Things I want to see next season

[grindhouse]

we are champions! No one can take that away.
This team still has room for growth even without kawhi. Here are some of my expectations for next season.

1. Pascal needs to get a lot stronger he needs to be able to do that Giannis euro step with contact. DeMar added it to his game in one summer so can pascal
2. Mccaw I want to see this kid play point. He is the fastest player on the team with the ball.
3. Can we add some jj Redick plays into our offence. Terrance Davis May be able to fill that role ? I have to see it done first.
4. We added the back door/cut to the rim from the weak side during the playoffs. Can we do more of this plz. We need to make up for 28 pts a game and you do that by getting easy buckets.
5. Slow the game down a bit gasol always seems rushed in our offence

[Puffer]

Danny averaged 10 pts a game for the Raptors. I think Kawhi was 27. So call it 37 points a game.

This season Kyle will have to shoot more. Same with Pascal and Marc. Serge scored at an above career average last season. But last years number for Kyle and Marc were only slightly down from their career numbers. And I don't think Pascal can boost his own number that much in one season. Between the three of them, they might be able to account for 10 points a game. So who picks up the slack?

OG can be expected to take a step. Can he make it to 15 points a game? That's more than twice his total from last year. VanVleet averaged 11 and should be able to add a few more. But there is a big gap between with-Kawhi and post-Kawhi scoring load. Part of the problem is the efficiency of Danny and Kawhi. Danny hit his shots at a 46% clip and Kawhi was 49%. Serge averaged 51% FG% but Marc was 44%, and Fed and Kyle were 41%. So by and large, players with worse efficiency need to take more shots. That doesn't help things.

And it is pretty tough to rely on better defense to make up the disparity. Danny and Kawhi were both pretty good defenders. They ranked in the top half of the team. I don't see room for much improvement on the Raptors current roster.

So we'll have to see. Maybe the end of bench players step up. Production sure tailed off last season when you got down past the number 8 position. Are Chris Boucher, Thomas, Davis, and Hernandez going to start decimating opposing bench units the way the bench mob did a couple of seasons ago? The Raptors did it once. Can they do it again?

[Demographic Shift]

Danny G averaged 10 points a game.. those points will come from norm or freddy and can be replaced.
What will be exponentially harder to replace with Danny leaving is the active defense that created turnovers that got the Raps a lot of easy runout transition points.
Its exacerbated with Leonard whose other worldly defensive smarts and ability to read plays saw him pick off a lot of cross court and interior passes at a high rate. Its what makes him one of the 2 or 3 best players in the game right now. We know what he can do when he locks in on the other teams best scorers.

While you can't match Leonards skills as a player you can play the same way defensively with OG and Hollis Jefferson and to a degree Johnson. They are not Leonard but they will be expected to provide a high level of defensive intensity that will continue to give the Raps those runouts that Pascal can finish like no other in the open court. .

Finding Dannys 10 is not so bad. I think Norm can do it.

Finding Kawhis efficient 20 plus points a game is up to Nurse to get a handle on. I think he has no choice but to put the task on the young but wide shoulders of OG/Rondae and Stanley.. If they can get 70% of Kawhis points but in aggregate give 100% of the defensive level of play that Leonard did the Raps can get homecourt if Masai makes no more moves.

Do they have enough to knock off the Bucks or Philly ?

Thats to see next season. How the GM sees those chances by Chistmas will dictate if they take another shot at getting to the ECF or if Ujiri leverages the the win now value of Kyle and Marc and Serge at the trade deadline.

EDIT TO ADD

One other thing I would like to see is a warm reception for Leonard when he comes to town next year.
Then I would like to see the Raps kick the Clips ass up their throat much like the Spurs did to the Raps last year when Leonard came back to town.

[saints91]

I'm most excited to see OG and Pascal grow and play together this year. Coming off the bench didn't suit OG. Right now he's not a 1st, 2nd or 3rd option on offence right now, so it's best that he play off the talent of the starters and ease into his game.

I hope by Dec./Jan. we can add a talent upgrade at shooting guard. I've mentioned Will Barton before, but someone like him would be great to grow with Pascal and OG.

I don't want to trade Kyle this season. I've thought about it and I think it would be cool to play this whole season with him. He has the ability to make the young guys better, and I think we need that for their development this season. Unless there's a huge haul at the deadline, I say keep him. Either resign him in the offseason, or let him move on, on his own terms.

Serg., Norm and Gasol could be moved after Dec., when the new signings can be traded. Let them get their rings and raise the banner with the team, but after that, it's time to look to the future.

[Puffer]

...While you can't match Leonards skills as a player you can play the same way defensively with OG and Hollis Jefferson and to a degree Johnson. They are not Leonard but they will be expected to provide a high level of defensive intensity that will continue to give the Raps those runouts that Pascal can finish like no other in the open court. .

Finding Dannys 10 is not so bad. I think Norm can do it...

...One other thing I would like to see is a warm reception for Leonard when he comes to town next year.
Then I would like to see the Raps kick the Clips ass up their throat much like the Spurs did to the Raps last year when Leonard came back to town.

If the new guys play hard, and this is one of the best teams in the league for setting that style of "D" from veterans as an example, they may be able to collectively raise the defensive intensity of the team to mitigate the loss of a couple of high level defensive players.

And if Norm could increase his average pts/game by 10, I would be deleriously happy.

[Demographic Shift]

I'm most excited to see OG and Pascal grow and play together this year. Coming off the bench didn't suit OG. Right now he's not a 1st, 2nd or 3rd option on offence right now, so it's best that he play off the talent of the starters and ease into his game.

I hope by Dec./Jan. we can add a talent upgrade at shooting guard. I've mentioned Will Barton before, but someone like him would be great to grow with Pascal and OG.

I don't want to trade Kyle this season. I've thought about it and I think it would be cool to play this whole season with him. He has the ability to make the young guys better, and I think we need that for their development this season. Unless there's a huge haul at the deadline, I say keep him. Either resign him in the offseason, or let him move on, on his own terms.

Serg., Norm and Gasol could be moved after Dec., when the new signings can be traded. Let them get their rings and raise the banner with the team, but after that, it's time to look to the future.

Amen brother... in aggregate.. Kyle is the best we have ever had in the backcourt.
I love Demar. But Kyle deserves each and every accolade he gets. .including being the first player to have his jersey lifted to the rafters of the building.