It’s wild to think, let alone type this, but the injuries to Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka and Patrick McCaw have been extremely beneficial for the Toronto Raptors. Now, you never want to see your top players go down, but when your bench is stuck in some heavy mud and newly acquired players or rookies aren’t buying in with the coaching staff’s required fire, a monumental shove into “put up or shut up” territory can go a long way. And what a long way it’s been.
In the twenty or so days since Lowry fractured his thumb and Ibaka decided to roll his ankle so he could flex his immaculate wardrobe, the Raptors have seen the likes of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Chris Boucher and Terence Davis II solidify themselves as not only viable bench options, but big minute contributors when the need arises.