Fan Duel Toronto Raptors

Morning Coffee – Wed, Dec 24

Raptors have xmas list of improvements | The airing of grievances | A young Amir sings backup on Jingle Bells

From all of us here at Raptors Republic, we wish you and yours a happy festivus.
Raptors close to being an elite team | Toronto Sun

I think we’re very good,” Lowry said when asked how good the Raptors can be. “I think we’re very talented. I think we’ve got a chance to be very special.” Lowry might not be wrong — Toronto was the only team in the Eastern Conference to rank in the top 10 both in offensive and defensive points per 100 possessions last season — and there is no question the offence has been far better thanks to some added reinforcements. But still, it is impossible to overlook the team’s flaws. The Raptors aren’t great at defensive rebounding, ranking just 26th in the league (and 27th in defensive rebounding percentage), and the team has an ugly tendency to fail to corral defensive boards at the worst possible moments, something that has repeatedly shot them in the foot this season. Part of that is because the coaching staff often prefers to go small, sending Jonas Valanciunas to the bench and often putting another small guard beside Lowry, part of it is because Amir Johnson has battled nagging injuries all season which affects his lift, part of it is because Patrick Patterson, for all of his strengths, is a poor rebounder, and part of it is because sometimes many of the Raptors simply lack concentration in crucial moments.


Raptors Confident Facing Challenging Road Trip | Toronto Raptors

“We were due for a stinker,” head coach Dwane Casey said. “We had one tonight, offensively in stretches, and definitely defensively.” The loss snapped the Raptors’ six-game winning streak, but Toronto (22-7) still finds itself atop the Eastern Conference standings as it enters a four-day holiday break. The Raptors will get Christmas Eve and Christmas off before picking up on Dec. 27 against the Clippers. “It’s going to be a great challenge for us,” Lowry said. “I think we look forward to [the road trip]. We started off on the wrong foot tonight for our road trip, but we’ve got a chance to come home and regroup, get a couple days off, come back, go to L.A, and play a tough Clippers team.”

Biggest Surprises and Disappointments for Toronto Raptors | Bleacher Report

With DeRozan out, Casey has made it a priority to run more plays for the third-year swingman, per Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. “Usually we try to get DeMar going, now it is him,” the coach said. “Some of the sets are now called for him where before he was kind of playing off DeMar. But none of it is forced. It’s kind of in the flow of the game, and he has done an excellent job offensively.” That change has resulted in better numbers from Ross. He’s averaging 14.2 points on 44.4 percent shooting, as well as 4.5 rebounds in 30.3 minutes since Nov. 30. So why is he disappointing? It’s a problem that’s hovered over him since being drafted in 2012: inconsistency. During the Raptors’ six-game winning streak from Dec. 12 to Dec. 21, Ross shot less than 40 percent four times and 30 percent three times. This has a lot to do with him being a rhythm shooter who can go from hot to cold in a heartbeat. He also relies far too much on three-pointers for his scoring, with 50.4 percent of his points coming from behind the arc. With his athletic gifts, he should make more of an effort to attack defenses and get to the rim. Maybe that’s not his game. It should be, though.

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