When DeMarre Carroll signed a four-year, $58 million deal with the Toronto Raptors last summer, he was expected to make an impact.

Known as a defensive stopper and a capable three-point shooter with the Atlanta Hawks, it was expected Carroll would fill the same role with a rising Raptors team. While Toronto ended up exceeding expectations by coming within two games of the NBA Finals, the 29-year-old small forward struggled with injuries all year long.

Due to a knee injury suffered in a mid-November game versus the New Orleans Pelicans, Carroll was never truly 100 percent healthy during the season. He played with the knee injury until January and ended up sidelined over the next three months while recovering. He was able to make it back in time for the start of the postseason, but struggled with his shot as he converted on just 39.6 percent of his shots.

Via his personal blog, Carroll opened up about his injury struggles throughout his first season with the Raptors:

“We all thought it was just a little sprain,” he wrote. “My pain tolerance is so high just because of what I've been through in my life. (Being shot, my liver condition, broken nose and pinky, etc.) I kept playing knowing my knee was swollen and it didn't seem to get any better.”

Carroll mentioned his desire to play in the postseason despite the knee injury still being an issue:

“I knew playoffs was the biggest reason behind my signing,” he continued. “I had all these things running through my mind. I told myself … if I can walk, then I can play. Days leading to my deadline, I told everybody I will play. I knew my knee was not fully recovered but I was not going to let anybody down.”

In 20 playoff games, the 6-foot-8 forward averaged 8.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 29.8 minutes per game. He started 19 of those 20 playoff games during the deepest postseason run in Raptors history.

With Toronto facing the most important offseason of their franchise history, Carroll will play a key role as the Raptors look to become a championship team next season.

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