Las Vegas becomes a hub for off-season training and the NBA’s annual summer showcase has been continually growing in popularity over recent year. For these reasons, it is not unusual to see a few big-name players pop by the arena to support their teammates during training. As the build up gets us all excited for the season, bookies, such as BetMGM Sportsbook Maryland, are getting ready for the sporting event of the year.
Most teams have two or three regular roster guys sitting in the front row and we spot some familiar faces around the area. Recently, Toronto brought two thirds of its squad along and this saw recently signed veteran forward, Otto Porter Jr., sat on the side-line chatting with new teammate, Pascal Siakam. Just metres away, Scottie Barnes was seen snapping photos for IG before Fred VanVleet, Precious Achiuwa, and Gary Trent Jr. arrive to join the team.
A nurse who has been spectating games and observing practices said that last season, injuries took a huge toll on the team. To tackle the threat, they have decided to add Thaddeus Young who they say will fit right in and be ready to play right away from day one. With the upcoming month having a huge factor on who we see on the screen, any gym injuries or accidents on court could completely change the team as we know it.
Currently, the twelve roster players in line are Siakam, VanVleet, Trent, Anunoby, Boucher, Young, Barnes, Khem Birch, Porter, Achiuwa, Malachi Flynn and Svi Mykhailiuk. With up to three spots to fill, as well as their second two-way slot, up to twenty players can be brought along to training camp in late September to help fill the spaces in the best way.
Kevin Durant is proving to be a wildcard when it comes to roster construction, being unusually quiet and lacking traction when it comes to trade talks both with Toronto and any other team. Toronto has been unwilling to include Barnes or the maximum haul of future first-round picks in an offer, with one source describing the asking price as unreasonably high. Instead, they could make a trade which would see three or four players exchanged for one, a more likely scenario would provide inexpensive depth.
Based on bookie bets, Koloko and Banton are looking favourite to end up on the regular roster and Champagnie is expected to take the 15th spot in training camp. If somebody else stands out in camp, the Raptors could also decide to waive Mykhailiuk and take the hit, potentially including Wilson if they decide to hang onto an extra player. Although there are some big decisions to be made, there should be plenty of internal competition for the final few spots which in theory will produce a strong team that is set to stand a good chance of success.
The team is described as close knit, so the internal competition is a great way to keep motivation high and bring out everyone’s best potential.
