Louis Zatzman

Toronto

Freelance writer | Managing editor @RaptorsRepublic | former bylines in 538, https://t.co/pN7K33YSs3, the athletic, Vice, CBC, Toronto Star, more | [email protected]

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Articles

Open Thread: Game 5 of the NBA Finals

1 week ago | raptorsrepublic.com | Louis Zatzman

I have enjoyed these Finals probably more than any basketball I’ve watched since 2019 or 2020. Just a terrific viewing experience. Very excited to write about it (coming soon).
Open Thread: Game 4 of the NBA Finals

2 weeks ago | raptorsrepublic.com | Louis Zatzman

The Indiana Pacers! Whew. Looking more and more possible that Pascal Siakam wins his second championship as a second fiddle, but not with the Toronto Raptors. I’ll be happy for him if it happens. What a phenomenal player. If it happens, he’s guaranteed a spot in the Hall of Fame, right?
Open Thread: Game 3 of the NBA Finals

2 weeks ago | raptorsrepublic.com | Louis Zatzman

Let’s see what Indiana still has in the tank. That was a dominant game 2, my goodness.
Raptors’ 2025 NBA free agency target: Lonnie Walker IV

2 weeks ago | raptorsrepublic.com | Louis Zatzman

There is much value in playing abroad for NBA players. It doesn’t necessarily make players’ games better, but it surely can help their careers. Just look at Danny Green. He didn’t play particularly well with Union Olimpija, shooting 38.7 percent from the field and generally recording mild box-score numbers. But he learned that life in the NBA is tenuous.
Open Thread: Game 2 of the NBA Finals

2 weeks ago | raptorsrepublic.com | Louis Zatzman

I have been enjoying the absolute heck out of these playoffs. You? Morning! Come hang out, watch some extraordinary basketball, enjoy how many Canadians and former Raptors are involved.
Are the Raptors even ready to land a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo?

3 weeks ago | raptorsrepublic.com | Louis Zatzman

The Counting Crows recorded their signature hits years before anyone knew who they were. For years they were a small band gigging in the Bay Area, playing what would become some of the signature songs of the 90s, singing at times about wishing for fame. Then fame hit in 1994 after August and Everything After came out, and all those dreams came true. It turned out, Adam Duritz and the others were not ready for the big leagues.
Why the Raptors should trade down from the No. 9 pick

1 month ago | raptorsrepublic.com | Louis Zatzman

The future is never certain. (Unless you can hit the Cooper Flagg jackpot.) But for the rest of the teams in the NBA, planning for the future is always an exercise in panic attacks. Our draft team here at Raptors Republic has done a terrific job demystifying the mists of time in regards to the upcoming draft. Some of the most striking arguments I’ve found:Brendan Stewart arguing for Thomas Sorber.
Three Raptors who (probably) won’t be on the roster in 2025-26

1 month ago | raptorsrepublic.com | Louis Zatzman

Change is the one constant in life. And sports, of course, is no exception. As much as fans and media build connections with rosters that stay the same year after year, with players who proudly wear the same jersey, year in and year out, those circumstances are the exceptions, not the rule. Perhaps those exceptions are made more valuable because they are so rare. For every Dirk Nowitzki, there are more Kevin Durants. The Toronto Raptors are yet to discover their own franchise Nowitzki.
Which Raptors have underrated trade value?

1 month ago | raptorsrepublic.com | Louis Zatzman

Trade value is a persnickety thing in the NBA. It’s easy to think about value in a vacuum — skilled! young! good contract! — but nothing ever exists in a vacuum in the NBA. Value, insofar as it exists to a team that isn’t currently employing a player, is very much in the eye of the beholder. A player can matter a huge amount, more than life itself, to his own team. And the other 29 teams around the league can have no interest.
Raptors’ Masai Ujiri got his fastball back in 2024-25

1 month ago | raptorsrepublic.com | Louis Zatzman

The following is part of Raptors Republic’s series of pieces reviewing the season for the Toronto Raptors. You can find all the pieces in the series here. The first transaction the Toronto Raptors made in 2024-25 was a doozy. On June 28, the Raptors offloaded Jalen McDaniels — not an NBA-quality player, and paid quite a bit — for Davion Mitchell, a solid second-round draft pick (Jamal Shead was later selected), Sasha Vezenkov, and Portland’s 2025 second-round pick.