The Toronto Raptors started the season 5-0. They then proceeded to lose 6 of their next 8, then won 4 in a row, and now, with another loss in the books against the Phoenix Suns, they continue their wayward ways. Nothing new except the unpredictable, offensively challenged, yet defensively sound (most of the time), Toronto Raptors.
So the key of today’s post is really going to be to try to break down the highlights of what we’ve seen go well, and what needs to change going forward. From injuries, to questionable coaching decisions, to impressive wins, we’ve seen it all. And we’re only a fifth of the way through the season.
The Bench
It’s no secret that bench has stunk it up this season. With Terrence Ross and Patrick Patterson taking significant steps back this season, the regression and struggle has been real. The numbers don’t lie – here’s the breakdown comparing Terry’s performance after his contract extension as well as Patman’s numbers for the season, compared to their numbers from last year.
While the regressions have been depressing, Cory Joseph has been nothing short of spectacular in his brief tenure with the Raptors thus far. The anchor off of the bench that has overperformed, Joseph has quite literally been the single-handed reason we’ve squeaked a few games out this season.
After watching this almost 30 times, it still doesn’t get old. And a great call by Matt Devlin I might add (thank god).
Bi-SMACK Biyombo
The initial feeling amongst Raptors fans when JV went down against the Lakers last weekend, was …oh no. Here we go with Bismack Biyombo in the starting lineup…just what we need for an already struggling offense. But what we’ve seen from Biyombo, while struggling slightly on offense, has been a strong defensive presence, opportunistic offense, and the occasional block that makes you stand up and out of your chair. Bismack continued his defensive onslaught with 4 blocked shots against the Suns last night. Keep it coming big man.
Coach Casey
Okay so I get it…fans want Coach Casey gone. But given that the team is still 4 games above 500 after arguably the toughest part of their schedule over, there is some optimism to be noted. Not to mention, the respectable record of 11-7 could easily be much better, with a few lucky bounces and better officiating. The Raptors have been in every game this season, except 1 (Miami, 3 weeks ago). Coach Casey can be better, but so can at least 5 or 6 of the players. However, two things are for sure when it comes to Casey this year (and to be honest, for most of his time here in Toronto):
- The offensive execution continues to be a struggle and confusion on most nights. With no real plan of attack, Casey consistently reverts back to his comfortable and steady dose of DeMar DeRozan isolation plays, with the occasional Kyle Lowry green light. Not good enough. I will say though for the fans who believe the buzzer beater against the Wizards wasn’t exactly Casey’s call – you’re crazy. That was a designed play to keep Cory an open option on the weak side. And it worked like a charm.
- Minutes distribution continues to be questionable, inconsistent, and doesn’t seem to hold players accountable. An interesting question asked by fans on most nights is – how do the minutes of Terrence Ross compare to those of James Johnson? Last night against the Suns, Terrence Ross in 14.5 minutes went 0/4 from the field (0/3 from 3) and had zero points (+2 on the game). JJ went 4/7 in 11.5 minutes and dropped 8 (+7 on the game).
ICYMI, here’s our Raptors Republic roundtable discussion on Coach Casey.
Good DeMar, Bad DeMar
DeMar DeRozan has easily been the most polarizing story for Raptors fans this year, as the rest of his teammates have either been clearly exceeding expectations or falling short of them. DeMar on the other hand, has continued to tease us with stellar offensive performances like those against OKC, and last night against the Suns. Inefficient one night, efficient one night, 15 free throws one night, 6 turnovers one night – we’ve seen the worst and best of DeMar this year. And most of the time when he’s bad, he’s bad at the worst times (think of Utah and Sacramento – great games for 3.5 quarters, before tanking in the last few minutes). But on the flip side, when DeMar is good, he’s really good. And most importantly, he attracts a second or third defender from the opposition – leading to easy assists. If DeMar can somehow shoot at a better clip (at or above 45% from the field) and continue to incorporate an effective passing game into his arsenal, the Raptors will be tough to stop on most nights. I can see this getting better as the season goes on.
Lookahead
The Raptors look to get back to their winning ways against the Hawks on Wednesday night in DeMarre Carroll’s first return to Hotlanta after joining Toronto in free agency. This is going to be a tough one – going into Atlanta’s gym hasn’t been friendly for the Raptors in the past. They follow that up with a back to back against the Nuggets at home to kick off a 6-game homestand (yes, a Thursday home game), and wrap up the week against Steph Curry and those perfect Warriors on Saturday Night (again, a Saturday night home game – weird). If the streaky Raptors can win against the Hawks, and even go 4-2 on their relatively easy homestand (aside from the Warriors game), we could easily be talking about a team that’s won 5/7 and owners of a 16-9 record in a couple of weeks. One game at a time, though – and the Raps have 2 nights to rest and prepare for that showdown in Atlanta.
