When last season came to an end for the Toronto Raptors, team president Masai Ujiri made it clear the organization was looking to get back to its draft-and-develop roots.
From 2015 to 2017, the Raptors could do no wrong.
They somehow seemed to nail every single draft pick and undrafted free agent signing over the span of three years.
In hindsight, it’s unfathomable how hot that streak was.
But since then, Toronto’s track record has been problematic.
Save for Scottie Barnes who has been a resounding success so far, Toronto has not hit on a single draft pick or undrafted free agent singing in the past five years.
Even the young prospects they’ve targeted in trades haven’t worked out.
To be fair, that championship-winning three-year stretch can’t be the standard.
Hitting 1.000 over any multi-year sample is an unreasonable expectation.
But the lack of success lately has taken a toll on Toronto who has found itself without adequate depth for the last three seasons.
You’re not going to get all of these, right,” Ujiri said earlier this week.
“It’s not been Fred and Pascal and OG and Norm, it’s not been that, but I always say, in the NBA your time comes and it goes, comes back around again and our time is coming again.”
Saturday’s 126-100 loss to the New York Knicks was a reminder of just how bad the past few years have been for Toronto.
Sure, Anunoby looked great with his new team, but Toronto’s inability to build a contender around him and Pascal Siakam forced these trades.
The organization’s inability to develop Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn had left Toronto bereft of depth for far too long.
