Doc Rivers Amazed by Size Throughout Raptors' Roster

The Toronto Raptors' depth in height created all kinds of problems for the Philadelphia 76ers in the preseason opener

Aaron Rose | Oct 5, 2021

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Who would have thought coming out of a Toronto Raptors game against the Philadelphia 76ers it would be 76ers coach Doc Rivers concerned about his team's size?

Toronto's roster doesn't have a single player 6-foot-10 or taller. They're the only team in the entire league that can say that. And yet, the Raptors roster is loaded with 6-foot-7 to 6-foot-9 players with long tentacle arms that can smother opposing offenses.

Look no further than Monday night's preseason opener against the 76ers. Without Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and, of course, Ben Simmons, Philadelphia's lack of length was actually a bit of an issue. Once Fred VanVleet and Goran Dragic checked out, Toronto threw a versatile, switch-everything lineup on the court that just swarmed the 76ers' guards.

"One thing I thought stood out was their length. Even at the guards, all their players were long and athletic and I thought we had a lot of short guys on the floor," said Rivers post-game. "I mean, there were times when our guards were inside on rebounds and they still got them because of their length and size. So that's a concern."

While Andre Drummond certainly had his way with the Raptors in the first half and there's no doubt Embiid is going to put up big numbers against Toronto this season, the Raptors are clearly going to be frustrating to go up against this year. They might not have the traditional size of most NBA teams, but what they lack in traditional height, they make up for many times over with size depth right across their roster.

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