Moving Forward with Johnson

In the third part of our season preview we take a look at the small forward position.  Once upon a time this position was occupied by such Raptor greats as Vince Carter, TMAC, Tracy Murray, Jamario Moon and oh course Hedo Turkoglu.  Suffice it to say, there has been plenty of bad to go with the good.

The Small forward position on most teams is filled with someone who can score in bunches and has potential to be an All Star.  Think Lebron, Durant, Carmelo, Granger.  These are the types of players you want playing on the wing.

Th Raptors are still waiting for their Durant.  For now they have James Johnson.

Is he the Raptors Durant?  Not likely, but he could develop into something this year.  He’s going to be given plenty of opportunity.

The Players

James Johnson

Linas Kleiza

Gary Forbes

Demar Derozan

The Story

Basically James Johnson is being given the opportunity here to play heavy minutes.  He is a player that Colangelo has always liked and when he was acquired it was with an eye to the future.  Bryan think Johnson might turn into a serviceable role player, a consistent starter, a spark off the bench.  This year we get to find out.

This year we will find out where James Johnson fits in the Raptors future plans.

Of course, Linas Kleiza is still around.  After an impressive World Championships last year he did very little to endear himself to the Raptors faithful and now he is likely to be coming off the bench unless he can earn his starting spot back.  Although he had a rough year last year, I wouldn’t count him out.  He’s a scorer and still possesses the skills that were on display at the World Championships.

Forbes and Derozan will slide over to the 3 when Casey wants to play “small ball”.  Each possess speed and the ability to defend and will fill in admirably when Barbosa is at the 2.

In Our Dreams

James Johnson proves he is worth keeping around.  This is a kid that Colangelo was after in the draft two years ago and sees him as part of the future.  I’m, at this point in time, inclined to believe Colangelo.

The best case scenario sees Johnson playing heavy minutes, scoring lots of points and defending big time small forwards admirably.  Kleiza embraces his role off the bench and becomes a nice scoring threat when the starters are getting a rest.

Ideally the Raptors want their Small Forwards to be competitive.

The Reality

James Johnson is a good player, but he isn’t an elite forward.  He will have some nice games and then he will disappear.  The reality is that he is a nice player on a second or third unit, not a first unit.

Kleiza could be starting material, but he needs to learn to play with the intelligence that he played with during the World Championships.  He was a leader there, can he be here? Tough call.

This position is one to watch for Raptor fans, but I wouldn’t expect miracles.  Small progress here is still progress.  The Raptors are going to get murdered against the Durants and Carmelos but hopefully as the season progresses Johnson and Kleiza show the Raptor brass that they are worthy of a spot going forward.

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Kristoffer Pedlar

The Zan Tabak Herald

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Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @Zantabakherald

The Zan Talks Small Forward

The Players

Linas Kleiza

Sonny Weems

Julian Wright

The Story

The Raptors went out and spent some money acquiring Kleiza, a player who performed incredibly well in Greece last year and who was a standout for the bronze medal winning Lithuania team at the recent World Championships in Turkey. Kleiza brings forth a versatility the Raptors haven’t seen in a long time.  He can shoot, penetrate, post up and will likely create all kinds of mismatches for opposing players.   Kleiza is also tough as nails and will fight for rebounds and loose balls.  This style of play will likely make him fan favourite at the ACC.

The back up here will likely be Sonny Weems or even Demar Derozan when the Raptors go to a smaller lineup.  Sonny will be counted on to keep the energy high in the second unit and provide a solid scoring touch.

Julian Wright did not have a strong pre-season camp and likely will not have much to do outside of garbage time.  Little is known about this off-season acquisition, but who are we kidding, he isn’t going to get much burn (even on this team).

The Best Case Scenario

If Kleiza continues to play the way he did during the World Championships then the Raptors my have acquired one of the steals of the off-season. Kleiza is a match-up nightmare and can shoot the lights out if you forget about him on the defensive end.   He has the potential to lead this team in scoring. The best part of his game and one many Raptor fans will come to love, is that he doesn’t force the issue.  Kleiza will not take bad shots.  All of his shots come in the flow of the offense.  This should make him a frequent target of Jarrett Jack.

After an inspired World Championships Kleiza will be a focal point for the Raptors offense this season.

Sonny Weems develops into a strong second unit player and adds energy and offensive output with the speedy second unit.  If Julian Wright can offer anything more than cheerleading this season it will be a plus.

Worst Case Scenario

 

Kleiza is likely going to get a lot of touches, but as was evidenced in the Lithuania-USA match at the Worlds, Kleiza has a difficult time when defenses focus on him.  He is going to have to find better ways of breaking down defenses.  If he doesn’t, he will just be another shooter on this team.  Kleiza is also going to have to play tough defenses.  Many of the players that he will be in charge of stopping are much faster and more athletic than he is.  Kleiza is going to have a tough time on the defensive end.

 

If

Sonny Weems doesn’t evolve and take the next step, he will become just another bench player on this team.  Sonny needs to develop confidence on the offensive end and a three point shot to boot.  He also needs to bring it consistently on the defensive end.  His ability in that regard will likely dictate how muich time he receives on the court.

Prediction

 

Kleiza will be a force to be reckoned with and will likely be one of the brighter lights for this ball club.  He will score lots and will fight for rebounds and his work ethic will likely make him a fan favourite.  He is going to have difficulty on the defensive end and he will not get the amount of shots that most Raptor fans think he deserves.  Sonny will be a high energy guy off the bench, but likely not as effective as last year.  Julian Wright will continue to be lucky he receives a pay cheque.

Raps fans are going to love seeing Kleiza on the offensive end, but will likely also see a lot of quicker forwards blow past him of the defensive end.

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Kristoffer Pedlar

The Zan Tabak Herald

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Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @Zantabakheral

 

The Small Forward – According to Zan

The Players

Hedo Tukoglu

Turkoglu joins the Raptors this season as the most talented small forward since Vince Carter.

Antoine Wright

Demar Derozan

Sonny Weems

The Story

The biggest free agent acquisition of the off-season arrives in Toronto with the hopes and dreams of Raptor fans pinned to his #26 jersey.  Hedo Turkoglu will be the starting small forward on opening night and after that the picture is a little less clear.  Gone are Jamario Moon, Anthony Parker, Joey Graham, Jason Kapono and Shawn Marion who all occupied this position at various points during  last season.

Turkoglu comes in as the most talented player to ever play the small forward position for the Raptors since the days of #15 and finally provides some stability at the wing.  He brings consistency to a position that hasn’t had any for a long time.  Turkoglu also adds clutch shooting and a veteran presence in the dressing room.  He has done something in his career that other Raptors at camp have not done and that is win.  He brings a resume that includes numerous playoff appearances including last years run to the Finals with Orlando and hopes to propel this team back to the playoffs.

Antoine Wright should serve as the primary back up at the Small forward and comes in with a wealth of experience from his busy season last year backing up the injured Jason Terry in Dallas.  He is a defensive specialist and will provide the team with needed defensive help off the bench.  Don’t be surprised to see Derozan occupy this position off the bench at times as well when the Raptors go to a smaller lineup.

The little known Sonny Weems will clean up the mess in garbage time when he isn’t sporting a suit on the bench.

The Best Case Scenario

Turkoglu plays like an all-star and raises the levels of the other players on the court.  His playmaking ability opens up Derozan, Belinelli and Calderon for more wide open shots and he leads the team back to the playoffs. Team Chemistry takes shape early on and the Raps create match-up problems for their opponents all season long. His leadership brings out the best in Chris Bosh and Turkoglu’s involvement with the team inspires #4 to stick around for a few more years after this one.

The Worst Case Scenario

The team takes a while to gel and there are all kinds of issues with ball distribution.  Turkoglu is a little slower than he was last season and does not provide the Raptors with enough of a presence on defense especially against some of the league’s more elite wing players.  The Raps score tonnes of points but so do their opponents.  Hedo and the rest of the team do not mesh and the Raps play a variety of styles all season long hoping something will stick on their way to missing the playoffs once again.

The Prediction

Turkoglu and the Raptors will take some time to get used to each other but in the end they will gel.  The team will score lots of points but will look foolish at times on the defensive end.  Turkoglu won’t have an all-star season but he will be an effective leader on and off the court and his style of play will elevate the perimeter game of Calderon and Belinelli and turn them into deadly weapons on offense.  Hedo will hit a couple of game winning shots during the year and the Raps will head back to the playoffs somewhere between the 4 and 7 seed.  His defense will be steady but unspectacular and will receive his fair share of criticism from the Raptor faithful.

Antoine Wright will be a fan favourite and a fixture off the bench for Jay Triano.  His defense helps the team win some close games and he becomes known as the teams defensive stopper, being asked to guard some of the tougher wing players in the league.

Sonny Weems doesn’t play much but provides the most hardcore of Raptor fans the odd treat in garbage time, much the way the sight of Nathan Jawaii did last season.