Subscribe
Follow Us
The Toronto Raptors lost a huge chunk of their rotation this past week when Serge Ibaka went down with an ankle injury and Kyle Lowry suffered a fracture in his left thumb. Ibaka is out indefinitely, while Lowry will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
With two key veterans down, where do the defending champions go from here?
Over the past year, the Raptors have prided themselves with a next man-up mentality. That's the only mindset they must have, especially after reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard departed the country and went home to Los Angeles to play for the Clippers.
Now, with the injury to Lowry and Ibaka, this is another challenge that they must face to move forward this season. The two veterans are obviously still a very significant part of what the Raptors are doing this season.
Lowry is having a career renaissance scoring-wise and is averaging 21.8 points through eight games this season. Ibaka, on the other hand, has thrived in his Sixth Man role and is averaging 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in 22 minutes per game off Toronto's bench.
Clearly, as you can see, that's a ton of production that the Raptors will have to cover up. So, where do they get the 35 combined points they get from Lowry and Ibaka? Where do they get the defensive intensity and hustle that those two bring?
Well, given how the Raptors are in a semi-youth movement following Leonard's departure, this might just be the opportunity for them to give their younger players more run.
Lowry's absence means more playmaking opportunities for both Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam. With Lowry out for at least two weeks, this will make VanVleet Toronto's lead man at point. Likewise, Siakam, who has thrived as a point-forward this season, will now get more reps as a playmaker.
Up front, Ibaka's absence will give the Raptors the chance to play Chris Boucher. Boucher won the G-League MVP and Defensive Player of the Year award with the Raptors 905. Perhaps he can take the next step by becoming Toronto's primary back up big man with Ibaka out of the lineup.
In addition, Ibaka's short-term injury could force Nick Nurse's hand to play Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley Johnson, both of whom are in Nick Nurse's dog house. Nurse was reportedly frustrated with the two due to their lack of effort on the defensive end. With Toronto severely short-handed, perhaps one of the two can eventually find a spot in the Raptors rotation.
Ibaka and Lowry's production and defensive prowess are going to be tough to replace. It will have to be an overall team effort and their budding stars stepping up for the defending champions to keep the ship afloat as their two veterans recover on the sidelines.
