Toronto Raptors 2016-17 player grades: The starters

Kyle Lowry

Dec 23, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) is congratulated by teammate guard DeMar DeRozan (10) after a basket in the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Toronto Raptors defeated the Utah Jazz 104-98. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

With the 2016-17 NBA season now over for the Toronto Raptors, it's time to look back on the performances of each player. Moving from the youngsters to the bench to the starters, we'll grade every Raptor's 2016-17 season and evaluate his future with the franchise.

Over the last week, we've evaluated the 10 bench players on the Toronto Raptors. We started out with the youngsters, and then moved on to the rotation guys. This time around, we're looking at how 2016-17 panned out for each of Toronto's starters.

Due to injuries, trades, and matchup issues, the Raptors' starting lineup varied throughout the season. But head coach Dwane Casey showed his hand in the playoffs. Even if the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers forced some tinkering, Toronto brass clearly envisioned a starting lineup of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, DeMarre Carroll, Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas.

In truth, that group played just 88 minutes together all year. And frankly, they looked pretty woeful. When healthy, however, all five guys started more often than not. They may not be the starters next season, but they're the starters for our purposes.

So here's the deal: Each player will get an admittedly arbitrary grade that represents their progress and performances in 2016-17. These grades – and I cannot stress this enough – are relative to preseason expectations.

Jan 24, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward DeMarre Carroll (5) warms up prior to the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

DeMarre Carroll

Ask a Raptors fan before the season, and he or she probably would've been cautiously optimistic about DeMarre Carroll. After signing a four-year, $60 million contract with the Raptors in 2015, the 30-year-old endured a torrid first season with Toronto.

Carroll missed 56 games with knee issues that ultimately required arthroscopic surgery. And when he got back on the court, he didn't give the Raptors that same two-way, steady play he showed with the Atlanta Hawks.

2016-17 was supposed to be Carroll's first real season in Toronto. In reality, it went just as poorly.

Renowned as a 3-and-D specialist, Carroll shot just 34.1 percent from deep – not good enough for a guy whose wing partner is a total non-shooter in DeMar DeRozan. And how about the defense? Well, in both the regular season and the playoffs, the Raptors were markedly better defensively with Carroll off the court.

It doesn't help that Carroll is on a handsome contract. He looks like a third or fourth wing, and he's being paid like a starter. Toronto General Manager Masai Ujiri even came out and said this:

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Injuries suck. That's just a fact of sports. Ujiri was hopeful that a fully healthy Carroll would get back to his best. Still, in all likelihood, the Raptors will shop Carroll. Nobody wants an aging, overpaid player with two more years left on his deal, but salary dumps still happen all the time. Just ask the Kings. A fresh start may be best for all parties.

Grade: D+

Next: Jonas Valanciunas

Apr 18, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas (17) shoots for a basket over Milwaukee Bucks forward Thon Maker (7) in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Jonas Valanciunas

Jonas Valanciunas is the exact player the NBA has left behind. He's a burly seven-footer without three-point range whose slow feet can be exposed on defense.

Valanciunas isn't just Jahlil Okafor Adjacent, though. For his entire career, he's been an absurdly efficient offensive player and a terrific rebounder. He's still that. And he was still that in 2016-17. But as a young center supposedly on the rise, Valanciunas didn't show much growth.

The big Lithuanian is still a reluctant passer on offense, meaning he's limited to post-ups and hard rolls to the basket. To date, he hasn't developed much of an elbow game.

Defensively, Valanciunas can still be played off the court. He averaged just 22.6 minutes per game in the playoffs, and in that time, opponents scored 111 points per 100 possessions. With Valanicunas on the bench, that number dipped to 105.2.

Make no mistake, Valanciunas maintained a high level of play this season. His $14.4 million salary was manageable, and looked much better than Carroll's deal.

The acquisition of Ibaka was unlucky for Valanciunas. Despite possessing the range and defensive ability that Valanciunas lacks, Ibaka simply couldn't coexist with Valanciunas. If Ibaka re-ups with Toronto, that fit may be a concern moving forward. Ibaka ultimately played 69 percent of his playoff minutes at the 5, which is the only position Valanciunas can credibly play.

Valanciunas is still just 25 years old and he deserves more time to become the dominant paint player he has the potential to be. In my opinion, actively shopping him in order to accommodate Ibaka would be a mistake.

Grade: C+

Next: Serge Ibaka

Apr 5, 2017; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka (9) puts his hands on his head during the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Raptors won 105-102. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Serge Ibaka

Two weeks ago, I wrote a piece suggesting the Raptors should move on from Ibaka. I'll refrain from rehashing too much of that column, but I stand by this: Ibaka had a decent season, but it didn't make much of a difference for Toronto.

Brought in to help solidify Toronto's defense and play off Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan on offense, Ibaka put up solid numbers. He had14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, while shooting a blistering 39.8 percent from three-point range.

Defensively, Ibaka helped bring Toronto's defensive rating from a middling 106.0 points per 100 possessions before his arrival to an elite 102.3 afterwards. He and P.J. Tucker largely offset the long-term absence of Lowry.

But Ibaka's warts, which may be more easily concealed on a different team, hurt Toronto at times. Ibaka can't pass. Period. And that's a problem for a team with so little playmaking. He takes too many turnaround jumpers. And that's a problem for a team that already lives on midrange shots. He and Valanciunas work poorly together (-1.8 net rating). And that's a problem when his backup, Patrick Patterson, works so well with Valanciunas (+13.7 net rating).

Ibaka did his job for the Raptors. He added more skill and athleticism to their frontline. Maybe Toronto falls to Milwaukee in the first round without Ibaka, although that seems to downplay the possible impact of Terrence Ross. With or without Ibaka, the Raptors weren't going to beat LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

The Congolese big man is a free agent this summer. Ujiri should think long and hard about the Cavaliers' dominance, and Ibaka's impact, before offering a new contract.

Grade: B

Next: Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry

Nov 18, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) dribbles the ball as Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) defends in the third quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Raptors won 113-111 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Lowry

What a season for Kyle Lowry. The diminutive guard has long been Toronto's emotional leader and most experienced veteran, but this season, he took his individual game to yet another level.

At 31, Lowry just continues to improve. His 22-7-5 line was ridiculous, and becomes all the more impressive when you factor in his 56.9 effective field goal percentage. Lowry shot at career-high percentages on both twos and threes, ultimately canning an absurd 3.2 three-pointers per game.