#2 Toronto Raptors
Over the last several years, the Toronto Raptors have quickly become a household name in the Eastern Conference and they broke through in 2019 to win their franchise’s first ever NBA title. This year, though, Toronto struggled playing in Tampa Bay and they finished 27-45, their worst record since they went 23-43 during the 2011-12 season.
Injuries to guys like Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam definitely hurt the Raptors, but their lack of frontcourt depth really hurt them too. They lost both Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka in free agency last offseason and while these did not seem like big time losses at the time, the Raptors really struggled to get any production from their centers all year long.
Teams exposed Toronto on the interior and attacked the paint against them, resulting in the Raptors not being as strong of a defensive team as they have been over the years. Adding a defensive-minded center this offseason will be something to watch for in regards to the Tornto Raptors, which is why Nerlens Noel could be a great fit for them.
Chris Boucher is more of a stretch big man that thrives in a role off-the-bench, which is why the Raptors could look to sign Noel and insert him in their starting rotation. His shot-blocking abilities were close to league-leading this past season and he really thrives in pick-and-roll sets offensively, which is primarily what Lowry and VanVleet ran this year.
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The pending free agencies of Kyle Lowry and Gary Trent Jr. will be the main focal points for Toronto this offseason, but they will have to address their center position. Bringing back Khem Birch, who they signed late in the season, could definitely be an option for them, but for a low cost and possibly their MLE, bringing in Nerlens Noel makes a lot of sense.
Not only will Noel get playing time in Toronto, but he will be able to help make a difference for them on both ends of the court, which is why he would want to play there as well.
