Raptors have found their next star...

The Toronto Raptors have found their next star, as there were some question marks entering Summer League about Alan Graves and how his game would translate over into NBA level competition and he silenced a lot of the doubters which we'll get into over the course of this Summer League. So we'll discuss that including some big decisions the Toronto Raptors have to make over the coming weeks here now at this point as this Summer League team, even though they didn't make the playoffs, this team is officially knocked out despite beating the Miami Heat This squad, despite no Colin Murray-Boyles, despite no Elijah Martin, two guys that were expected to be on the roster heading into this year's Summer League, they came out and had a lot of surprising storylines, a lot of players impressing, a couple of negatives which we will get into, but overall, the biggest stuff, the two things that I was looking for out of this Summer League actually ended up happening. So we're going to dive into what those two things are out there in this video. It involves you, your rookie, nailing your first round pick and then figuring out an option or multiple options at the center position, but one guy has specifically established himself, cemented himself as the player the Raptors are likely going to move in the direction with. So lots of stuff to dive into, but folks, I've been saying it a ton, I appreciate all the support we've been getting as of late. We are still waiting on Kawhi Leonard, waiting on DeMar DeRozan, and new reports are dropping every single day. So we're going to have a bunch of new reviewers, just people trying to stay up to date with all the madness that's going on with the Toronto Raptors. So if you're a new viewer that's tuned in over the past 28 days and you're part of the 57% of those new viewers that haven't hit the subscribe button just yet, you're enjoying all the coverage that we're throwing out here on Raptors Die, just make sure you guys hit that subscribe button because we do not slow down, off season, regular season, whatever it is, we keep our foot on the gas and make sure to deliver you all of your latest Toronto Raptors news. But let's dive into it because there is a lot of storylines, you know, the Raptors as said, they concluded summer league, they beat the Miami Heat, another impressive game. But I want to take some time, I'm going to take some moments just to give a shout out and the title of this video, we're going to talk about multiple storylines in this one, but Alan Graves is looking like the team's next star draft pick, next star rising out there in this system. And it's not because, oh, he's the overwhelming ball in his hands, you know, next Kawhi, next this, next that. This player, Alan Graves, coming into this team, obviously, you know, you see in a game like this where you face off against the Miami Heat, had a higher volume opportunity, right? Alan Graves, 23 points in this one, 8-16 shooting, very efficient out there from the three point line, four of six shooting from the three point stripe. You have six rebounds, four assists, two blocks, one steal. We know he's a stat sheet stuffer. We've seen it in college. He was the analytic starling, all of these things that we heard when the Toronto Raptors ended up selecting Alan Graves with that first round draft selection. But the most impressive thing to me and why I view him as a player that, you know, is honestly the most ideal because you look at a guy like LeBaron Phylon, who obviously fell to the Toronto Raptors in theory, you know, in the NBA draft, a lot of people thought he'd get selected higher and had that feel, that feeling of a star upside guy, a high upside player. And people were disappointed when Bobby Webster selected Alan Graves over a Phylon over some of the players that were still available at that position. But Phylon's going to be a star if he is at the NBA because the ball's in his hands because he's going to take over games, those types of things. Alan Graves can impact, and we saw it over the course of summer league, and sometimes it's a bit passive, sometimes it's this, but he's impacting game on the defensive end. His energy, his intensity, it is clear. It is evident every single possession. And that's the first thing, because you want to get on the floor, a Dark Roy Okavic's system on a Bobby Webster led team. You have to play defense. You have to be impactful on defense. If you are going to close games, that is a prerequisite. So he's passed all the tests, the eye tests out there on that front. And obviously the steals and blocks are impressive as well. But also, he's a guy that can be a star player without the ball in his hands every single possession. There's getting a bunch of comparisons now to CMB, Alan Graves being one of these types of dudes. But I find it kind of weird because Alan Graves is a knockdown three-point shooter. It's the thing about it, right? Like, super efficient, four or six shooting from the three-point line, and the eye tests. Forget the numbers and all that, because in college, Alan Graves, if you take a look at his stats and stuff, he was a guy. That first Santa Clara, again, the smaller school and easier competition in college, but 41% from the three-point line. He's a shooter-shooter, right? In these games, in high-level competition, quicker closeouts, less room, less space, all that. Alan Graves was still able to shoot the ball, not just at a high volume, but a quick rate and knock down three-point shots. So the three-point shooting is translating, the defense is translating, and he's actually got an impressive finishing repertoire around the basket. He's by no means Kyrie Irving, you know, from around the net and looking smooth, high-flyer dude and all this stuff. But he's really effective at just controlling his body and taking contact, driving the lane and finishing around the basket. So Alan Graves is looking like exactly the type of guy you want to integrate into a team. Now, obviously, there's still a lot of stuff up in flux. Will Kawhi Leonard be on this thing? Expectations, Kawhi is going to be on the Raptors. Will Scott Draggett avoid it? We pick him up at the minimum. Who knows? Will the trade go through? Who knows? We are going to be following that situation. But regardless, assuming Kawhi Leonard's on the Toronto Raptors and the chance of getting to Marta Rosa and stuff, this team is looking to be a championship contender. That's the reality of what happens to your timeline, you know, we're year two, year three of a rebuild. No more of that yapping anymore from Bobby Webster from Darker Ray Alkovich. This team is in win-now mode after picking up Kawhi. So the biggest question is, can Alan Graves be an impact? Because I think he's shown potential as a guy that can be impactful out there in the future. But can he be an impact player? Because, you know, his style of game feels like it could compliment Kawhi, compliment Scotty Barnes, compliment RJ Barrett very, very well. So one question I want to pose to you guys before we dive into these other players, do you think Alan Graves can be a rotation player on a championship winning team in his rookie season? Type Y for yes, type M for no. Let me know what you guys think of that out there in the comments section after watching these summer league games here right now. Because he's showing the ability to play defense. He's showing the ability to guard multiple positions and showing the ability to space the floor. Sure, sometimes he can be a bit more assertive. Sometimes decision making as a rookie, all those things can be improved. I think his vision and stuff was highly touted out there in college, but I think it's something I'd like to see more development on, you know, just from these few summer league games. But he's a high IQ basketball player, he plays defense really well. Let me know. It's an interesting question because in the short term, this is the most important question the Raptors going to have, especially, you know, if he's going to get some serious run out there on this team over the course of his rookie season, because we're looking to be competitive. So, I want to know what you guys think about all of that. But that's not the only guy that is, you know, a big topic of discussion. Another player is Nate Biddle, who has an exhibit 10 contract with the Toronto Raptors already. So, he's going to be coming into training camp. We're going to see him in preseason regardless of what happens. But Nate Biddle was really, really impressive in this game against the Miami Heat. Looking confident out there shooting the ball. Only played 18 minutes. Only played early on in this game it felt like, but you know, cementing himself as a player that needs serious, serious look at getting one of those backup center opportunities. And we need a seven footer. We need a legitimate guy because CMB cannot be playing the center position night in night out as the backup for the Toronto Raptors this season. But in this game against the Miami Heat, 13 points, three or four shooting from the three point line, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal, three blocks, and overall proving the value that he can have to this team. Because no, he's not as good as Jermarian Sharp, you know, in terms of protecting the rim, being a vertical lob threat or anything like that. But honestly, a lot of people have been calling for it. The Raptors need some floor spacing at the big man position, especially your lineups are going to have CMB. If your lineups are going to have Scotty Barnes, if they're going to have RJ Barrett, who do a lot of their work scoring around the basket. So Biddle being able to be a legitimate floor spacer for your team is huge. And those three point shots, right? Three or four from the three point line, right? The shots he's shooting are not like the Amir Johnson summer three, you know, some are good and some are bad. But you know, Nate Biddle is a proper three point shooter. He protects the rim. He blocked shots. He's a guy that I'm shocked ended up going undrafted in this year's NBA draft, especially after watching him play in the summer league games. And honestly, I know there's been some debates. I know there's been some chatter. I know there's been some buzz about, hey, is it Nate Biddle or Jermarian Sharp? And in this game, Jermarian Sharp, 17 points, still had a good game, right? Like eight points, four or five shooting from the field, four rebounds, two blocks. He's proven to be a solid defensive presence. But again, he's turned over the ball a lot. No turnovers in this game, which is a positive. But Biddle is looking like a guy that I'd feel much more comfortable throwing in. If we're posing the same question, could he be a rotation player out there on a championship winning team? I don't know if I want him playing games in the NBA finals or any stretch of the imagination. But over the course of an 82 game season where you don't want Colin Murray Boyles to be, you know, eating minutes, eating innings at that center spot. I don't mind Nate Biddle being that insurance big man, especially where Jacoberto Shirley is going to miss a few games over the course of this year, given his injury history. So Biddle is my favorite in terms of, you know, getting some minutes, getting some run at that center spot. I know what you guys think, because I know this has been a hot topic over the course of Summer League. Would you rather get a roster spot, you know, official roster spot, not just an Exhibit 10 contract? Type B for Nate Biddle, type J for Jermarian Sharp. So I want to know, because, you know, obviously having a lob, threat, rim protecting big man and sharp would be valuable, but having a floor spacer still able to protect the rim and Nate Biddle, I think makes a lot more sense for the direction that this team is going. So you have all this, you have all this stuff coming out, but, you know, to run through some other players that are out there on the roster, right? Like, you know, Jaden Bradley has looked better since Chuckie Hepburn went down, but still not the greatest game, four points, four turnovers, did have six assists. I mean, even though the stat line is bad in this game, Jaden Bradley, our 50th overall pick in this year's NBA draft definitely has been, uh, it's been better the past two games and he was the first couple of games, but still hasn't blown anyone away. He's going to require some time out there in the G-League, but a player that has impressed a ton out there for the Toronto Raptors is Seth Lundy, who again, knocking down shots, 19 points in this game, six assists, three rebounds, hustling on the defensive end, three steals. I mean, Seth Lundy is going to be a guy. It's tough to keep off the roster going, uh, you know, for at least an exhibit 10 and these stuff. And now Bobby Webster is going to have to make some big decisions because we have one open roster spot and one open two way, right? Do you give it to your roster spot to Biddle and then a two way to Seth Lundy? You also have DeMar DeRozan, who's going to be a piece that a lot of people are expecting to end up signing with the Toronto Raptors. Now there's more reports, which we'll cover in another video, but there's going to be some big decisions having to be made. I mean, if we're taking a look at just what we saw from summer league, from, uh, you know, the, the performance out there in the summer, I'd much rather Seth Lundy get a two way spot than, uh, than, uh, you know, a Jane Bradley. So that's, uh, something that we're dealing with that we're looking with right here, right now. But, uh, Seth Lundy is definitely going to make the decisions are for Bobby Webster for the Raptors for an office. But overall, you know, it wasn't just these guys, you know, getting some decent run. Uh, Burnett, he had some positive moments out there for this team finishing around the basket, knocking down three. So he was solid, right? Uh, you know, off the bench, Tyson Degenhardt has a disappointed, you know, it's been with the system for a little bit of a while, but not super impressive there. Uh, Hoggart has been solid. Tyree Key has been impressive. No, not the most efficient game, the most recent one, but has that quick release from three. There's been a lot of positive storylines. I mean, the summer league team over exceeded my expectations, especially where Elijah Martin and Colin Murray Boyles didn't get any runs. And so these are all things that we are going to be looking at, that we are going to be discussing as the offseason goes along. What decisions Bobby Webster is going to make with this roster, with this team. But let me know what you guys think about all this in the comments section down below. Who's impressed you most for this team? Again, answer those questions. Right. The Alan Graves. You think you can be a rotation player. You're on a championship winning team. Type Y for yes, type M for no. And of course, if you, uh, who you're more interested in at the center position, Neapetal or Jermarion. Sure. But appreciate every single one of you. Again, if you made it this far, 12 minutes in this summer league action video, and you haven't hit the subscribe button just yet, make sure you guys hit that subscribe button. It means the absolute world to me. Anyways, I'm signing out.