NBA rotation players at LVSL. Poeltl is progressing defensively, VanVleet looks too good to be here, and if this Siakam scoring experiment turns into something, that could be a huge boon to their bench. There are still limitations with each guy, of course. Poeltl’s shooting and Siakam’s defense are nowhere near useful yet, and VanVleet has a hard cap on his potential due to his athleticism. But for a team that has been contending in the Eastern Conference for the past two years, their development infrastructure is doing a fantastic job working with the pieces they’re given.
It’s been two games, but I feel confident in saying the Raptors are going to stay dangerous in the East if they can churn out this apparent level of growth continuously.