National Basketball Association

Raptors practice reveals short-term future

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

A visit to a Raptors practice was most interesting, though not terribly comforting for a fan of the team.

Yours Truly attended the Toronto Raptors practice today at the Air Canada Centre, where much was revealed.

ITEM: Jared Sullinger showed up late, which didn’t matter since he didn’t do anything but watch. I don’t think there’s any doubt he won’t be playing much, if at all, in the Raptors’ season opener on Wednesday night. Even if his mysterious foot ailment is rectified, he’s not in game shape. [Update: a screw is going to be inserted into Sullinger’s foot tomorrow by a surgeon in New York. If we see him before December, I’ll be surprised.]

ITEM: Tryouts are over. Those invitees who were extreme longshots to make the roster weren’t in attendance. Fans of E.J. Singler, Jarrod Uthoff, Drew Crawford and others are likely to see them suiting up for the Raptors 905 D-League squad. Fred VanVleet, on the other hand, appears to have defied the odds and made the big team. Injuries create opportunity, and Delon Wright’s extended absence has been a blessing for Fred. He doesn’t appear outclassed, though he’s going to pile up a bunch of DNP – CDs while Kyle Lowry and Cory Joseph run the show at the point.

ITEM: Our first-round draft picks appear destined to start the season with the big club. Both Jakob Poeltl and Pascal Siakam were prominent in today’s workout. Poeltl may be penciled in as the backup centre in the absence of Lucas Nogueira, who didn’t appear even as a spectator. Siakam doesn’t appear out of place on defense, but hasn’t much to contribute offensively. His shot is unreliable (though he did drive to the basket successfully a few times), and I suspect his role will be limited to picking and passing – and crashing the glass, of course.

Oct 21, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) passes the ball past Toronto Raptors forward Patrick Patterson (54) during the second half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

ITEM: The team is getting serious. Today’s practice was largely a series of 5-on-5 simulated games (complete with referees!) in which the contact and intensity were of a high level.

ITEM: While DeMarre Carroll looked in better shape than I dared hope, and got through the grueling workout unscathed, Terrence Ross was less fortunate. He turned his ankle slightly, returned after a breather, then left, not to return.

ITEM: Dwane Casey said afterward he’s not happy with the degree of communication his players are providing each other on defense. He said that was a particular issue of concern in the debacle in Washington on Friday night. When you get smoked by 37 points, there are more problems than under-communication to deal with, says I. How about 26 points in the second half, for starters?

Conclusion

Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan weren’t sleep-walking through the psuedo-games, but they weren’t busting their humps either. I hope they, and the rest of the already banged-up Raptors, are ready to play on Wednesday night.