- The Toronto Raptors haven’t decided on a course of action yet. They have let go of several important veterans in the past year, including support players like Dennis Schroder and Gary Trent Jr. and stars like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. That seems to indicate that a rebuild is underway. However, the Raptors mostly traded for more experienced young players like RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley rather than draft picks and prospects. They have held onto other veterans like Bruce Brown and Jakob Poeltl and have purposefully dealt for Kelly Olynyk, 33.
That leaves us wondering just what the Raptors are attempting to accomplish. They are obviously not good enough to be contending one season after finishing 25-67, but they also seem too excellent and considerably too costly to be completely rebuilding. Until the season starts, it might not be evident which direction they are taking. There will be early indicators if the Raptors choose to target the bottom of the standings in an attempt to secure a top pick in the highly competitive 2025 NBA Draft. Let’s examine three indicators—and what they would mean—that the Raptors are tanking this season.
No. 3: Jakob Poeltl’s minutes go down
Jakob Poeltl was acquired by the Toronto Raptors two weeks ago at a hefty price: the eighth overall pick in this summer’s draft. He is still the only experienced centre on the team who can start in the frontcourt alongside Scottie Barnes. In order to prevent the Raptors from being overpowered on that end of the floor, his rim protection and rebounding are essential.
Ulrich Chomche and Branden Carlson, two unproven rookie centres with two-way contracts, trail Poeltl. Next season, Poeltl will need to play 28–30 minutes if the Raptors want to win. If his minutes drop to 22–24, the youngsters will almost surely get more playing time, which will devastate Toronto’s defence as they get experience. Tanking is the classic tactic of minimising damage to Poeltl while increasing the rate of loss.
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