The Importance of Garrett Temple to a Young Toronto Raptors team

Garrett Temple’s impact cannot be measured in stats, but his handprint on the Raptors will be evident for years to come.

Imagine taking a charge at 37 years old.

Two players immediately come to mind — Kyle Lowry of course, but also Garrett Temple. Both Toronto Raptors legends in their own right, both still hooping in their own ways in their late thirties.

Garrett Temple did not play a whole lot through the 2023-24 season, but he was always ready. He showed up to every game looking fresh in a custom suit, and when his number was called he put everything on the floor to help his team. That’s just the person and player he is.

He only averaged 3.3 points per game, and played in 27 games in the season — but Temple’s impact cannot be solely tracked by stats. His impact as a veteran will stretch beyond this season for the Toronto Raptors and his influence on this young core will be seen in the way they play and act for years to come.

That was apparent in the way the young players spoke about him at media day, it was clear in every interview Temple did this season, and it was clear in just watching how he interacted with the team on the bench and on the court.

Temple pulls from decades of basketball experience

The LSU alumni has a deep family history in basketball, and carries that with him even today.

Garrett Temple played college ball for Louisiana State University, where his family has a deep impact on the school and the state. His father, Collis Temple Jr., was LSU’s first Black men’s basketball player, and the only one at that for his four years with the program — eventually becoming the captain of the team. This came after Temple’s grandfather, Collis Temple Sr., was denied entry to the school in the 1950’s because the school did not accept Black students.

In Garrett Temple’s time at LSU, he not only carried on the family’s legacy, but also helped his team to the Final Four in 2006. Despite that, Temple went undrafted in the NBA and did not get a permanent shot at the pro-level until three years after he ended his college degree. In that time, he played in the G-League and Summer League and did many 10-day NBA assignments before landing longterm with the Washington Wizards, playing with them from 2012-2016.

He then played with the Sacramento Kings from 2016-2018, before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he played until 2019. He was traded to the LA Clippers in 2019, finishing the season with them before signing a two year deal with the Brooklyn Nets. After that was up, he signed another two-year deal with the Chicago Bulls, but was traded after one season to his hometown New Orleans Pelicans.

He played two seasons with the Pelicans, but was traded in the offseason last summer due to roster constraints. After that, he signed his deal with the Toronto Raptors, brining his 14 years of NBA experience to a young roster.

He also brings all of that experience to his role as the Vice President of the National Basketball Players’ Association — the union that protects, advocates, and represents NBA players in the NBA. #UnionKing

Temple’s mixture of knowing the ups and downs of the average NBA player’s career, along with the humble values instilled in him by his father and grandfather, makes him an excellent veteran to young players. He sees past the razzle dazzle of the media and the money and knows that working hard and focusing on the game outweighs the outside pressure being put on young players to immediately succeed.

In just one season with the Raptors, his fingerprints are already all over this young team.

Gradey Dick thinks Temple “has to be one of the best vets out there”

Gradey attributes Temple to teaching him about being a pro on and off the court.

Of course, as Gradey Dick mentioned in his end of season player availability, you only have only chance to form a rookie-vet relationship. As far as his own goes, he wouldn’t trade Garrett Temple for any other vet in the world.

From teaching him to dress to impress (Temple’s suit game is revered among the team), to making sure he keeps his eye on the prize on the court, Temple spent the year in Gradey’s ear.

If you kept an eye on the Raptors’ bench this season, Temple was often seen talking to players off to the side in timeouts or encouraging them when they came off the court. In practice, he shot in a group with Gradey, Gary Trent Jr., and Raptors’ Assistant Coach Ivo Simović. The intentional effort to pair Gradey with a good shooter in Trent and a seasoned vet in Temple paid off in the way Gradey matured on and off the court throughout the year.

When RJ Barrett returned to the basketball court after the tragic passing of his younger brother Nathan, it was Garrett Temple that gave him a long hug before tipoff. Head Coach Darko Rajaković said that Temple always “led by example” on and off the court. Immanuel Quickley noted Temple’s “day-to-day grind” was inspiring to watch.

Scottie Barnes said that when he was injured at the end of the 2023-24 season, he used the time to sit next to Temple on the bench and “soak in” lessons, picking his brain about what they were watching on the court. Barnes said he learned leadership skills from the vet, but that the way he hustles on the floor every time he is out on the court inspired him as well.

Barnes also mentioned Temple’s impact on helping him grow his confidence. He mentioned Temple always knows exactly what to say, and that confidence and leadership ability trickled down into Scottie’s leadership skills.

The thing is, all of these comments about Temple’s impact from the team were mostly unprovoked. The players especially just naturally brought up Garrett Temple in conversation when talking about their development throughout the season, and how the team was lead this season.

Temple’s impact is apparent in every other player on the roster just from hearing how they speak about him — with nothing but respect and admiration. Every person involved with the Toronto Raptors, from the players to the coaching staff, to the staff at the organization and even to the media has nothing but respect for the veteran.

What does the future hold for Temple and the Raptors?

Temple signed a one-year deal with the Raptors prior to the 2023-23 season.

Garrett Temple will turn 38 years old in early May. Judging by the way he still takes charges in NBA games, he seems pretty fit physically.

He goes into the offseason as an unrestricted free agent in the NBA. He made just over three million dollars with the Raptors over the season.

If Temple feels like he wants to play another season in the league, it seems likely the Raptors will sign him again. Not because they want him to make a huge impact on the court, but for everything his brings off the court.

Especially as they continue to build around Scottie Barnes. Barnes has stated time and time again how much he values Temple as his veteran, and the team will likely listen to Scottie’s wishes as they make free agency decisions. Add that to their promising younger player, Gradey Dick, and his attachment to and admiration of Garrett Temple, and the value of signing him is right there.

Every young team needs a good veteran — someone who can teach players about the resilience needed to last over a decade in the NBA. Someone who teaches them to ignore the outside noise of the media and the fans and lock into the process. Someone who knows exactly what to say to players to get them to buy into the vision of the team — even when they are losing.

For all of those qualities and more, Garrett Temple is the perfect fit. Even after Temple hangs up his shoes and moves on from being a player, his impact on the future of the Toronto Raptors will be ingrained in the team for years to come.