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    • Raptors Cooper Flagg’s chances just skyrocketed with latest Scottie Barnes injury update
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    Raptors Cooper Flagg’s chances just skyrocketed with latest Scottie Barnes injury update

    Pabio Posted on

    THE Toronto Raptors are 1-3 with a solitary injury victory Philadelphia 76ersso there’s not much to write about north of the border. Toronto is both a very expensive team and a clearly rebuilding team, which is a tricky and perhaps untenable mix. But that’s the cross Masai Ujiri and the front office must bear moving forward.

    It’s not difficult to decipher the best path forward for Toronto. With so much money invested in Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett, the Raps won’t be free agency for a while. What Toronto can do is tank. THE NBA Draft is a free cheat code for financial purgatory teams. This is an opportunity to add affordable talent under long-term team control, regardless of the quality of your track record.

    For the Raptors, this season appears to be heading in that direction. Aside from that one win against a skeleton Sixers team, it’s been extremely tough sledding for Toronto. There’s a lot to like about the individual pieces in play, but the Raptors don’t have the offensive firepower to take on legitimate contenders.

    Toronto’s not-so-secret rebuild received an unfortunate boost Wednesday when it was announced that Scottie Barnes would miss at least three weeks due to an orbital fracture he suffered in Monday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets.

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    With Barnes out of action for a while, Toronto’s record can be expected to continue on its downward trajectory. The Raptors will prioritize the development of young pieces, like Gradey Dick and Jonathan Mogbo, who are both in line for more minutes without Barnes. Toronto can mix and match different personnel groups, perhaps experimenting with smaller, quicker lineups to maximize Quickley and Barrett, who will lead the scoring charge in Barnes’ absence. But no matter how creative head coach Darko Rajakovic gets, the Raptors will struggle. The talent gap is too vast.

    That means it’s time for Toronto fans to put on their scouting helmets and pay close attention to Duke Blue Devilswhose season begins on Monday, November 4. This will be the official college basketball debut of 17-year-old Cooper Flagg, widely considered the Prospect #1 in the busy 2025 project.

    Flagg has been rising in basketball circles for some time, offering a tantalizing blend of size, athleticism and basketball IQ – not to mention his standout youth. Flagg, who spent his summer training against Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo with the U.S. national team, will be 18.5 years old on draft night. He won’t turn 19 until the third month of the next NBA season. It is rare to find players so advanced, so young, with so much room for improvement.

    Landing Flagg with the top pick would instantly change the trajectory of this Raptors team, clarifying any lingering doubts about the direction of the franchise. Flagg and Barnes are a crazy defensive combination to think about, not to mention the offensive potential of two 6-foot-9 forwards who can handle, pass and create for themselves.

    With an elite defensive repertoire and enough burgeoning offensive skills to suggest future stardom, Flagg possesses the all-too-valuable combination of a high floor and a high ceiling. It’s hard to imagine him failing at the next level, and the Raptors would be lucky to bring him up North.

    So don’t despair, Toronto fans. This season is going to be tough, but it could all be in service of something really big down the line.

    Pabio
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