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NBA Season Preview 2019-20: 5 biggest questions for the Toronto Raptors

By Louis Zatzman

TORONTO, ONTARIO - MAY 30: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors attempts a lay up against the Golden State Warriors in the first half during Game One of the 2019 NBA Finals at Scotiabank Arena on May 30, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - MAY 30: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors attempts a lay up against the Golden State Warriors in the first half during Game One of the 2019 NBA Finals at Scotiabank Arena on May 30, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Raptors are the defending champions, but because of Kawhi Leonard’s departure, they’re rarely mentioned among teams likely to win in 2019-20.  Here’s are the biggest questions for their upcoming season.

1. The Raptors need a clutch bucket, late in the fourth quarter. Who gets the ball and what does the play look like?

Pascal Siakam is no longer the future of the franchise; he is very much the present. Siakam already has a game-winner to his name, but he won’t always be playing the Phoenix Suns, and teams will sell the farm to keep him from driving into the paint. Choosing Siakam is easy, but choosing what the play will look like is a little more nuanced.

Siakam is best in transition, but that option won’t be on the table in the vast majority of clutch scenarios. Otherwise, here are the three simplest and most common ways in which Siakam can attack with the ball in his hands.

Siakam’s winner against the Suns came from an isolation at the top of the key, and it was a great demonstration of Siakam’s quickness, strength, balance, and finishing ability. Isolations will surely be a portion of the Raptors’ clutch diet, especially because Siakam almost never turns the ball over in such scenarios, which is almost as important as an efficient shot in the last few minutes. But post-ups represent a perfect blend between high-efficiency scoring and a low level of turnovers.

Siakam’s playmaking didn’t develop as rapidly as his scoring ability last season, but passing from the block is far easier than passing on the move. And Toronto can surround Siakam with knockdown shooters at the end of games, including Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, and Marc Gasol.

Toronto will surely vary its approach towards the end of games. There will be isolations and post-ups, and there will certainly even be some trickery with 1-4 and 4-1 pick-and-rolls between Siakam and Lowry. The only certainty is that when it’s winning time, the ball will be in Siakam’s hands.

2. Why should people be excited about OG Anunoby?

OG Anunoby is exciting because players with his skill-set and physical profile are almost always big contributors. Anunoby is an excellent defender in almost all scenarios, although he can fall asleep off the ball on occasion. He has the strength and length to properly defend any position on the floor, which sounds like the ravings of fandom lunacy, but is actually true; he’s as good a post defender as the Raptors have outside of their true centers. Anunoby is also somewhere between a good (37.1 percent from deep in his rookie season) and passable (33.1 percent last season) shooter.

Last season was a step back for Anunoby, as his numbers declined in almost every regard. His role diminished, and Anunoby also fought through a variety of injuries and personal matters to still play in 67 games. Anunoby remains impossibly athletic, intriguingly skilled, and irrefutably young. Everything about him screams excitement.

3. Who assumes the largest share of Kawhi Leonard’s offensive responsibilities?

Kawhi Leonard’s offensive responsibilities are difficult to replace. Leonard’s ability to combine high usage with elite efficiency is rare, although Pascal Siakam could share the same gene. From 2017-18 to 2018-19, Siakam increased his minutes average, usage rate, and effective field goal percentage across the board. Siakam will bear the brunt of Leonard’s absence, and the Raptors can only hope that Siakam will maintain his elite efficiency with an extra helping of shots.

Kyle Lowry will also fill some of the void. Lowry has spent the better part of the last decade toggling between floor general and primary scorer, and he should be able to shift his style towards more of a scorer. Others, like Serge Ibaka and Norman Powell are shoot-first players who will be happy for the extra attempts.

The fact of the matter, though, is that Leonard cannot be replaced by anyone on Toronto’s existing roster. Leonard is too good a scorer and too talented an offensive player for any platoon of players to mirror his contributions. The Raptors will be a worse team in 2019-20, and that’s almost exclusively because Leonard is gone.

Next. Meet the 2019 NBA 25-under-25. dark

4. What should be the theme song for Pascal Siakam’s new adventure as a primary scoring option?

Pascal Siakam is best defined by the Flight of the Bumblebees. He’s fast; he’s frantic, he stings; he floats, he spins, he’s all over the map. You don’t know what’s about to happen; he doesn’t know what’s about to happen; his opponents definitely don’t know what’s about to happen.

5. What happens when the Clippers come to Toronto?

There will be applause, and it will go on for a long time. Then there will be blood.