Sullinger could miss 2-3 months, Patterson ‘leading candidate’ to start – Raptors Republic
The obvious name to till the Powell role this time around is that of rookie Pascal Siakam, who figures to be a prominent part of the opening night rotation right now. While the Raptors are very high on the No. 27 overall pick long-term and have been encouraged by his performance at training camp, the ideal scenario for a 56-win team doesn’t really involve thrusting a rookie into the spotlight out of the gate. Whether he ends up starting in a high-energy, low-usage, defense-first role or coming off the bench as part of what could be a very fun but inexperienced second unit, Siakam’s going to be leaned on while Sullinger’s on the mend.
That doesn’t mean Siakam will start, though, despite head coach Dwane Casey’s prior preference to bring sixth man Patrick Patterson off the bench. There are different schools of belief when it comes to Patterson as a starter, but there are several reasons it’s long made sense for him to start, with some pretty strong evidence in support. Foremost, Patterson is a natural tactical and logical fit with the starters. A switchy three-point threat who doesn’t need the ball and is capable of guarding larger frontcourt players, he’s basically the description of what a team should want alongside Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and Jonas Valanciunas. Touches are in short supply, anyway, so a floor-spacer who provides value at the other end makes sense, and he and DeMarre Carroll together open up some options defensively.
This was the argument last year, too, however, and the team continued to start Luis Scola. There’s a persistent thought that Patterson has some sort of block when it comes to starting, and Casey has paid credence to that in the past, but there’s not a great deal of statistical evidence in support of it. Yes, Patterson had somewhat of a rough preseason trying to lock down the starting job last year, and he hit a poorly timed shooting slump when thrust into the starting lineup in the playoffs, but he was also quite effective overall in those postseason outings, and lineup data suggests the starters with Patterson could be one heck of a unit. That fivesome only played 16 minutes together last year, eviscerating opponents in a tiny sample, and then outscored Indiana and Miami by 5.7 points per-100 possessions over a meaningful, high quality-of-competition, 95-minute sample.
2016-17 Raptors Season Preview Panel, Part One – Raptors Republic
WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT FOR THE 2016-17 SEASON?
Blake Murphy: Spending it with all of you.
Tactical Observations from Preseason: The Foundation for Jonas Valanciunas – Raptors Republic
The Raptors introduced Split Cuts into their offense very late last year, beginning in the playoffs. It is interesting to see that it has remained in the Raptors offensive repertoire and is a good sign of growth
Impromptu Post Ups
This last set of post ups are a bit less concrete in schematic terms but do make sense in a broad way.
During the preseason, in possessions where the Early Offense has died out on the first option or once a set has run its course without producing an advantage, the Raptors have seemed to spontaneously dumped the ball into Valanciunas. In years past, those possessions may have ended in long-range, off-the-dribble jumpers, but a possession or two in most games have seemed to find their way to Valanciunas on the low block as a way for the offensive possession to be saved.
In order, those possessions featured Valanciunas and Joseph engaging in a pick and roll, which lead to Valanciunas rolling into post position, a smart way to gain valuable real estate in the paint without having to waste valuable seconds on the clock. Next, the Raptors ran a Wedge Pick and Roll, which is essentially a screen-the-screener action along the sideline. Typically, Valanciunas’ tendency to clog up the lane would’ve worked to the Raptors’ detriment, but they leveraged his position and got him an impromptu post up where he showed decent vision after Patterson wisely sealed his man. Lastly, after Derozan failed to find a good lane to the rim in early offense, the Raptors dumped the ball into Valanciunas after clearing that side of the floor.
It’s unclear if they did this with clear instruction from Casey or Valanciunas’ incredible playoff run has brought him valuable recognition from his teammate recognizing his skills as an offensive weapon, even one that can bail them out when all else fails.
This is not to say the Raptors will no longer go to Lowry or DeRozan late in the clock. A vast majority of those possessions will stay with those two, but expect a slight uptick in Valanciunas’ usage late in the clock.
Patterson: Same answer as always, doesn’t matter if I start or not – Sportsnet.ca
Raptors forward Patrick Patterson says it still doesn’t matter if he starts or doesn’t, also touches on what he sees in a young energetic, skilled Pascal Siakam.
Devlin: Caboclo project still very much a work-in-progress – Sportsnet.ca
Toronto Raptors voice Matt Devlin joins Blair and Brunt to figure out how the club will look without their big free agent signing Jared Sullinger, and talks about where the Bruno Caboclo project stands right now.
Signs point to Raptors starting Patrick Patterson | Toronto Sun
“I like Pat coming off the bench but I also like experience in the game, too,” Casey said Monday. “So we’ll see. Pascal, I don’t think pressure bothers him. He’s an energetic kid. His spirit is a lot like (Bismack) Biyombo’s as far as his overall game spirit is concerned. The coaches have worked well with him defensively. Coach (Rex) Kalamian, who’s in charge of the defence, has done a good job of getting him ready defensively. We’ve just gotta continue to believe in that. That’s what he brings to the table. He’s not going to be shooting threes and (we’re not) running plays for him. His thing is to rebound, run the floor, have a pick-and-roll coverage, make sure he’s in the right place for that. So a lot of his energy and his stuff is gonna come from the defensive end of the floor, his contribution.”
Patterson has been 100% consistent every time he’s asked about starting or coming off the bench and he kept his record intact Monday when it was raised again.
“Same question I always get since I’ve been here,” Patterson said. “Same answer you’re always going to get since I’ve been here: It doesn’t matter. As long as I have a role on this team, whether I start or come off the bench, it doesn’t matter.”
Siakam may still be a rookie but he’s savvy enough to know a rookie doesn’t make demands or proclamations either when it comes to roles.
“At this point I don’t know what choices I have to make,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going on so I’ll be ready whatever Coach Casey want’s me to play. I don’t care when (I play), I have no preference. Whenever my name gets called I’ll go out there and play hard just like I always do.”
DeRozan and Lowry – The most unique backcourt in the NBA – Video – TSN
The Raptors All-Star backcourt of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry will no doubt be expected to carry the load for Toronto again this season. Both have been vocal about their affinity for the city as well as for each other. Leo Rautins takes a closer look at their unique relationship.
The @NBA and @Twitter release new emojis for all 30 teams. @TwitterSports#DefendTheLand #DubNation #GoSpursGo #WeTheNorth #GrindCity pic.twitter.com/T0dYs0Ne9w
— Good Morning America (@GMA) October 24, 2016
Casey, Raptors out to prove naysayers wrong – Video – TSN
As the Raptors get set to open the season, Kara Wagland talks to Toronto head coach Dwane Casey about DeMar DeRozan re-signing, Jared Sullinger, pre-season rankings and how the league might be underestimating his squad.
Raptors lean on youth to fill in for injured Sullinger – Article – TSN
Whether Siakam starts or not, the rookie will have a role in the regular rotation right out of the gate. The 22-year-old says he’s ready and seems to have the confidence of his coaches and teammates coming off a strong training camp. He’s anxiously awaiting his NBA debut on Wednesday. “It’s going to be huge,” he said. “Like I always say, it’s something that is bigger than me. It’s my family, it’s my dad that passed away. There’s so much. He really wanted this. I think opening night is going to be really important for me. I know I’m in the NBA now, but now it’s real.”
NBA PM: Undrafted Players Earning Final Roster Spots | Basketball Insiders
While he may not see a lot of minutes once the regular season starts for the Raptors, VanVleet will serve as the team’s third point guard option behind Kyle Lowry and Cory Joseph. Though he may not play a lot, his time being around veterans like Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas will be beneficial for him.
In seven games during the preseason, VanVleet averaged 8.3 points, 2.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 20 minutes per game. His best game of the preseason happened against the Argentinian basketball club San Lorenz, when he recorded 31 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Ujiri on Sullinger: Skinny guys have had these problems too – Sportsnet.ca
Masai Ujiri talked about Jared Sullinger’s injury and how he hopes the Raptors can fill the void.
NBA Season Preview: Toronto Raptors – Amico Hoops
The Raptors have several things going for them: They finally got out of the first round, they are well-coached with the forever-wise Dwane Casey, and they have some real stars in Kyle Lowry and DeMarr DeRozan. Everyone else, from Jonas Valanciunas to Terrence Ross to Cory Joseph and beyond has their moments. But like most teams in the East, the Raptors are likely still playing for second. And when you’re as good as the Raptors, second place is no place. Even Casey himself has admitted overtaking LeBron James is an often fruitless mission. On the bright side, the Raptors are perhaps better equipped than anyone (in this conference) to at least make a serious run at it.
Player Preview 2016-17: Bringing Up Bebe – Raptors HQ
In talking to Nogueira before the season, it’s clear he is aware of his sometimes precarious status on the team. True, Biyombo is gone, and the team has no other backup centres with NBA experience on the roster (especially so now, with Jared Sullinger, the team’s small ball 5 out indefinitely). The minutes should be there for him, with only rookie Jakob Poeltl, the team’s other active 7-footer, on-hand to fill them. But Nogueira acknowledges nothing in the NBA is given.
“I’ve been working since the season was over, because I knew this year was going to be a very important year in my life,” said Nogueira on media day. “Of course right now people expect me to be the backup centre because Biz [Biyombo] is gone, but like I said, I don’t create expectation. They just drafted two bigs, very good players, Pascal [Siakam] and Jakob [Poeltl], so I’m not gonna say this is my position, this is my spot because I’m here three years. You gotta fight for it.”
The ongoing perception of Bebe, one he has joyfully groomed over the past two seasons in Toronto, has been of a player who is seriously unserious. Maybe it’s his wild sea anemone hair, or his wide smile, or all those times he’s offered up ridiculously long, rambling quotes to sportswriters looking for something — anything — outside the norm. (Bebe remains the best athlete interviewer of other athletes of all time, for example.) He’s always been entertaining, even when not playing. And while youth and its attendant exuberance has a value in the NBA, particularly when it comes as part of, say, a beautiful swooping alley-oop finish, or a deliciously violent blocked shot, it needs direction and purpose lest it fizzle out as wasted potential.
The Raptors announced this past weekend that they’ve exercised the fourth year option on Nogueira’s contract. Even for a player who has barely played for the team, this is a prudent move, both in a financial and basketball sense.
Sitdown with Masai Ujiri – Sportsnet.ca
Eric Smith sits down the Toronto Raptors GM Masai Ujiri ahead of the 2016-17 season, to see how management hits the reset button after a great season full of unfinished business.
No stranger to adversity, Raptors can overcome Sullinger injury – Sportsnet.ca
Let’s peg his return to action at sometime around the all-star break in mid-February, which would give Toronto two months to incorporate him into their lineup before the playoffs, which is enough time, in other words.
It’s a less than ideal situation, clearly, but even as they rolled to franchise marks in almost every category a year ago, the Raptors dealt with some significant adversity.
Why were they able to get through it so well a year ago?
The Raptors were a deeper team than often recognized, given the amount of focus and attention afforded to LowRozan. James Johnson and Bismack Biyombo were more than capable fort-holders for Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, and Carroll’s extended absence created an opportunity for Norm Powell to make the leap from second-round D-Leaguer to full-on diamond-in-the-rough status.
And while Luis Scola was widely viewed as the place where power forward productivity went to die for most of last season, he missed just six games all year at age 35 and from October to January—a stretch when the Raptors were often missing Carroll and Valanciunas—he shot 42 per cent from three and posted a defensive rating of 104/100 possessions, better than the team average.
Is there reason to believe the Raptors have the depth to manage without Sullinger?
Optimistically you would have to say yes.
Hello! Jack’s thoughts as NBA season starts this week – Article – TSN
JARED SULLINGER (Raptors): A significant blow to the early season prospects for this team that had hoped to continue its rise from last season. When you consider the departure of Luis Scola, James Johnson and Bismack Biyombo and now this injury, the Raptors don’t have an abundance of guys with a proven consistent professional track record. I understand that none of them were stars, but they all had some degree of experience that helps a whole lot. The margin of error is a little slimmer, but it can be overcome. I don’t want to hear the nonsense about reducing Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan’s minutes. The job is to play and to win games – plain and simple. With that slimmer margin, it’s ludicrous for anyone to even bring that up right now. Bottom line, Lowry and DeRozan will need Cory Joseph, Terrence Ross, Jonas Valanciunas, Patrick Patterson and DeMarre Carroll to be at their very best early on to weather this storm. The roster has seven players that are relatively young and unproven with Norman Powell (I’m a fan) being the most promising of the group. That’s a lot of pressure, but I’ve always been impressed with the patience and confidence that Masai Ujiri shows in his players and the ability of Dwane Casey to find a way to adapt and adjust somehow and someway. Sometimes, adversity brings out the best in folks and provides an opportunity for growth later in the season. Buckle in.
Patterson leading candidate to replace Sullinger as Raptors starter | Toronto Star
The screw inserted into Jared Sullinger’s foot Monday set in motion a difficult stretch to start the Toronto Raptors season. For now, team president Masai Ujiri is hoping an in-house solution emerges.
Preferring to make moves in the off-season, Ujiri said he’d like to see how the players they have fare at power forward before considering a trade.
“We like continuity and I think we’ll go with that,” he said. “I know coach (Dwane Casey) will figure out how he wants to play the players and he’ll tell you guys more on that. That’s his part. But, yes, you assess the team as we go but we’re going to be very patient with it.”
Casey started rookie Pascal Siakam in the final three pre-season games, but could pull veteran Patrick Patterson off the bench if he wants to be more certain of what he’ll get when the ball goes up. Small forward DeMarre Carroll remains an option, if Casey wants to try a smaller lineup.
“Patrick, right now, is our leading candidate,” Casey said. “Love Pascal. So it’s probably going to be a back and forth between those two. Pascal brings energy and defensive flexibility where we like, Patrick’s got the veteran leadership and veteran experience at that position, so it will probably be a back and forth until Sully comes back.”
For Casey, who deployed the these-are-our-guys mantra last spring even as his guys were clanking shot after shot, it’s a matter of developing some extra options. “We have to say, ‘OK, they’re taking Kyle out, taking DeMar out, somebody else has to step in,’” the coach said in an interview.
The most obvious candidate is Jonas Valanciunas, the seven-foot centre who overpowered Indiana in the first round before an ankle injury against Miami derailed his playoffs. DeMarre Carroll, who battled injuries after arriving as a big-dollar free agent from Atlanta and never really got his offensive game rolling, could also be that third option, as could Terrence Ross, the talented swingman who hurt himself in training camp on a 360-degree dunk attempt, which is pretty much the perfect Terrence Ross injury.
Talk of having bigger contributions from some of the lesser Raptors, though, sounds a bit like addressing a leaky roof by fixing the windows. If this team is going to improve on last year’s post-season run, it doesn’t need a better third or fourth option, it needs better first and second options.
Five Question Season Preview: Atlantic Division – RealGM Analysis
Yet even before tackling Sullinger’s recent injury news and Poeltl’s preseason presence (or more aptly, lack of it), a dive into last year’s lineup data paints a different picture. For starters, Biyombo actually had slightly better on/off numbers than Valanciunas, despite the latter’s role as the team’s starter, per NBA.com data. On/off numbers can be a bit noisy, so it can’t be looked at as totally damning. In this case in particular, Biyombo impact was likely boosted by sharing time with bench units that were among the strongest in the league while Valanciunas spent a lot of time starting alongside Luis Scola.
Dig deeper, however, and a massive, Biyombo-sized hole starts to form. Of the nine 5-man combinations Toronto rolled out for over 100 minutes last year, only three posted positive point differentials per 48 minutes, according to NBA.com. In those three lineups, the big man anchoring them wasn’t Valanciunas, but a certain Congolese center now plying his trade in central Florida.
The Biyombo-Patrick Patterson-Terrence Ross-Cory Joseph-Kyle Lowry quintet was the Eastern Conference version of the “Death Lineup”, outscoring opponents by 16.5 points per 48 minutes. That lineup was a huge part of the Raptors ability to have success despite middling production from their starting five. Whether Biyombo helped fuel such a potent lineup or was merely a beneficiary of it remains to be seen
A look at the NBA power rankings going into the season. | Sports on Earth
The Raptors were six wins away from winning last year’s NBA championship, and the most significant contributor they lost over the summer was a backup center. To make that small but exceedingly tricky leap to the Finals, they’ve essentially rolled back the same roster, drafted Jakob Poeltl (to replace Bismack Biyombo) and swapped Luis Scola for Jared Sullinger.
Continuity is helpful, and a healthy DeMarre Carroll should allow Dwane Casey to utilize smaller lineups that give Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan even more room to operate. The bench is filled with capable role players like Cory Joseph, Patrick Patterson and Terrence Ross. There isn’t much that can hold the Raptors back, even though Lowry turns 31 in March and DeRozan is a shoot-first, pass-second, defend-never magnet for criticism.
Toronto’s big picture relevance ultimately hinges on Jonas Valanciunas becoming a two-way powerhouse, and that’s not the most comforting reality. There’s nothing wrong with finishing third in the East.
This Week in Raptorland: Who’ll replace Sullinger in Raptors’ starting lineup? – Sportsnet.ca
Patterson would probably be the best choice to replace Sullinger in the starting lineup, but Casey has been reticent to put him into that role because he likes the boost he provides the second unit on both ends of the floor.
That leaves a likely choice between DeMarre Carroll or rookie Pascal Siakam, who started the Raptors final four pre-season contests.
Carroll says he’s finally 100 per cent healthy for the first time in his Raptors career so he can certainly fit in at the four should the Raptors want to go with a smaller lineup. However, he is just coming off surgery and no matter how good a player feels in camp and in pre-season, it’s a completely different beast when it comes to the real thing. Carroll’s too important a player for the team to risk throwing him right back into the fire at a position where he will take a lot of contact.
So the most rational candidate to start Wednesday at the four is Siakam. While obviously not ideal, Siakam looked respectable in the pre-season averaging 9.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 block per game in 22.0 minutes per contest –relatively good numbers for what Casey and the Raptors need out of the position.
Power forward hasn’t been a focus of the Raptors’ attack in a very long while, so as long as Siakam’s able to set screens, crash the glass and block a shot here and there it should be more than enough.
Whether or not that will result in wins while the Raptors wait for Sullinger to return, however, is up in the air.
The best and worst scenarios for every NBA team this season – The Washington Post
Worst case: Lowry begins to decline and DeRozan takes a step back after getting a hefty contract. Carroll’s injury lingers and Valanciunas doesn’t make the long anticipated leap in ability. Toronto wins 45 games and goes home after the first round for the third time in four years. Lowry leaves as a free agent, coach Dwane Casey is let go, and general manager Masai Ujiri has a lot of decisions to make.
2016-17 NBA Standings Predictions | Today’s Fast Break
Toronto Raptors — It’ll be tough for the Raptors to top their franchise-best campaign of 2015-16, and I think they’re going to take a small step back. That’ll be enough to drop them to the No. 3 seed, but they should safely finish there without worrying about dropping further.
VanVleet is fitting in with Raptors – Article – TSN
That feeling – hearing that he made an NBA team and being able to share it with those closest to him – was something he had hoped to experience back in June. Alas, the draft came and went. Sixty names were called and VanVleet’s wasn’t one of them. The snub was not exactly a surprise. He knows what he is. He’s undersized at 6-feet, 195 pounds. He’s an older rookie, having played four years at Wichita State. He’s not the quickest, flashiest or the most athletic.
Not being selected may have been a blessing in disguise. Masai Ujiri and the Raptors had worked VanVleet out earlier in the month and were impressed. The qualities he does possess are things they look for and value highly – poise, toughness, tenacity and a defence-first approach. He seemed to fit the organization and its culture like a glove. The call to his agent was one of the first they made after the draft. He would be invited to play for Toronto in the Las Vegas Summer League and then, shortly after that, to join them in training camp.
The problem was there wasn’t an obvious spot for him on the roster. The Raptors were, and still are, loaded at the point guard position. Kyle Lowry is the team’s most valuable commodity. Local product Cory Joseph is coming off a breakout season and has emerged as one of the league’s top backups. Delon Wright embraced his time in the D-League during his rookie campaign and seemed ready for a bigger workload as a sophomore.
VanVleet’s fortunes turned when Wright went down with a shoulder injury that will sideline him until December, at the earliest, leaving Toronto in need of a third point guard for the first couple months of the season.
Their decision this past weekend was an easy one. Both Drew Crawford and Canadian sharpshooter Brady Heslip made strong cases for themselves with solid showings in camp, but VanVleet was always their guy.
