Bismack Biyombo Should Start For The Toronto Raptors

While some speculated he may be on his way out of the league when the Toronto Raptors signed him this summer, Bismack Biyombo has cemented his spot in the NBA and continues to exceed expectations when thrust into a starting role.

The Toronto Raptors managed to find one of the hidden gems of the 2015 NBA free agency class in Bismack Biyombo. Prior to this season, Biyombo had made his mark in the league by providing strong defense and rebounding, strengths that outweighed his inability to catch the ball, pass or shoot.

While that description may come across as harsh, it is more or less an accurate representation of the first few years of his career. When the Raptors signed him, it was unlikely that the contract was going to come back to bite them as for $3 million a year, his defensive strengths ensured that he would be a plus player despite his limitations.

But the Raptors have received far more than they could have anticipated in Biyombo, especially when he has been asked to join the starting lineup due to injury. One of the main reasons the Raptors have been able to survive and excel during multiple absences of starting center Jonas Valanciunas has been the play of Biyombo.

When playing in a starting role, Biyombo has provided them with seven points and 12.2 rebounds in just shy of 30 minutes a night. As a starter his offensive rating has been a staggering 118 with an impressive defensive rating of 98.

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Unlike Valanciunas, Biyombo does not command offensive touches in the post which allows the team’s perimeter orientated attack to have more space to operate. He’s also the best screen setter on the team, which creates offensive spacing when the Raptors surround him with four perimeter threats.

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Biyombo has also improved his offensive decision making and seems to have a better time catching the ball within a simplified role. He continues to be a threat as a finisher in the pick and roll, but in situations where he does not have a shot inside, he has done a much better job this season of recognizing that situation and giving the ball up.

The improved decision making has been reflected in his increasing field goal percentage each month. He shot just 43.4 percent in November, but that number has steadily increased to a peak of 65.5 percent in February. While his March shooting is down to 59 percent, that would still be one of the best marks in the NBA if done for a complete season.

With the Raptors recent struggles on the defensive side of the floor, the recent play of Biyombo may cause them to take a long hard look at making his time a starter permanent. While Valanciunas is dramatically better offensively, those skills are often neglected when playing with the starters.

They benefit from playing around a perimeter-orientated game which gets bogged down when they start throwing the ball into the post–especially when James Johnson and DeMar DeRozan are playing on the wings, as they don’t provide spacing or a consistent perimeter threat for Valanciunas to kick the ball out to if he receives a double team.

Having a low-usage center that can provide the team with the defense Valanciunas fails to bring just makes sense for the starting lineup.

This move would also provide Valanciunas with a consistent opportunity to establish himself offensively. Similar to what the Oklahoma City Thunder have done with Enes Kanter, another talented offensive center with defensive limitations, he can come off the bench and just worry about scoring.

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With the pass-first Cory Joseph, he will be rewarded with the ball when he establishes position, while Kyle Lowry and DeRozan often look for their own shot (rightfully so). Splitting the minutes equally between the two 23-year-old centers could help the Raptors have a more balanced attack and be a more formidable team come playoff time.