It is telling that as the Raptors begin the most crucial stretch of their season — for the short term, and perhaps well off into the future — they seem to be settling on two raw, unproven players to bolster the bench.
With coach Nick Nurse convinced one of the best ways to get his team out of its current freefall — seven straight losses heading into Sunday night’s road date with the Cleveland Cavaliers — is to clearly define backup roles and let players grow in them, Paul Watson Jr. and Malachi Flynn are going to get the time to help make or break the team’s season.