Toronto Raptors: 2018-19 NBA midseason roundtable
Here’s a midseason roundtable breaking down the first half of the 2018-19 NBA regular season and the top burning questions for the Toronto Raptors.
Today I am joined with Raptors Rapture‘s very own Go Paolo and Mike Bossetti to tackle the burning questions the Toronto Raptors will need to address leading into the second half of the regular NBA season and some reflections of the first half.
What are your biggest takeaways from the first half of the season?
Bossetti: I would say I have two big takeaways that stick out above the rest. One positive, one negative. The negative has been the disappointing play of the bench. What was one of the best units in the NBA last season has been terrible all year. Key contributors have lost value and there are little signs of improvement. The positive is Pascal Siakam. Siakam has developed into a legitimate All-Star candidate and has separated himself as the third-best player on this team.
Turco: Your negative about the bench ties into one of my takeaways: lack of chemistry due to injuries. One could argue that this year’s team is more or less the same as last year’s. Plug in Kawhi Leonard for DeMar DeRozan and add Danny Green to the rotation, the team is better built to sustain success on both ends of the floor. The injuries this year, combined with the execution of a new head coach in Nick Nurse, plus the integration of their new superstar, means some stability in the rotation would fix some of those bench issues. According to man games lost NBA, the Raptors are second in wins lost due to injured players at 4.7 games.
Go Paolo: Speaking of injuries, one of my main takeaways is how much the team misses Jonas Valanciunas. The Raptors are only 8-5 without him. They were 5-5 before their last three wins. They were getting feasted on by big guys. Nikola Vucevic anyone? The lack of Jakob Poeltl also ties in with that. I love Greg Monroe, but we didn’t bring him in to play defense. I wish they would give Chris Boucher more playing time.
Bossetti: I’m out on giving consistent Monroe minutes. He has one of the worst total point differentials on the team at -77, he can’t defend, and the offense isn’t improved when he is on the court. Even with JV’s injuries I’d like to see us play Boucher and play small more often.
Turco: Hard to disagree, Monroe has been very inefficient and limited this season. The game has clearly escaped him, but as a $2 million insurance policy, I don’t think there is much better out there. There’s a lot of love for Montreal native, Chris Boucher, for his ability to block shots and stretch the floor. I call him the next Bruno Caboclo, the “you never know what he might turn into” type of prospect.
Go Paolo: I’d love to see the Raptors hit their es better. They rank in the bottom-7 in 3-point efficiency (34.5 percent) but top-10 in 3-point attempts (33 per game). C.J. Miles needs to start hitting those 3s as well as Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet.
Turco: C.J. Miles was a major disappointment in the first half of the season, shooting career lows across the board (30.7 percent from the floor) and sporting team worst -110 total plus/minus.