Big questions are coming up quickly for the Toronto Raptors this off-season after their loss in the play-in tournament. I’ll be the first to say that I was confused at the direction this team was going at various stages throughout the season.
Where do the Raptors go from here? It all starts with this off-season, and they need to look at every aspect of the franchise, from their players to their future coach. Here’s what could happen in order for the Raptors to turn things around in the 2023-2024 season.
Forever grateful. Thank you, Nick Nurse
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— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 21, 2023
Let’s begin with the most recent news for the Toronto Raptors. They let go of their five-year head coach Nick Nurse. I was a bit surprised about the timing of the news, but when you think about where the team wants to be in terms of competitiveness, they fell short the past few seasons. Raptors fans will always be grateful for Nick Nurse because he was the guy that helped lead the Raptors to their first NBA championship in 2018-2019.
Who will replace Nick Nurse as the next head coach? It’s anyone guess at this point but two names that I think the Raptors are considering are Las Vegas Aces’ coach Becky Hammon and their current assistant coach Adrian Griffin. It’s unfortunate the Raptors missed out on former Celtics coach Ime Udoka, but I think Hammon and Griffin could be right for the job.
(Pexels / Edgar Colomba)
Next, you have to consider who is going to be a free agent this summer. We know that Jakob Poeltl and Will Barton will be unrestricted free agents, but we also might see key contributors like Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. test free agency unless they accept their player options.
Here’s where things get interesting, because you can look at other star players on the Raptors like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby and wonder what their future could be on the team. I think that the Raptors have to have the idea in mind that Scottie Barnes is the future star of this team and they can either build around him, or double up on the roster they have now to try to make another playoff run.
(Pexels / Ahmed Raza Khan Films)
If the Raptors get the right head coach and re-sign all their fundamental roster pieces, I think they can continue to improve next season provided they play well as a unit. Otherwise, I think that it would be best for the Raptors to start a re-tool. The Raptors could trade some key players and build around Scottie Barnes and could easily be back to a team to look out for in the East in the coming seasons.
We’ll see what the Raptors decide to do, and whatever happens, the passionate fanbase across Canada will be ready to cheer them on in the 2023-2024 season.