The Toronto Raptors will enter the 2022-23 NBA season with hopes of returning to the NBA. With training camp officially starting next week, the team will be ready to set its starting lineup following some key observations. Depending on what the Raptors do, they have a real shot at being a contender in the Eastern Conference.
Last season, Toronto bounced back after missing the playoffs in 2020-21. With the addition of Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, the Raptors gained more attention and returned to the spotlight. Despite losing 4-2 to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs, there is still a lot of positives fans can take away from the 2021-22 season.
For the most part, the starting lineup for the Raptors is pretty much set. However, there is one player who is in danger of losing his starting role due to the emergence of a young big man and the addition of a European journeyman.
Here is the one Raptors player that could lose his starting job in 2022-23:
Khem Birch
After some years playing in the G-League and Europe, Khem Birch finally earned his spot in the NBA with the Orlando Magic. In three and a half seasons in Florida, the center averaged 4.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 188 games, starting 30 of them. He shot 51.8% from the field and helped the team return to the postseason for the first time since the Dwight Howard era.
Birch ended up going back home to Canada and signed with Toronto in the middle of the 2020-21 season. Last year, his first full season with the Raptors, the big man had averages of 4.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per contest. He played in 55 games and started in 28.
Although he was not a unanimous starter, he only came off the bench in two out of the six playoff games. He beat second-year Precious Achiuwa and veteran Chris Boucher for the job.
However, for 2022-23, Birch will have some star competition. At least, movie star. The Raptors signed Juancho Hernangomez, who went viral in the summer due to the movie “Hustle” that he co-starred with Adam Sandler. The name of “Bo Cruz,” Hernangomez's character, is now widely associated with the player.
But Hernangomez also showed he can do more than just act. In the 2022 EuroBasket, he was a key piece for the gold-winning Spanish squad. The power forward was third on the team in scoring with 12.8 points per game, as well as third in rebounding 5.0 per game. In the gold-medal game against All-Star Rudy Gobert and France, Hernangomez went off with 27 points and seven 3-pointers.
Birch is a 19.1% shooter from beyond the arc, while Hernangomez makes 35.1% of his attempts. Since Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes are below average 3-point shooters, adding Birch to the mix might not be ideal for the spacing of the team. With the league going smaller and smaller each year, perhaps the solution for the Raptors is having a big man who can hit 3s, which gives Hernangomez a slight advantage.
Also, Achiuwa is another name that can steal Birch's starting job. He also started 28 games last season, but played in 73, which makes his starting average way inferior when compared to Birch's. The Nigerian center registered 9.1 points and 6.5 rebounds a night, while hitting 35.9% of his 3-point attempts. As a younger prospect, head coach Nick Nurse might opt to develop him with more minutes on the court.
Birch will have to battle in training camp to show he can still be the starting center. With Achiuwa rising and Hernangómez coming off a strong summer, the battle for the No. 5 should be an interesting one in Toronto.
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