Locked On Raptors

In Episode 1608, Sean Woodley goes off on the Toronto Raptors' suffering their worst loss in franchise history, a 133-85 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves with a depleted 8-man roster to push the Raptors' losing streak to 15 games, a result for which the seeds were planted all the way back at the start of the Raptors when the team's front office opted to waste the first half of its season with indirection and uncertainty. Off the top, Sean chats about how things did not have to be this way for the Raptors, and why even though the losses of Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl may have been unavoidable and out of the front office's control, so many things could have been done to avoid those players going out being the death knell for any kind of competitiveness for the Raptors this season. It's a joke! Next, Sean chats about some of the stand-out performances against the Wolves, both good and bad. Lastly, Sean runs through The Good (the comedy of Malachi Flynn scoring 50 points on Wednesday night), The Bad (30 dif

In Episode 1607, Sean Woodley is joined by Katie Heindl (DIME, Basketball Feelings) to break down the Toronto Raptors' 128-111 loss to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers which featured dazzling returns to the lineup by RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Off the top, Sean and Katie chat about how nice it was to have Quickley and Barrett's dynamism back in the lineup, how they should help the Raptors pick up at least a win or two down the stretch to avoid a 21-game losing streak to end the season, and how those two guys are key reasons why next season should mark a significant step forward for the Raptors. Next, they chat about the vibes of the team not at all matching the 14-game losing streak and overall dourness of the season, with Darko Rajakovic' coaching staff and vets like Garrett Temple deserving a ton of credit for keeping the mood light and positive despite all of the bad stuff that's gone on this season. Lastly, they run through The Good (Barrett & IQ, Barrett's enormous second half dunk), Th

In Episode 1606, Sean Woodley is joined by Vivek Jacob (Sportsnet, Raptors in 7) to chat about Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett both being on track to the return to the Toronto Raptors lineup on Tuesday night against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as the decision to hold out Gary Trent Jr. for rest. Off the top, Sean and Vivek chat about IQ and RJ's returns, and what they're hoping to see them bring to the lineup after they both missed extended time grieving the losses of loved ones. Next, they get into the decision to rest Gary Trent Jr. on Tuesday against the Lakers, unethical tanking, and the Raptors' seemingly leaning into the hopes of keeping their first-round pick this season. Lastly, Sean and Vivek revisit the Convey or Don't Convey debate and reiterate why they think it's healthier for the franchise as a whole to convey their pick to the Spurs this summer and wipe their outgoing pick slate clean going into this summer, as well as the potential ramifications if they do in fact keep th

In Episode 1605, Sean Woodley goes solo to recap the Toronto Raptors' 13th-consecutive loss, a 135-120 defeat at the hands of the Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers in which the Raptors' defense was as lifeless as it's been at any time during this dire late season stretch. Off the top, Sean rejects the notion that this was some sort of moral victory for the Raptors, who to their credit managed one of their better offensive showings in a while, but completely failed to offer any resistance against a Sixers team without its two best players -- a troubling item considering how badly this Raptors team could use a couple of guys popping on the defensive stretch during this phase of end-of-roster evaluation. Next, Sean talks about a strong effort from Bruce Brown, and lays out the case for just keeping Brown around if they can't find a deal for an upgrade on the wing involving his salary before his deal becomes guaranteed for next year. Lastly, Sean runs through The Good (Kyle Lowry, still doing i

In Episode 1604, Sean Woodley is joined by Jamar Hinds (Raptors Republic) to talk about the Toronto Raptors' historically bad 145-101 home loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. Off the top, they discuss the one bright spot: Gradey Dick's 23 points on 10/18 shooting and the ever-increasing variety with which he's getting his buckets. Plus, how does this current Raptors roster stack up with some of the very worst in Raptors history? Next, they chat about Precious Achiuwa's 19-12-3-1-2 effort in his return to Toronto, and  discuss whether the Raptors should feel any sellers remorse after sending Precious to New York in the OG Anunoby trade. Lastly, they run through The Good (Garrett Temple, Javon Freeman-Liberty), The Bad (Ochai Agbaji's injury, Jalen McDaniels) and The Hmmm (IQ and RJ's pending returns, when the Raptors next win will come) to round out the show. Discord link: https://discord.gg/43sEp9jaSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Amazon Fire TVFire TV recently created Fire TV Channels to del

In Episode 1603, Sean Woodley is joined by Gavin Schall of Locked On Knicks to revisit the Toronto Raptors trade with the New York Knicks from earlier this year that sent O.G. Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the Knicks in exchange for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a 2nd-round pick. Off the top, they chat about Anunoby's immeasurable impact on the Knicks, his unfortunate run of elbow injuries, and how his injury history could play into the Knicks' offseason negotiations with him as he hits free agency. Next, they dig into Immanuel Quickley's evolution as a lead guard since the trade, and whether the prolific playmaking flashes he's shown were something Gavin foresaw when IQ was lighting it up as a scorer off the Knicks' bench. Lastly, they take a look at RJ Barrett's incredibly consistent and efficient start to his Raptors career and why his breakout was far less predictable than IQ's. Plus, a quick look at tonight's game, which should be an easy Knicks win, right? Come and join us over on t

In Episode 1602, Sean Woodley goes solo to talk about the Toronto Raptors falling 96-88 to the Brooklyn Nets in a game that saw them break their franchise record for assists in a season, which is pretty cool!  Off the top, Sean digs into the Raptors' breaking their own single season assist mark in year on under Darko Rajakovic, and why it's a pretty amazing thing that the Raptors have maintained the integrity of their play style on offense throughout a season with so much upheaval and variable personnel. It can only bode well going forward, one would think. Next, Sean talks about a strong night from Javon Freeman-Liberty, and why he should be getting heavy run down the stretch of the season as the fringe NBA guy on the roster with the best shot of sticking as a real rotation piece on the Raptors next season. Lastly, Sean runs through The Good (The Wizards winning streak), The Bad (Jontay Porter's gambling investigation) and The Hmmmm (will the Raptors win another game this year?) to round out the show. Join t

In Episode 1601, Sean Woodley is joined by Vivek Jacob (Raptors in 7, Sportsnet) to break down the Toronto Raptors' losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards that pushed the team's losing streak to 10 games, revisit the Norman Powell for Gary Trent Jr. trade 3 years later, and more. Off the top, Sean and Vivek chat about Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji serving as the bright spots during the Raptors' 0-2 weekend against the Thunder and Wizards. Next, they chat about Gary Trent Jr.'s return to the lineup on Saturday, and reflect upon the GTJ for Norman Powell trade three years since it went down. Lastly, they run through The Good (Agbaji, Garrett Temple getting run), The Bad (refs taking a night off, losing 10-games in a row and the dread of staring down a lotto coin flip) and The Hmmmm (Can Kelly Olynyk's defense develop? Jahmi'us Ramsey's replaced on a 10-day by Kobi Simmons) to round out the show. Join us over on the Locked On Raptors Discord server! https://discord.gg/RHG8TrNpSupport Us By Sup

In Episode 1600, Sean Woodley goes solo to highlight some of the most hilarious and upsetting stats from the Toronto Raptors' 1-9 start to the month of March, which has seen Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley all miss significant time. Off the top, Sean digs into the Raptors' most-used starting lineup this month, and it's unfortunate distinction as the worst lineup in all of basketball among lineups playing 50+ minutes this season. Next, Sean digs into the many stat categories that the Raptors rank dead last in in March, including win percentage, NET Rating and rebounding rate, as well as Kelly Olynyk's status as one of the single worst players in the league at driving rebounding when he's on the floor. Are there any concerns about Olynyk to be drawn from this month, during which he inked a 2-year extension with the team? Or is this simply a byproduct of being the most important player on the team right now? Lastly, Sean takes a look at how the Raptors have fallen off a cliff in th

In Episode 1599, Sean Woodley goes solo to chat about the Toronto Raptors falling 123-89 to the Sacramento Kings in yet another flat performance for a totally depleted team. Off the top, Sean digs into the recent struggles of Gradey Dick, who finished just 1/8 against the Kings, and has really been hit hard by the losses of the Raptors' top players, perhaps more than anyone else on the team. Next, Sean chats about Kings guard Malik Monk and his potential fit as a free agent target for the Raptors this summer. Could Monk's offensive juice help the Raptors become one of the league's best offensive teams? Or would his lack of size and defense make him perhaps not the best use of the Raptors salary cap flexibility this summer. Lastly, Sean runs through The Good (dunks), The Bad (the bottom third of the NBA just not even trying anymore) and The Hmmm (Tristan da Silva's big night for Colorado) to round out the show. Join us over on the Locked On Raptors Discord server! https://discord.gg/554uxYYqSupport Us By Suppo

In Episode 1598, Sean Woodley goes solo to field listener questions about the flailing Toronto Raptors, the NBA Draft and Team Canada's Men's Olympic roster. Off the top, Sean digs into a question about the Raptors' pursuit of wing additions to their roster this summer. Is it possible to get an OG Anunoby level guy to slot into this team between the Quickley-Barrett backcourt and the Barnes-Poeltl front court? Could they make a big swing trade? Or are stop gap options like Patrick Williams, Naji Marshall or Caleb Martin more realistic wing upgrades in the short team? Next, Sean answers a question about the roots of his general draft skepticism, and why the experience of being a Raptors fan over the last 25 years as surely informed his feeling that going out and trading for established players is a more viable way to build a surefire good team than hoping the luck of the draft is in your favour. Lastly, Sean runs through rapid fire questions on whether the Raptors or Spurs will make the playoffs first, two-big

In Episode 1597, Sean Woodley is joined by Matthew Winick (The Score) to chat about the college prospects Toronto Raptors fans should be keeping an eye on as they watch the 2024 NCAA Men's March Madness Tournament, which begins with the First Four games tonight. Off the top, Sean and Matthew discuss the somewhat underwhelming crop of college prospects this year, as well as why Kentucky is a team Raptors fans should be keeping a close eye due to the sheer volume of prospects on their roster that could be available when the Raptors pick either in the Top-6, with Indiana's pick brought back for Pascal Siakam, or in the early second-round with the Pistons pick acquired in the OG Anunoby trade. Next, Sean and Matthew discuss the key guys at UConn -- Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan - -as well as the two potential Raptors selections at Baylor -- Yves Missi and Ja'Kobe Walter -- and where each of their skillsets would fit on the Raptors roster. Lastly, they run through some prospects rapid fire style, with quick t

In Episode 1596, Sean Woodley is joined by Vivek Jacob (Sportsnet, Raptors in 7) to break down the Toronto Raptors' 0-2 home-and-home weekend against the Orlando Magic in which Gary Trent Jr. played well, but not a whole lot else went right for the freefalling Raptors. Off the top, they chat about Gary Trent Jr.'s back-to-back strong showings, and whether we are any closer to getting clarity on GTJ's role with the Raptors going forward as his free agency draws nearer. Is his shooting worth keeping him in the fold on its own? Can he perform in any context outside of being a starter? And how much could GTJ be worth on the open market this summer? Next, Sean and Vivek chat about a rough weekend for Immanuel Quickley, who up against the length and nastiness of the Magic's defense, showed off some of the areas where he'll still need to improve in order to fully tap into his ample potential as a lead guard. Lastly, Sean and Vivek run through The Good (Jordan Nwora's 3rd quarter on Sunday, Bruce Brown settling in),

In Episode 1595, Sean Woodley is joined by Jamar Hinds (Raptors Republic) to chat about the depleted Toronto Raptors falling to the very bad Detroit Pistons 113-104 on Wednesday night. Off the top, Sean and Jamar dig into why these losses to terrible opponents simply cannot hurt them anymore, as the Raptors are rolling out a roster that is not at all representative of the team they are going to have to work with going forward. The nice part is that they're still sticking to the Darko Ball principles, even if they're not talented enough to really execute it. Plus, is this sad end to the season more or less depressing than the finish to the Tampa season in 2020-21? Next, Sean and Jamar dig into the fringe guys on the roster, and determine where or not they are A Guy for next year's team, with thoughts on Jontay Porter, Javon Freeman-Liberty, Jordan Nwora, Jahmi'us Ramsey and more. Lastly, they run through The Good (Ramsey's windmill dunk), The Bad (defensive rebounding, Ochai Agbaji) and The Hmmm (more IQ talk,

In Episode 1594, Sean Woodley is joined by Katie Heindl (Basketball Feelings, DIME) to break down the Toronto Raptors narrow loss to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets before taking a look at the ways in which the Raptors have reconnected with their roots as a development-first franchise. Off the top, they chat about Gradey Dick and RJ Barrett's big nights against the Nuggets, and why the blown second half lead isn't really much to get upset or excited about. Next, they dig into the ways in which the Raptors have gotten back to their developmental ways this season, and how the fractured natured of this year's team has helped guys progress in unexpected ways. Lastly, Sean and Katie discuss how the individual strides made this season can be parlayed into cohesive team success in 2024-25 and discuss the single individual skill improvement on the team that could most unlock them next year. Join us on the Locked On Raptors Discord server! https://discord.gg/884S6G8WSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Stitch Fix

In Episode 1593, Sean Woodley is joined by Vivek Jacob (Sportsnet, Raptors in 7) to talk about the Toronto Raptors falling 128-118 to the Portland Trail Blazers in overtime on Saturday night in a game that featured many of the same plot points as Thursday loss to Phoenix: tough start, second-half surge, Immanuel Quickley going off, and Chris Boucher showing out well in a losing effort. Off the top, Sean and Vivek chat about Quickley, who's avergaing 22-6-8 on 60% True Shooting since the All-Star break, giving a glimpse at how tantalizingly high his ceiling as an offensive engine for the Raptors might be. Next, they chat about Chris Boucher logging 31 effective minutes against the Blazers, Darko Rajakovic's comments about him being a center first and foremost, and his future with the Raptors. Lastly, they run through The Good (Boucher, Kelly Olnyk's 15-6-8-2-2 night), The Bad (Defensive rebounding, Ochai Agbaji's decision-making) and The Hmmm (the need for defensive juice on the wings, Gradey Dick's passing) b

In Episode 1592, Sean Woodley is joined by Katie Heindl (DIME, Basketball Feelings) to chat about a spritely, 120-113 Toronto Raptors loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night in a game that saw Immanuel Quickley (21-9-18) turn his best overall performance as a Toronto Raptor. Off the top, they chat about Quickley's mastery in the pick-and-roll against Phoenix, his outstanding playmaking mixed with scoring touch, and why he remains the most interesting guy to watch for the Raptors down the stretch. Next, Sean and Katie chat about some of the guys they're finding themselves rooting far hardest to make good on the opportunity being granted by the team's circumstanes, including Ochai Agbaji, Bruce Brown, and Javon Freeman-Liberty. Lastly, they run through The Good (Gradey Dick bombing threes, Gary Trent Jr.'s 30-point outing), The Bad (the strange Chris Boucher saga, Grayson Allen hitting 8 threes on the Raps' head tops) and The Hmmm (The Suns being meh, GTJ's future) to round out the show. Join us on the Locke

In Episode 1591, Sean Woodley goes solo to dig into the worst of the worst from the Locked On Raptors Discord mailbag to dig into questions about the Toronto Raptors, Gradey Dick, the team's uniform design scheme and more! Off the top, Sean digs into where Gradey Dick would go in a 2023 re-draft. Of course, re-drafts this soon after a draft are ridiculous, but Sean is here to please. Does Gradey sneak into the Top-10? Next, Sean fields questions from a consumerism afflicted listener who simply can't get enough Gillette or Subway in their life. Are the Gilette execs stressing the potential loss of Gary Trent Jr. from Team Style? And could another fast food tie-in work as well as Scottie Barnes' Subway crossover does? Plus, what five words would best describe the NBA to aliens visiting to watch their friend Victor Wembanyama? Lastly, Sean fields a question about the Raptors uniforms, which obviously should not be blue and white, and which retired ex-Raptors could suit up for this shorthanded version of the tea,

In Episode 1590, Sean Woodley goes solo to pick up the pieces after the Toronto Raptors found themselves on the receiving end of a 41-point blowout loss to the New Orleans Pelicans that exposed how hard life is going to be with Scottie Barnes and now Jakob Poeltl sidelined most likely for the remainder of the season. Off the top, Sean digs into what a stark physical mismatch this game represented, and how the Pelicans solved the Raptors' one potential advantage with a single substitution choice in the first quarter to put the game away for good. Next, Sean digs into why the news of Jakob Poeltl having surgery on his dislocated pinky finger spells the end of any kind of information gathering or foundation laying for next year's version of the team down the stretch. Without Jak and Barnes, the Raptors identity just isn't achievable anymore. It's purgatory time, baby. Lastly, Sean runs through The Good (The Pelicans), The Bad (Jordan Nwora's spectacularly bad defense) and The Hmmm (Javon Freeman-Liberty) to roun

In Episode 1589, Sean Woodley is joined by Chelsea Leite (Raptors HQ, Winsidr) to chat about the a very busy news day in Toronto basketball, as the Toronto Raptors signed Kelly Olynyk to a 2-year, $26.25 million extension, Scottie Barnes had surgery on his fractured hand, and Shireen Ahmed reported that the WNBA-to-Toronto dream is very much still alive. Off the top, Sean and Chelsea chat about the Olynyk extension, why it makes a lot of sense for the Raptors, and why it validates the decision to trade for the previously pending UFA at the NBA Trade Deadline. Next, they discuss Scottie Barnes' undergoing hand surgery in Los Angeles and why it almost surely spells the end of his season. Plus, how irritating is it that he finished the year averaging 19.9 points per game? Lastly, Sean and Chelsea dig into the reporting on Larry Tanenbaum reviving the bid for a Toronto expansion franchise in the WNBA via his non-MLSE-affiliated Kilmer Group, and why the reports are so darn exciting. Eat it, Ed Rogers. Join us ove