Raptors Mailbag: Backup Point Guard, Barnes' Preseason, & Poeltl's Future

The Toronto Raptors are getting their first look at their new backup point guard as Scottie Barnes makes his long-awaited return to the court

Oct 11, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) defends in the second quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

We finally have a couple preseason games in the books and while it's never a good idea to read much into preseason action, at least the Toronto Raptors are back on the court again.

Scottie Barnes made his return for the first time in over seven months and Toronto's two new backup point guards have looked pretty good in Immanuel Quickley's absence. We'll touch on that and some more in our latest mailbag. As always, if you have a question for a mailbag article, shoot me a direct message or respond to one of my Instagram stories @aaronbenrose.

Will Davion Mitchell excel this year? - @liam_.gallagher._

He's certainly going to be given opportunities and the first crack at Toronto's backup point guard spot. I've been impressed with his playmaking chops so far and his defense at the point-of-attack has been as advertised. I noticed the Raptors seemed to let Barnes handle some of the playmaking work early on in Friday's game and I think that will help Mitchell who isn't much of an on-ball scorer.

If Mitchell can keep his three-point percentage around 36% as he did last year and plays the defense he's known for, I think he should be able to excel in his role with the Raptors.

Should the Raptors get rid of Poeltl? - @ballerdollar27

I think the ideal scenario for Toronto is to bottom out this year, get a top draft pick, and begin their ascent back to the playoffs starting next year. If that's the case, Poeltl is a pretty useful player for next season. That said, losing Poeltl this year would certainly help with the tank. If Toronto can recoup some of that value with a first-round pick for Poeltl, I would probably do it.

It's more of a discussion point: Let's break down Scottie Barnes' contract. - @jamespatrickcunningham

Assuming Barnes doesn't earn an All-NBA spot this year, his deal will pay him $224 million over five seasons starting after this year. That's $38.7 million next year or 25% of the total salary cap. While Barnes' total salary will increase in each of the ensuing seasons, the impact of his contract on the salary will go down as the salary cap increases.

It's a ton of money, of course, but it was a deal the Raptors had to sign and nothing to worry about. It's the deals around Barnes that are going to matter the most moving forward.

Prediction time: Is Shead your everyday backup PG by the end of the season? - @thrass_v

By the end of the season, he may be the starting point guard if Toronto tanks as hard as I think they might. In terms of your question, though, I think Jamal Shead needs some more offensive seasoning and I expect Mitchell to be ahead of him all year.

How does our gritty bench stack up against other squads? - @yoshmiller

It'll certainly be among the youngest second units in the league. The lack of shooting is certainly alarming. Save for Kelly Olynyk, nobody has shown they can be a reliable three-point shooter at the NBA level and that could be a big problem for the Raptors.

Overall, I don't think it's a very good second unit, but Toronto is rebuilding this year and the hope is a few of those guys show they can be contributors moving forward.

What do we think of Scottie's first game back? Sloppy play but a smooth new jumper. - @yohan.dabir

I'm not worried about the sloppy turnovers. I thought Barnes looked at times a little sluggish, understandable considering he hadn't played in so long. Overall, though, he was pretty good. He had a great start and those jumpers you noted looked good. I don't want him taking too many of those mid-range jumpers this year, but those makes in the preseason were good to see.

What's your take on Gradey's performance so far? - @chi_regal

It's been OK. There have been a few times where he's been unable to finish through contact at the hoop and that's something he's going to have to figure out moving forward. His defense still has a long way to go and I'm skeptical he'll ever be a plus defender.

The hope is he hits his three-pointers as we in the second half of last year and spaces the floor for Toronto's other starters.