Toronto Raptors starting lineup: Locks, fringe, potential break-ins

Fringe options

Again, there isn’t much of a debate in regards to who is going to be starting at center when the Raptors open their season against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. But there will be a battle for minutes that emerges over the year at the center position.

C Aron Baynes

As the big acquisition of the offseason, Aron Baynes is going to start. He signed a two-year, $14.3 million deal with the Raptors to replace Marc Gasol at center and he appears to be a good fit. The 34-year-old continued his reinvention as a late-career three-point shooter last season, hitting 35.1 percent of his threes. That led to a surprising career year, where Baynes averaged 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

C Chris Boucher

Nevertheless, Chris Boucher has earned some respect as the internal candidate to slide in at center. The springy big man has never started an NBA game, but he appears to have the potential to be a starter. He averaged 6.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game, despite playing in just 13.2 minutes per game last season. It’s not a question on if Boucher is going to push Baynes for minutes, it’s a question of when – odds are, it’ll happen sooner rather than later.