Bench Mob to Starting Mob: How the Toronto Raptors’ bench unit became their starting lineup
When Serge Ibaka played host to the Raptors bench mob on his “How hungry are you” YouTube show, little did he know that these players would be the future of the franchise. Aside from Delon Wright, who was traded with Jonas Valanciunas mid season to acquire Marc Gasol, three of the four remaining players start for the team, with the fourth playing a spark plug sixth man role.
The Toronto (Tampa Bay) Raptors defeated fellow Florida franchise Orlando Magic on February 2nd behind a franchise record 54 points from Fred VanVleet, an undrafted rookie out of the 2016 draft. VanVleet is now the only undrafted player to hold a single game scoring record for a franchise, just topping Demar Derozan’s 52 points back in 2016. This accomplishment sums up the Raptors franchise in the past two years, finding diamonds in the rough and molding them into starters or in the case of Pascal Siakam, an All-NBA player.
The current Toronto Raptors starting lineup consists of Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Aron Baynes, with the first two off the bench being Norman Powell and Chris Boucher. Aside from Lowry, acquired through a trade, and Baynes, added through free-agency, each of the players currently playing significant minutes with the Raptors were drafted by and developed by the organization. This group consists of two late first round picks, a second round pick, and two undrafted players, and yet they have climbed out of the East cellar and currently sit at 9–12, pushing toward a playoff spot. Toronto’s success in player development has given them a homegrown roster that consists of young talent not found in the lottery through tanking, but through talent identification and development in the G-League.
2015–16
Norman Powell
The Raptors acquired the first of the five bench mob members through the 2015 NBA Draft, drafting small, but lengthy shooting guard Norman Powell out of UCLA in the second round in a trade with Milwaukee. This deal was a steal for the Raptors, as they acquired the pick which would become OG Anunoby, only giving up Greivis Vásquez in the process. Powell played four years at UCLA, ramping up production each year before averaging 16 points per game his senior year. Powell’s rookie season was quiet, averaging 5.6 points per game playing only 14 minutes. However, there were some good signs, averaging 40% from behind the arc, as well as showing promise on the defensive end of the floor. Powell spent time with the Raptors G League affiliate Raptors 905 where he spent time during his rookie season. Moving to the 2016 NBA Draft the Raptors had two first round picks, at 9 and 27.
Playoffs
The Raptors reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history but LeBronto began as the eventual champs defeated Toronto in six games.
2016–2017
Pascal Siakam
The Raptors first selected Jakob Poeltl with the 9th pick acquired in the Bargnani trade back in 2013, but he only lasted two years with the Raptors before being sent to San Antonio as a piece in the Kawhi trade. The more interesting pick came at 27 with the selection of Pascal Siakam from New Mexico State. Siakam played two years in college, falling in the draft due to his age as well as a lack of polish on both ends of the floor. Because Siakam didn’t need to start immediately, he had time to improve his game, both with Raptors 905 as well as the Raptors. This is a key factor to the success of this group, as each of them were given time coming off the bench or in the G-League to develop their game. Siakam’s rookie season, like Powell, was quiet, but he did win G-League Finals MVP, playing alongside a man who just got paid, Fred Van Vleet.
Fred VanVleet
VanVleet went undrafted out of Wichita State after spending four years at the MVC school. He was part of the Shockers team that was 35–0 before losing to Kentucky in the Round of 32. VanVleet was a projected late second round pick at the highest, so when Toronto signed him he spent significant time with Raptors 905. Even so, VanVleet got into the lineup for 37 games his rookie season.
Year 2 Stormin’ Norman
This season Norman Powell spent no time with the G-League team, spending the entire season with the Raptors organization. Powell played a similar role to his rookie season, adding to his minutes and production, which he would continue to do until the year after the Raptors championship season when he doubled his scoring on significantly more minutes.
Playoffs
Year two of LeBronto as the Cavs sweep the Raptors in the second round. Bobby Webster joins Masai Ujiri in the front office as General Manager while Dwane Casey remains as the coach.
2017–18
Year 2 Pascal and Freddy
Neither Siakam or VanVleet spent any time with Raptors 905 in their second seasons, each coming off the bench and playing 20 minutes a game, averaging 7 and 9 points per game respectively.
OG Anunoby
Anunoby was selected by the Raptors with the 23rd pick in the 2017 draft, after spending two years at Indiana. He fell in the draft due to a knee injury, and if a redraft was done today he would be near the top of his class. OG’s impact on both ends of the floor was apparent throughout his rookie season, starting 62 games, including all 10 playoff games. Anunoby played the role of a 3 and D wing during his rookie season, shooting 38% from 3 and playing great defense. He hit a massive shot which has been forgotten in Game 3 against the Cavs to tie the game at 103, right before LeBron hit his iconic floater over him to win it. Anunoby’s performance was a bright spot on another disappointing season for the Raptors.
Summer 2018
The Raptors underwent 3 massive changes during the off season after the crushing LeBronto loss, firing long time coach Dwane Casey, the blockbuster Kawhi trade, and the addition of NBA champion Chris Boucher. While I might be exaggerating the Boucher portion of the summer a bit, the TreBoucher has broken out this year, which we will get to shortly.
2018–2019 Title Run
Due to the addition of Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard over the off season, OG Anunoby moved to the bench, while still playing the same 20 minutes per game. Norman Powell and Fred VanVleet each came off the bench in backup guard roles, with VanVleet having his famous father series against the Bucks, shooting 82% from 3 in games 4, 5 and 6.
Pascal Siakam made the jump into the starting lineup at power forward alongside four established veterans, meaning he was looked over to start the year by opposing defenses. Siakam played well throughout the year, earning Most-Improved Player honors, and had an incredible Game 1 of the 2019 finals. He scored 32 points on 14–17 shooting, handing the Raptors a 1–0 lead in the series.
Chris Boucher played minimal minutes throughout the year winning his second championship, having been a member of the Warriors the year before. The Raptors defeated an injury-marred Golden State side in six games, closing the series in Golden State.
Summer 2019
The loss of both Kawhi and Danny Green to LA teams in free agency left two open spots in the starting lineup, but the Raptors elected to promote VanVleet and Anunoby to the starting lineup rather than look elsewhere. Siakam signed a four year deal to remain with the Raptors, and they went into the 2019–20 season with roughly the same lineup minus Green and Leonard, as they didn’t make any big acquisitions in free agency.
2019–2020
The Raptors exceeded everyone’s expectations last season, winning 50 games and getting the second seed. Each of the former bench mob averaged career high in minutes throughout the year, with career highs in points as well. The Raptors lost in seven games in an all time series with the Celtics in the second round, with Siakam’s struggles being a focal point throughout the seven games.
This Season
Chris Boucher
We’ve made it all the way to the current season without mentioning Chris Boucher, who didn’t get real minutes until this season, as the veteran bigs of Gasol and Ibaka both left in free agency. Boucher has a remarkable story, as he immigrated to Montreal at age five from Saint Lucia. He was homeless at 16, working as a dishwasher at a BBQ chain, then was offered a spot on a tournament basketball team. Boucher played for two different junior colleges before ending up at the University of Oregon, where he played two seasons.
Undrafted in 2018, he recovered from an ACL injury to play for the Warriors G-League team on a two-way contract. He got a ring with the Warriors his rookie season but was later waived, signing with the Raptors, joining fellow NBA champion Patrick McCaw in making the switch. Spending much of 2018–19 with Raptors 905, Boucher dropped 27 points per game, winning both G-League MVP and DPOY, becoming the first player to do so. A member of the Raptors full time last season, his minutes were limited due to Gasol and Ibaka being ahead of him in the rotation. After they left for LA this past off season Boucher became the backup center, behind new signing Aron Baynes. But, as Baynes struggled to begin the season, Boucher thrived, taking Baynes’ role as the primary center, playing a majority of minutes at 5 for the Raptors.
Boucher has been a revelation this year, as despite his 6’9” height, his wingspan of 7’4” has propelled him to 2 blocks per game. In addition, while he has an unorthodox shot, he is shooting 44% from behind the arc, giving Pascal Siakam and other Raptors space to work in the mid-range and the paint.
Everyone Else
Norman Powell is continuing to provide the Raptors with elite bench scoring, playing alongside the starters in many circumstances. Siakam has bounced back from a poor start to approach 20 points per game again, and Fred VanVleet has justified his new contract with some spectacular performances. Anunoby has improved his offensive game, moving beyond a purely 3 and D wing. All signs point to these four and Boucher being the next Raptors starting lineup, after Kyle Lowry possibly departs in the summer, looking for one more ring.
It is a testament to the Raptors organizational strength that they have been able to create a homegrown roster with talent developed internally. In fact this internal development stretches to the coach Nick Nurse, who has been an assistant coach with the team since 2013, spending five years as an assistant before winning a title in his debut coaching season. Toronto’s starters used to be their bench unit, yet this unit isn’t a tanking squad after losing their stars. No, this is a team built to stay competitive in the Eastern Conference for years to come, and it is entirely possible they are one piece away from championship contention once again.
