As the Toronto Raptors season approaches, Sportsnet’s NBA editor, Dave Zarum, and SN contributor and Raptors Republic‘s Blake Murphy discuss the burning questions heading into the much-anticipated 2016-17 campaign.
Would it make more sense to bench DeMarre Carroll until he’s 100%?
Dave Zarum: One of the biggest takeaways from training camp last week was that Carroll said he’s still not 100 per cent…Which seemed like a shocker at first, but I suppose when you consider he was playing hurt throughout the playoffs, and the nature of many knee injuries, etc., I guess it’s to be expected. But if that is the case, what do you do with Carroll to start the season?
Doesn’t the potential emergence from someone like Norman Powell, increased reliability from Terrence Ross or, dare I say, the opportunity to get someone like Bruno spot minutes with the big club early in the year (merely as a low-risk litmus test) give the Raptors and Casey the option to again rest Carroll and wait until he’s at full-strength? If the goal is another deep playoff run, and to maximize Carroll’s potential impact, why rush/risk anything?
Blake Murphy: No, you dare not say “Bruno spot minutes.” Not until, like, March at the earliest. But I agree, as is my hyper-cautious way, that Carroll can and should be brought along slowly. The Raptors aren’t playing for anything in October or November, and they now know what a season full of Carroll trying to play through injuries and being in-and-out of the lineup looks like. And it’s not really what they signed up for. Yes, limiting Carroll puts some additional taxing on the DeRozan/Powell/Ross wing trio, as one is forced to play more minutes at the three, but you have the luxury of that depth and two guys in Powell and Ross who are fighting for minutes, anyway. Don’t risk a thing, take your time with Carroll, and keep the focus steady on the endgame, not the record here early on.
The one wrinkle that Carroll’s injury may create that’s probably worth a mention is that it re-balances the 15th-man competition. Delon Wright’s injury made Fred VanVleet the early favorite, but with Powell capable of spotting in at the one and the team a little thin on forwards, maybe this opens the door for an E.J. Singler or Jarrod Uthoff to fight their way on to the team.
Zarum: Yeah, that’s interesting. Singler looked fairly impressive at Summer League and with the 905 last year, and I like that he brings solid rebounding along with shooting. I must admit I didn’t follow Uthoff’s college career but (warning: this opinion is based on one YouTube video) I was pleasantly surprised by his skill-set, a truly versatile four who dominated in stretches in college. It doesn’t mean squat as far as translating to the NBA level goes, but I’m kind of hoping Uthoff’s can grab that final spot, if only because I’ve already thought of his nickname: The Machinist. (Please don’t make me explain that, but do I have to explain it??). Who do you think has the edge among those two? And does local kid Brady Heslip have a shot? He’ll definitely have to show that he’s more than a spot up shooter…
Murphy: I’ll start with Heslip, who I don’t believe has much of a chance. Yes, he might be the best shooter outside of the NBA in the entire world, and that can really swing a game, but he doesn’t have much else in terms of NBA skill. He’s trying to run some point in camp, but I can’t see it working out – if they need a lead guard, it’s VanVleet’s spot, and both Singler and Uthoff provide shooting and a more natural positional fit if the team decides they could use another marksman. I’d probably handicap the race VanVleet-Uthoff-Singler right now, though I’m personally a fan of the versatility, role familiarity, and experience the 26-year-old Singler would bring. You’re splitting ponytail hairs between those three, though.
