Breadcrumb Trail LinksSportsBasketballNBAToronto RaptorsGood pro scouting can go a long way as depth matters in the NBA more than ever. Get the latest from Ryan Wolstat straight to your inbox Sign Up Published Jun 09, 2026 • 4 minute readJulian Champagnie of the San Antonio Spurs shoots a three-pointer over Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks during Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals. Getty ImagesArticle contentSee more Toronto Sun on Google — save as a Preferred SourceAdvertisement 2THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsArticle contentThe trick to competing for NBA titles remains having one generational player and a couple other all-star or all-defensive level talents alongside them.Article contentArticle contentBut pro scouting matters, too. Perhaps more than ever, considering the pace of the game and the toll it takes on bodies, having solid depth is crucial.Gone are the days when teams had six or seven players approaching 35-40 minutes of playing time per game and nearly half a roster that barely played at all in the playoffs.With NBA basketball now moving faster than ever, it’s just not possible to rest on the court anymore to ration out stamina. Players are covering more ground and getting more tired. They need more breaks and many are breaking down more often.Having quality depth is now a huge part of the puzzle and something both NBA finalists specialize in.We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Play VideoWhile they can’t get credit for identifying a diamond in the rough with Jalen Brunson — he was obviously a big-time talent in Dallas held back a bit by Luka Doncic — New York has done a strong job in identifying good to great players that were either available for the right price in a trade like OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns, or there for the taking on the scrap heap.Your Midday SunYour noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.Thanks for signing up!A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againArticle contentAdvertisement 3Article contentThose players would be Landry Shamet, a playoff hero signed for the minimum (Shamet finally fell back to earth in a terrible Game 3 performance), Jose Alvarado, who has had his moments and Jordan Clarkson, a former sixth man of the year, is also playing on a minimum contract and had a strong game Monday.New York, ahead in the series 2-1 despite having its 13-game winning streak halted Monday, built a potential champion almost entirely through trades and free agency. Of the rotation, only Mitchell Robinson was drafted by New York and Miles McBride was acquired in a morning after the draft trade.What about the Spurs?San Antonio has gone the draft elite players route, for the most part, but also wisely claimed their own playoff surprise standout, Julian Champagnie (starting every game and shooting 40% on three-pointers) when Philadelphia made the mistake of waiving him and signed him to a cheap, multi-year contract.The Spurs also picked up useful depth pieces like Luke Kornet and Harrison Barnes, who had each seen time in every playoff game until Barnes didn’t play Monday (and ex-Raptors Kelly Olynyk and Bismack Biyombo, who have appeared sporadically).Advertisement 4Article contentOther top teams have also done smart work through pro scouting.Juggernaut Oklahoma City stole Jared McCain from the Sixers (perhaps letting McCain and Champagnie go helped lead to long-time GM Daryl Morey’s dismissal there?) and they also brought in Alex Caruso and Isaiah Joe.Minnesota got a lot better by picking up Ayo Dosunmu at the trade deadline, Denver scored with Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency, Phoenix made several crafty additions (undrafted guard Collin Gillespie and under-utilized veterans like Dillon Brooks, Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen).In the East, anyone could have had centre Neemias Queta, but the Celtics signed him and he broke out. They’ve done the same with others recently and it goes a long way in complementing stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.Atlanta went after Canadian Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who had bounced around the league, and were rewarded with a 20 point per game, most improved player season. There are more examples throughout the league.Advertisement 5Article contentAs for the RaptorsThe Raptors have done nice work at the draft lately. Collin Murray-Boyles and Ja’Kobe Walter look like home runs considering where they were picked, while Jamal Shead is a strong second rounder, but could help themselves immensely as they try to take more steps forward by identifying and reeling in some established pros who aren’t in the right situation.This should be high on the ‘can do better’ list for general manager Bobby Webster, who was signed to a long-term extension, along with key members of his staff, on Monday.Read More Why the Raptors were right to extend GM Bobby Webster and their front office Why we should have seen Spurs, Wembanyama's NBA Finals struggles coming Post‑Raptors life looks good on OG Anunoby as Knicks lead NBA Finals They did it last summer by signing Sandro Mamukelashvili (ironically away from the Spurs), who ended up being one of the best free-agent acquisitions in franchise history (and way back when they signed Biyombo), but Mamukelashvili and Khem Birch are arguably the only pro scouting successes the Raptors have had over the past seven seasons.That’s still a better record than their corporate cousins the Toronto Maple Leafs, but not good enough.Some hits and clever additions on the fringes would go a long way moving forward. Just ask the only two teams still standing.@WolstatSunArticle contentShare this article in your social networkComments Join the Conversation