In thinking about filling out a basketball team’s regular playing rotation, determining what lacks is tantamount. Every NBA player has to believe himself to be complete — and why not? He’s already made it to the league, which means he has the skills necessary to play on a regular basis. Yet even if that sentiment were entirely true, it’s not the governing ethos of a given basketball team. Some players are going to have the ball a lot, others are relied on to shoot more, some just need to rebound and run, and so on.
As the off-season has continued for the Raptors, with the departures of both Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka, and their disinterest in re-signing Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (to say nothing of Oshae Brissett, still undecided), they’ve had to address their overall lack.