The NBA preseason is here and the regular season is approaching fast.
The Raptors will be rolling with their roster minus Fred VanVleet.
One wild card on the roster for the Raptors heading into the new season is Otto Porter Jr.
Porter Jr. was a key piece during the Golden State Warriors 2022 championship run. When Toronto signed the forward in free agency, the hope was for him to be a scoring punch from off the bench.
However, that was not what happened as Porter Jr. only appeared in eight games last season due to injury. In that small sample size, he averaged 5.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1 assist in 18.3 minutes. He shot it 50% from the field and 35.3% from three.
On the “All The Smoke” podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Jackson took a shot at the Raptors forward:
Stephen Jackson taking shots at Otto Porter jr 👀
“It’s hard to set expectations when you got so many players that got good money, that ain’t done s**t…. Otto Porter, where he at? He got $100M in Washington and we haven’t seen him since.”
(Via @shobasketball… pic.twitter.com/hV1n4UkfC8
— BASKETBALL ON 𝕏 (@BasketballOnX) October 9, 2023
Back in 2017, when Porter Jr. was on the Washington Wizards, he entered restricted free agency. He signed a four-year, $106 million offer sheet with the Brooklyn Nets and the Wizards matched.
At the time that was a max deal for the forward. That’s when the salary cap was rising and role players were being offered long-term, max, or near-max contracts. Since that deal, it has been hard for Porter Jr. to stay on the floor.
After years of missing time due to injury, the 2021-22 season was a rarity in which he played in 63 games.
Now, Porter Jr. enters the 2023-24 season with little expectations. He’ll simply need to stay healthy to be able to have a chance to crack Toronto’s rotation.
Bold predictions for the Raptors 2023-24 season
Toronto has a chance to prove the naysayers wrong this season.
The Raptors aren’t expected to compete at a high level, but there’s clearly talent on this team. Under new head coach Darko Rajakovic the Raptors can surprise a lot of people.
Here are bold predictions for the Raptors going into the 2023-24 season.
Have you subscribed to the Raptors Nation YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
