Toronto had obvious flaws that became exploited in DeRozan’s absence but haven’t been erased by his return. Casey is still trying to find a consistent rotation or a lineup he can trust. Terrence Ross was recently benched in favor of Greivis Vasquez, and Jonas Valanciunas has been such a liability that Casey usually keeps his promising but still-developing big man on the bench in the fourth quarter. The Raptors were one of two teams to rank in the top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency last season but Casey’s plans of picking up the pace have led to them making slight improvements on offense and plummeting on defense. They rank fourth in the league in offensive rating (109 points per 100 possessions) but are 19th in defensive rating (104.4). Lowry has a reputation for being a tenacious defender but hasn’t been able to expend as much energy on that end with more scoring responsibility. And now, when it should be his turn to relieve Lowry from that exhausting 21-game stretch without his all-star backcourt mate, DeRozan has been in a season-long shooting slump.
“But he’s getting much, much better at leading with his chest and hitting with his chest. Those are on the vertical jumps specifically. Where you make contact chest to chest. If you turn even a little bit, which he turned against the Clippers, they’ll call it. I thought it was close and said ‘I’ve been working with him on that,’ (the ref) said, ‘he turned at the last minute coach, I wasn’t going to call it, but he did.’ JV argued with me when I showed him on the film,” Bayno said with a laugh. Bayno sees Valanciunas getting better and better at the skill as he gets older and wiser. The team wants him to hang out down low for longer, using as much as the time he is allowed down there before being whistled for a violation — and they are even fine with the odd three-second call as well — because the tradeoff will be that Valanciunas will be in position to deter driving opponents more often. It is already happening, according to Bayno, who is the staffer that spends the most time developing Valanciunas (legendary Spurs coach Gregg Popovich recently praised Casey’s staff for the job they have done developing players. Valanciunas was singled out). “Getting him to err on the side of over-helping and overprotecting, which is what teams are doing to us, I think that’s gotten better,” Bayno said.
[The first component], which everyone is talking about: This league is going small. You look at a lot of games—especially down the stretch of games—teams are keeping one big on the floor and that big is not a true big, it may be a power forward, and everyone is trying to play quicker. That’s just the evolution of this league. So players like [Valanciunas], Andre Drummond and other bigs really get hurt in that situation. But—and, arguably, this may be the most important: Valanciunas has to demand the basketball. When guys have taken three or four crazy shots, he has to go up to his guards and grab them by the shirt and say, “Give me the damn ball. Now.”
Talk about making an impact! The last two games vs the Clippers and Spurs he’s been huge. Bottom line; they don’t win either game without him. He has that next level talent that when he plays under control can take his team to another gear. His versatility at the 3 and 4 spots is impressive. Sooner or later you knew he’d earn back some minutes and it couldn’t have come at a better time. If he can stay consistent in his approach, it will really help this club. They need what he brings because in many areas they don’t have enough of what he has. When he’s right, they are a dangerous team.
Quick Stat Hits: How Does The Raptors’ Perimeter Offense Check Out? | Raptors HQ
Again, catch and shoot here looks good (this includes jumpers and shots near the rim). Same goes for a one dribble escape or drive – 49 percent eFG% is pretty good. Those account for 57 percent of the Raptors’ shots. The other 43 percent break down into isolations of varying degrees – making a quick move against a defender, lining a defender up, or basically dribbling out the clock. Note that the Raptors are actually pretty good relative to other teams in isolation, but the bar for isolation success is pretty low – no one is good at it. So taking almost half your shots off the dribble, including a full third of them in blatant isolation, is a little problematic. Even worse, looking at the Raptors’ three point attempts, one in three of them are off the dribble. One in three! And off the dribble, the team as a whole shoots 29 percent on pull-up 3’s, versus 39 percent on catch-and-shoot 3’s.
In our fifth episode, Koreen and MacKenzie assess the Raptors ahead of the trade deadline, get friendly with Zach LaVine and praise Gregg Popovich’s skill at mind games.
Who will be most active at 2015 NBA Trade Deadline | Sheridan Hoops
They could use an upgrade at the power forward position, and they have numerous expiring contracts — Amir Johnson ($7 million), Landry Fields ($6.25 million), Chuck Hayes ($5.95 million), Lou Williams ($5.45 million) and Tyler Hansbrough ($3.32 million). They have been basically treading water since starting the season en fuego, and general manager Masai Ujiri knows that the championship window is more open this season than many might have expected. Yes, the Cavs are starting to play like everyone expected (only took 3 months), and the Hawks are a spectacular assemblage of well-fitting parts, but it is not like either of those teams could not be knocked off in a seven-game series. In my preseason preview I listed David West of the Pacers as the most likely good player to be traded, and it would not surprise me if some combination of expiring contracts plus a No. 1 pick (the Raptors would give up their own in 2015; but not the one they have coming from the Knicks in 2016) would be offered to Indiana for a player who can produce points and rebounds out of the 4 spot more consistently than Amir Johnson.
Raptors look to maintain defensive edge against hard-charging Wizards | The Globe and Mail
The matchup showcases the two starting guards for the East in Sunday’s all-star game. Toronto’s Kyle Lowry will line up with Washington’s John Wall at Madison Square Garden on Sunday – Lowry a first-timer, Wall making his second appearance but his first as a starter. Many eyes will be on the exciting young stars. Similarities don’t end there. On their respective teams, Wall and Lowry are part of potent backcourt duos, though Wall will be without Bradley Beal in Toronto on Wednesday – the shooting guard is expected to miss his third game with a toe injury. That’s a costly absence since Beal was averaging 15 points and 3.8 rebounds a night. Lowry’s backcourt mate, DeMar DeRozan, is hitting his stride after returning last month from a lengthy layoff due to a groin injury. “It’s a team that is very up-and-coming, just like us,” Lowry said of the Wizards. “Wall and Beal are really good, both young and talented – they’re right up there in ranking. One is an All-Star starter, and the other I believe will be a future all-star.”
Raptors-Wizards: Wednesday game preview | Toronto Star
The Wizards are a bit beaten up; a sore toe has kept Bradley Beal out of their last two games and Kris Humphries lasted only four minutes of game Monday before he crashed to the floor and hurt his back. Neither is a sure thing to go Wednesday night … Toronto’s going for a season-sweep of the series, having beaten Washington twice already … Matchup of the Eastern Conference all-star starting backcourt of John Wall and Kyle Lowry … Wall leads the NBA in total assists and total steals
NBA Preview – Washington Wizards at Toronto Raptors – Feb 11, 2015 | CBSSports.com
Washington ranks among the top defensive teams in the league with 97.4 points allowed per game and is 17-0 when holding the opposition to 91 or fewer. Toronto sits among the NBA’s best with 105.8 points per game. After averaging 84.0 over back-to-back losses, the Raptors bounced back Friday with a 123-107 win over the Los Angeles Clippers before grinding out an 87-82 victory against San Antonio on Sunday. “We are trying to get where they are and where they’ve been,” Lowry told the team’s official website of the Spurs. “It’s a great test for us. They know every night that they are getting every team’s best shot because of who they are. “For us, it’s a stepping-stone.”
I can haz yo linkz??! rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com
