Raptors fans may be overlooking their second most important player

"Brandon Ingram's offensive creation has been a major boost for Toronto this season. His arrival is arguably the biggest difference between this year's team, currently fifth in the Eastern Conference, and last year's squad that finished 11th. Toronto turns to Ingram repeatedly for late-game isolation possessions for a reason."

"Many of Ingram's strengths are replicated elsewhere on the roster. Ingram creates a lot of offense by driving the ball. He is second on the team in drives per game at 10.2. RJ Barrett operates in a similar fashion. He drives the ball 9.2 times per game and passes only 35.4% of the time."

"Isolation scoring is often considered Ingram's bread and butter. When he is on the floor, 14.3% of Toronto's possessions involve an Ingram isolation opportunity. On those possessions, Ingram scores 0.88 points per possession. However, Scottie Barnes actually scores 1.04 points per possession on his isolation attempts."

Scottie Barnes anchors the Toronto Raptors, but determining the second-most important player reveals interesting roster dynamics. Brandon Ingram, the second-best player who made the All-Star Game, provides valuable offensive creation through drives and isolation scoring. However, his strengths overlap significantly with RJ Barrett's playing style. Both drive frequently and score similarly on those possessions. Immanuel Quickley emerges as the second-most important player because his skill set—particularly his three-point shooting—cannot be replicated elsewhere on the roster. While Ingram contributes meaningfully, Quickley's unique abilities make him more essential to the team's overall construction and success.

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