Raptors approval ratings: Which players are fans happy and unhappy with?
How do you feel about the Toronto Raptors players entering the 2023-24 NBA season? Have your say.
This is part of a series examining how fans feel about the most prominent players on their favourite teams.
To qualify for this survey, a player must be on the Raptors current roster, and project to be either a starter or a part of the team's rotation in 2023-24.
The Toronto Raptors are a team entering the 2023-24 season in a difficult position.
Running back the 2022-23 squad and hoping for better results — particularly with a full season from Jakob Poeltl — wasn't an indisputably wise strategy, but it was a reasonable course for the team to chart until Fred VanVleet skipped town to sign a massive contract with the Houston Rockets.
Now Toronto will have a hard time breaking through with the same core unless Scottie Barnes makes a leap and rookie Gradey Dick becomes an instant difference maker. There's a reason this team has the 20th-best odds to win the NBA Championship at BetMGM.
There's a difference between team success and individual favourability, though, so let's hear what you have to say about the 2023-24 Raptors before their season gets started on Wednesday.
Pascal Siakam
Position: PF
2022-23 stats:
Siakam led the NBA in minutes played per game for the second consecutive season in 2022-23 and put the Raptors offence on his back with his career-high scoring output. Only VanVleet averaged more assists than Siakam, and only Poeltl grabbed more rebounds on a per-game basis.
There are legitimate questions about whether Siakam is miscast as a top dog, but he was productive within that role, earning his second trip to the NBA All-Star game.
Scottie Barnes, SF
Position: SF
2022-23 stats:
After winning Rookie of the Year in 2021-22, Barnes had a similar season as a sophomore. While the numbers were relatively static the 22-year-old made some progress as a distributor and saw his free-throw percentage tick up by a notable margin.
On the flip side, he was a less efficient scorer overall and his defence didn't progress the way the team might have hoped for a player with his physical gifts. Barnes remains the most important future building block the Raptors have, but his 2022-23 didn't include the star turn many expected.
O.G. Anunoby
Position: SG/SF
2022-23 stats:
Anunoby's offensive production last season was comparable to his numbers over the prior two seasons, but his work on the defensive end was notable.
Not only did he lead the NBA in steals, he also earned down-ballot Defensive Player of the Year votes and made the All-Defensive Second Team.
The 26-year-old also had some strong moments when called upon to play a larger role. For instance, he averaged 21.2 points in November when Siakam missed most of the month.
Jakob Poeltl, C
Position: C
2022-23 stats:
Toronto's top pick in 2016 (9th overall) returned home last season following a midseason trade with the San Antonio Spurs and acquitted himself well down the stretch.
Poeltl gave Toronto a combination of interior scoring, rebounding — and even a little playmaking — down the stretch, helping him earn a four-year, $80 million extension. After toying with a more position-less structure in recent years, the Raptors have committed to the Austrian's ability to make a difference as a traditional centre.
Dennis Schröder, PG
Position: PG
2022-23 stats:
Schröder comes to the Raptors after bouncing around the league a bit lately, playing for three teams in the last two seasons. The veteran guard is coming off a season where he posted modest numbers and a complementary piece on the Los Angeles Lakers, partly due to a career-low usage rate (18.6%).
The 30-year-old is a facilitator who hasn't scored at a particularly efficient rate outside of a 2019-20 campaign that saw him shoot an anomalous 38.5% from deep. He can create opportunities for himself and his teammates with his quickness, but expectations will be relatively modest for Schröder entering 2023-24.
Gary Trent Jr., SG
Position: SG
2022-23 stats:
Trent came in and out of the Raptors starting lineup throughout the season and continued to be a solid perimeter threat. His 3-point percentage dipped slightly in 2022-23, but he was more efficient on 2-points leading to a bump in FG%.
While most of his statistics declined slightly from 2021-22 he also played approximately three fewer minutes per night. On a per-minute basis, he was basically the same player offensively. On defence his ability to steal the ball remained intact, but he was called out for a lack of disruptiveness by Nick Nurse.
Nick Nurse was asked about Gary Trent Jr's deflections, which are down from 3.4 per game last season to 2.4. Had some strong words.
"It's disappointing... We want him to be a disruptor. He kinda fits us if he does that, and if he doesn't, he doesn't fit us." pic.twitter.com/21xuvzso0J— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) November 22, 2022
Gradey Dick, SG
Position: SG
2022-23 stats: N/A
Dick has yet to play for the Raptors in a regular-season game, but he bears mentioning as just the third top-15 pick Toronto has had in the last 10 drafts. The sharpshooter averaged 14.1 points in his freshman year at Kanas, shooting an impressive 40.3% from beyond the arc.
The 19-year-old's performance during NBA Summer League was unremarkable. In four games he averaged 16.0 points on 40% total shooting — converting 29.8% of his 3-pointers. He also his team in steals (1.5/game) and made solid contributions on the glass (6.0 rebounds/game). He fared slightly better during four preseason contests, hitting 46.7% of his threes and averaging 7.3 points in 16.6 minutes per game.
Chris Boucher, PF/C
Position: PF/C
2022-23 stats:
Boucher's 2022-23 was similar to his 2021-22 with a slight uptick in offensive efficiency across the board.
The 30-year-old was unable to regain the 3-point stroke that made him a star role player two seasons ago (38.3%) and his shot-blocking was well off his early-career pace. Even so, he was an effective scorer and rebounder off the bench, averaging 16.8 points and 10.0 boards per 36 minutes.
Precious Achiuwa PF/C
Position: PF/C
2022-23 stats:
Achiuwa's 2022-23 season was similar to his 2021-22 campaign, but the shape of his offensive production changed significantly. The 24-year-old saw his 3-point percentage drop from 35.9% to 26.9%, but he was so much more effective inside that his eFG% jumped from .486 to .521.
The forward continued to be an important cog on the Raptors defence and was a strong rebounder on a per-minute basis. Achiuwa did not take a notable step forward last season, but he remained a valuable role player for Toronto.
Malachi Flynn, PG
Position: PG
2022-23 stats:
Flynn is entering his fourth NBA season, but he has yet to make his mark at the next level. In 2022-23 he started just two games and managed double-digit points on just eight occasions.
His three-point stroke was effective in limited minutes (35.3%), but he was extremely inefficient on two-point shots (36.7%) — and even on a per-36 minute basis he didn't make much of a statistical impact outside of his scoring. To Flynn's credit, he ended his campaign on a fine note, starting the Raptors' season finale and filling the stat sheet.
Malachi Flynn tonight:
20 points
11 assists
2 steals
8/14 FG
Toronto with another gem 💎 pic.twitter.com/C7HUTujw3y— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 11, 2021
