It should be pretty clear from my short time here at Raptors Republic that I look at things through a critical lens, always looking for the reason why things are or are not working at their optimal level. Coaching is probably one of the most difficult things to evaluate like this because it can be difficult to tell how much of a teams problems are bad strategy handed down from the coaches or bad execution by the players, lines that get blurred even further when the team in question is as inconsistent as the Toronto Raptors have been over the last few seasons.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey may be one of the tougher coaches in the NBA to evaluate. Statistically he seems very strong – his team is consistently near the top of the league in pure offensive production, as measured in points per possession, but the team seems to struggle against elite defenses and in big moments and they have what may be the least visually appealing of the NBA’s elite offenses. As an assistant he was at least partially responsible for some elite and innovative defensive play but his Raptors team has struggled mightily with defensive consistency and with finding minutes for the players who rate as the teams best defenders. He makes a lot of questionable decisions with his rotation, at times completely abandoning successful lineups or leaving the Raptors with precious few shooters on the floor which allows opponents to pack the paint.
I’m by no means a fan of him but every now and then we do see the whole package from Coach Casey – a quality game plan, timely substitutions and a few minor but effective tweaks to the game strategy that turn the tide in the Raptors favour. Last nights game against the Wizards was one such game.
Not wanting to give star guard John Wall or any of the Wizards breathing room Casey opted to forego some potential easy second chance three pointers or early offense off of offensive rebounds for some transition defense security by sagging a guard back when the Raptors put a shot up. This paid big dividends least once, when Lowry easily intercepted an outlet pass the Wizards usually complete off a defensive rebound, and the Raptors consistently kept the Wizards from running off of makes or off of defensive rebounds. Whenever possible they would give Wall obstacles to run around as he brought the ball up court – someone like Scola would veer into his path to divert him a bit and keep him from getting a straight path up court.
Casey kept Wall contained in the halfcourt by switching most guard-guard screens, seemingly preferring a potential mismatch against the likes of the bigger DeMar DeRozan over giving Wall clean catches and space to create, while the team continued to drop big men back against the pick and roll, preferring to give Wall anything but a shot at the rim. After some early struggles Jonas Valanciunas settled in nicely, keeping Wall from getting any clean looks at the rim and forcing him to try to get his points off of floaters and pull up jumpers. When Wall forced his way to the rim the Wizards found a flurry of hands deflecting passes, disrupting lanes and swiping at catches before shots could be attempted.
The Raptors also made a concerted effort to attack Wall with their offense, doing an excellent job of getting him into mismatch situations. After getting Wall switched onto the bigger and more physical DeRozan or James Johnson they would go right at him, occupying him on the ball so he couldn’t get out and run and physically wearing him down by making him work in ways that are not really familiar to him – he’s used to fighting over screens, not fighting for position inside. This helped ensure that Wall was near the rim as the ball was inbounded and the Raptors had a lot of bodies in front of him to keep him from running the floor off of made shots.
Casey nailed his rotations as well, bringing in shooters early to counter the aggressive Wizards defense. This extra space to operate was a big part of the Raptors closing the gap in the first half. He also did an excellent job of managing the minutes of Bismack Biyombo. When he was in the game the Wizards defense ramped up the intensity, knowing that catching on the move and in traffic is not exactly his strength, forcing turnovers when the Raptors passed to him and blowing up the offensive set when they didn’t. Biyombo played 18 minutes spread out over four appearances on the floor, minimizing the negative impact that his offensive deficiencies could have while keeping Valanciunas fresh. He utilized James Johnson very effectively in much the same way, exploiting the physical advantages that Johnson had and then taking him out as the Wizards adjusted.
The Raptors guards scored a lot of points, the big men defended the rim well and there was precious little in the way of bench production but the most noteworthy part of this game for me was the consistent application of a solid game plan by a team that has had trouble with this in the past. Perhaps some of the Raptors struggles in this department last year were the result of a mismatch between coach and players, with Casey favouring a more physical style of play that guys like Lou Williams and Greivis Vasquez were unable to deliver. If that’s the case the moves the Raptors made in the offseason clearly sent the team off in a more Casey-friendly direction – newcomers Biyombo, Cory Joseph and DeMarre Carroll are not perfect players but “soft” will never be among any honest criticism directed at them. The 2015 Raptors seemed outcoached and outworked at times and needed to outscore opponents to beat them, managing only 11 wins when held under 100 points all season. Including last night they’ve managed 9 this season and we haven’t even hit the halfway mark, making it clear that anyone expecting the Raptors to try to out-shoot them again this year will be in for a long night. It’s also worth noting that three of those sub-100 point wins have come against the Wizards, and if you’re wondering if that’s a coincidence consider this:
DeRozan set season-highs in scoring twice in last 10 days. Both against Wizards. I asked what's up with that.
DD:"We got swept last year."
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) January 9, 2016
