Raptors 905 111, Erie Bayhawks 91 | Box Score
For the better part of the season, Raptors 905 recaps have contained the same caveats: The team’s progress shouldn’t be measured by wins and losses early, development isn’t linear, and the team was playing better and better despite mounting losses. Whether people believed that, whether the players in the locker room even continued to believe it deep down, incremental improvements were being made as the 905 lost better and better games during a long stretch of play against elite competition.
Well, coming out of the D-League Showcase, the schedule turned some, and all of those mounting losses and accumulating lessons reached a tipping point of sorts. Now, Raptors 905 find themselves on the first three-game winning streak in franchise history, improving their record to 8-18 in the process. Sure, their wins have come against easier competition (a combined record of 38-36), but when you’re dead last in the league, there are no cupcakes.
The 905 visited Erie, the league’s worst offense, on Thursday, and they showed exactly what their defense, their presumed and long-awaited calling card, can do. They’ve quietly moved to the middle of the pack in defense, and even without the presence of three – or any – players on assignment from the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, they completely locked down an opponent that wasn’t up for the challenge.
The Bayhawks shot 46.1 percent from the floor, but the 905 did well to keep them off the 3-point line and away from the charity stripe. More notably, the aggressive group forced 20 turnovers leading to 26 points the other way. That’s the identity in mind when the roster was constructed, a long, fast, versatile defense that could switch easily and force turnovers, with athleticism then buoying a strong transition offense. With Sim Bhullar helping deter drivers, Ronald Roberts playing great man-to-man defense, and Axel Toupane working as the lead ball-hawk, the 905 pressured Erie into late, low-efficiency shots and difficult passes. It’s somewhat surprising Erie even shot as well as they did, as they hit 44 percent on mid-range jumpers and managed just 34 points in the paint.
Bhullar’s defense, by the way, is funny to watch but remains effective. There’s little substitute for size, and to a man, drivers will adjust early when they see him lurking.
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The 905 trusted Bhullar with 28 minutes Thursday, by far a season-high. This is only the second time he’s traveled with the team, and he’s now playing much more regularly. His minutes aren’t always large when players are on assignment, but Bhullar’s been having more impressive outings of late, with a few exceptions. Thursday saw him finish with 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting, eight rebounds, a block, a plus-17 rating, and a nifty assist.
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He remains a project, of course, and his teammates have to be very careful about how they use him and how they funnel their men to him.
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Still, size makes up for a lot, and he continues to look like a project worth developing, if for no other reason than his body presents a major “what if?”
He wasn’t the only Canadian to show well – Melvin Ejim had an inefficient shooting night but looks much improved as a ball-handler and playmaker, and Myck Kabongo remains a turnover machine on both ends of the floor – nor was he the only 905er to have a good game.
Toupane spent the night doing his best DeMar DeRozan impression, hitting a few degree-of-difficulty shots and living at the free-throw line. He finished with 34 points, six assists, and four steals, and while the defensive potential has long been evident, his offense has really come on of late.
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Roberts tutned in his usual strong game, too, scoring 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting with 11 rebounds and two assists. The Bayhawks’ had little answer for him inside, and while Roberts finished with five turnovers, a couple of those were the result of overzealous post-entry passes or him trying to bail the team out late in the clock. He was able to show some nice touch around the basket, and the skill part of his game is coming along in support of the ridiculous motor and athleticism.
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Elsewhere, Melvin Johnson continued his ridiculous 3-point shooting (he’s at 44.7 percent on the season and, I swear, 120 percent from the corners) and showed some finesse on a ridiculous feed from Shannon Scott in the third quarter.
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More encouraging than any one player’s outing Thursday was that the 905 put together a complete, 48-minute, two-way game, on the road, without NBA players (and with Greg Smith out with an ankle sprain). Even against Erie, a bad team missing Keith Appling but one that, remember, is above them in the standings, that’s encouraging.
The 905 surrendered 91 points on 95 possessions, with 24 of those coming via their own 17 turnovers. When set, the defense was terrific. And when not turning the ball over, the offense was great, shooting 50.7 percent from the floor and getting to the line 45 times. They led mostly from bell-to-bell, never trailing by more than six, and they never let the large lead they built get chipped away to a manageable margin. There are things with each passing game that the 905 are checking off of their “must fix” list (turnovers have stayed at No. 1 all year), and they’re doing a much better job playing complete games and staying composed regardless of the situation.
Head coach Jesse Mermuys has spoken plenty about this young, inexperienced team learning to win. They took some lumps to do so, but the last week has shown that the teachable losses haven’t been for naught. Now, the 905 draw Westchester on Friday, a chance to beat a team twice in short order without succumbing to any adjustments the Knicks may make. Extending the winning streak to four will be another sign of progress, and if it’s snapped, there’s now evidence the 905 will build meaningfully off a loss.
