Morning Coffee – Thu, Nov 24

Small Samples Size Theatre Vol. 2: Early Season Shooting – Raptors Republic

These early season trends represent a sharp 180 degree turn from last season, when everybody seemed to make everything in every game the Raptors played. Last years squad tied for 7th in points scored per possession on spot up attempts, lead by standout performances from Kyle Lowry, Terrence Ross and DeMarre Carroll and supported by strong showings across the board, with only Cory Joseph and James Johnson ranking in the bottom half of the league’s players. Season to date the only above average spot up shooters the Raptors have this year are Norman Powell, Terrence Ross and, surprisingly, Pascal Siakam. After strong showings the past 2 games Patterson is almost exactly average. Everyone else is a awful, with Lowry, DeRozan and Carroll combining to make a meager 25% of their spot up attempts.
This decline on the offensive end is balanced by the fact that the Raptors opponents have experienced a similar drop off. Last year the Raptors were tied for 5th-worst in points allowed per spot up attempt, so while their shooting has fallen off of a cliff it’s balanced out by the fact that their opponents really aren’t doing much better. If you were wondering how the team has still performed fairly well despite the poor shooting this is a big part of the reason why. This Raptors team is a mirrored image of last years; they were horrible at defending shooters but great shooters themselves, now they’re shooting terribly but instead of taking advantage of this opposing shooters are joining the brickfest.
Right now this is all noise and it can be difficult to say what will last. Some of these shooting woes on both sides of the ball could be caused by subtle strategic shifts that we haven’t identified or they could just seem like outliers because our eye test is way off – it’s been known to happen. But If I had any money to bet I’d put a lot of it on shooting in Raptors games normalizing on both sides of the ball with the team approaching their marks from last year by seasons end.

VanVleet outduels Dinwiddie to push Raptors 905 to 3-0 – Raptors Republic

“It wasn’t really a mono e mono thing for me. I was just trying to win the game,” VanVleet said. “He made some great plays down the stretch, and I was able to make a couple buckets to close it out. We made the last run as a team, so I was glad to pull it off.”
It may not have meant much to VanVleet at a personal level, but it’s exactly the type of scenario the Toronto Raptors are hoping to see him thrive in. Up against a more experienced, NBA-tested guard, VanVleet not only led his team to victory but found the delicate balance between engaging in the tit-for-tat while also keeping the offense moving as a whole. That he shot 9-of-22 almost makes his outing even more notable for the purposes of projecting, as he shook off a tough start by looking for teammates, then going back into attack mode. He changed as the game presented different opportunities to him, and he did much better after a similarly shaky shooting start than he did just a few days prior.
“I kinda started it last game the same way, and I stopped attacking ’cause it wasn’t going my way. Today, I just was like ‘forget it, I’mma keep going until something good happens,’” he said. “The game kinda stalled out there at the end, and I just stayed in attack mode.”
That mentality made for an entertaining second half, even as the 905 saw what was once a 22-point lead cut down to as small as five late in the game. Entertaining for some, that is.

The Raptors are still good, beat Rockets 115-102 – Raptors HQ

As is always the case over the course 48 minutes, there are some nits you can pick from the win. Lucas Nogueira prolonged his recent run of poor form, picking up four fouls in 17 minutes while searching for suddenly elusive chemistry with his guards. And the Raptors certainly got bailed out as the Rockets clanged open three after open three in the first half. Toronto’s open-look prevention was inconsistent, and in-game positive regression almost led the Rockets into comeback territory.
Despite those issues, there existed little threat of Toronto handing away the game. Too many guys were excelling in concert for it to ever be in doubt.
Losing four of the previous five might have given some people reason to question Toronto’s place within the Eastern Conference hierarchy. Wednesday’s win in Houston served as a reminder that the Raptors are much closer to the team than rumbled out of the gates to a 7-2 start.

Raptors ditch losing trend in win over Rockets | Toronto Sun

“We still gave up 102 points,” Kyle Lowry pointed out. “That last push in the fourth quarter and at the end of the third they made a good push, but for us we just have to get more consistent.
“I think tonight we just followed the game plan very well. They missed some shots, but those were the shots we were willing to give up. We can still get better.”
Casey, the man who every season goes hoarse screaming for more attention to detail on the defensive end, wasn’t totally overjoyed by what he saw, but he knows it’s an improvement.
“At the end of the day, you still look down and they shot 49%,” Casey said. “That’s something we’ve got to continue to talk about, we’ve got to continue to work on.
“We forced them into 28 turnovers, I thought we had active hands, but we’ve got to get that shooting percentage down and make sure we keep the ball out of the paint.”
The lead, which got as big as 20 at one point in the third, did get down to as little as seven with two minutes to go before the Raptors regrouped and took the crowd back out of it.

Raptors capitalize on turnovers in Houston – Video – TSN

Sam Mitchell and Leo Rautins break down Toronto’s all-around solid performance in Houston, and credit the Raptors’ defence for forcing 28 turnovers that they were able to turn into 33 points.

Game Rap: Raptors 115, Rockets 102 | Toronto Raptors

UNDERRATED RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jonas Valanciunas had a fantastic effort on Wednesday as he recorded a 15-point, 16-rebound double-double in 31 minutes. Valanciunas shot 6-for-10 from the floor, 3-for-4 from the free throw line, and added two assists and a blocked shot. The Raptors were a +17 when Valanciunas was on the floor as the Rockets didn’t have an answer for him.

Rockets fail to take care of the ball in loss to Raptors – Houston Chronicle

Pushed to the brink, Harden remained on the floor to start the fourth quarter, but initially, little changed. He had three more turnovers in the first five minutes of the quarter, giving him 11 in the game, as the Raptors still led by 17.
When the Rockets finally took care of the ball, they made a legitimate move. They were able to put up enough 3s to start getting some to fall. They rallied to within seven and a last chance heading into the final two minutes.
With that, the Raptors got a drive and a 3-pointer from Carroll, with one more Rockets turnover leading to the breakaway layup that sealed the win.
The Rockets struggled offensively from the tip, but the bad shooting to start a second-consecutive game was only the start of the problem, particularly when the Raptors double-teamed the ball out of Harden’s hands, packed the paint and gave up wide-open, extra-pass 3s.
The Rockets made just 3 of 20 3-pointers in the first half, severely limiting their ability to keep pace. But the way the Rockets reacted to their struggles to shoot straight was at least as damaging, and much more preventable.

Carroll getting back in the swing of things – Video – TSN

DeMarre Carroll discusses his impressive 20-point performance and talks about the Raptors’ defensive effort against the Houston Rockets.

DeMar with the corner three #wethenorth pic.twitter.com/viNRlxSU8e
— Sam Holako (@rapsfan) November 24, 2016

Raptors’ defence has Rockets fizzling | Toronto Star

The last bucket came off the 12th of Harden’s turnovers, a sloppy pass across the paint that was easily picked off by Patrick Patterson.
Carroll finished with a season-high 20 points.
The Raptors threw a variety of looks at Harden because Casey figured the Rockets all-star, averaging 28.6 points per game going into the contest, would shred any consistent look.
“There’s different things you have to do . . . double-teams, different looks, body styles,” Casey said before the game. “I don’t think you can show him the same thing.
“He’s probably one of the smartest players in the league as far as recognizing things he’s seen before. He’s a different breed.”
Harden and the Rockets struggled for most of the night, shooting a miserable 3-for-20 from three-point range in the first half as Toronto amassed a 54-39 halftime lead.

DeMar finds DeMarre under the rim with a sick pass #wethenorth pic.twitter.com/SQ6HJhqlUU
— Sam Holako (@rapsfan) November 24, 2016

Pascal Siakam makes it onto the Rookie Ladder rankings – Raptors HQ

iakam’s role in the rotation was never intended to be this prominent — and the Raptors’ starting lineup could conceivably be rejigged to make it better — but the point here is this: Pascal’s doing his best to produce and make it work. He’s doing the things we would have expected (e.g. the aforementioned hustle and heart), but better and for longer than we probably would have counted on.
There were a lot of good feelings surrounding Siakam when he was picked (out of semi-obscurity) by the Raptors. The story of his background is part of it. His personality adds something too. And now, after watching him play for a month, it doesn’t feel ridiculous (or homer-ish) to say the Raptors really do have something special here with Pascal. It’s cool to see him get that recognition from outside the Raptor bubble.
It’s Siakam’s first time in the Rookie Ladder and — even pending the eventual return of Jared Sullinger — I bet he’ll hang around.

ROSS!!! #wethenorth pic.twitter.com/pgWsaEtmdR
— Sam Holako (@rapsfan) November 24, 2016

DeRozan is now one of the NBA’s best scorers. | Sports on Earth

Even though last year’s playoff run for the Raptors was tremendous, the numbers provided an argument that despite being a huge part of the team’s offense, how DeRozan factored into the team’s success on the floor. In 20 playoff games, the Raptors had a net rating of -8.3 when DeRozan was on the floor. It was one of the reasons that many felt once the Raptors signed DeRozan to a long-term deal, they were capping the ceiling of where this team could go.
Where they are was not a bad place heading into this season. Despite roster upgrades from other teams in the East, including Boston signing Al Horford in free agency, many viewed the Raptors as the second best team in the Conference behind Cleveland. The Raptors are 8-4, and those losses include two to the Cavaliers and one to the Golden State Warriors. The continuity of the team’s core group has allowed them to jump-start the season. Toronto has received great early returns on some of their young players, including Powell, who recently moved into the starting lineup for the injured DeMarre Carroll. Rookies Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl have contributed when given opportunities. Jonas Valanciunas has looked more spry on the offensive end. Terrence Ross looks as comfortable as ever in his bench scoring role.
Throw in DeRozan’s leap into one of the best number-one scoring options in the league, and suddenly, a team that won 56 games last season appears poised to replicate that success, and perhaps for years to come. After being mired in mediocrity for so long, it appears Toronto has finally found its core group and an elite backcourt to make them contenders, year in and year out. Lowry, who is 30 and plans to opt out of the final year of his contract this summer, might alter the long-term prospects of this team, but for now, Toronto is riding the wave of the greatest scoring stretch of DeRozan’s career. People expect him to slow down, as they always have. If DeRozan is still bothered by the criticism, he’s not letting it show.
“I don’t get caught up in what anyone says,” DeRozan said. “I just try to get the job done however I can. It doesn’t matter. As long as we go out there and win, that’s all I care about.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNLV8egATG6/

Home Court: Golliver discusses his ranking of DeRozan – Video – TSN

Home Court host Meghan McPeak & co-hosts Duane Watson & Josh Lewenberg are joined by SI NBA writer Ben Golliver to discuss his preseason ranking of DeMar DeRozan and whether or not DeRozan’s hot start as changed his mind on his ranking.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNLTY5dg5gk/

DeRozan and Harden get better together | Toronto Sun

“That’s my bro,” Harden told the Houston Chronicle when asked about DeRozan. “He’s riding a wave right now. He’s being aggressive, he’s scoring in all types of ways. He’s one of the best players in the league.”
DeRozan said it wouldn’t be a mistake to suggest the Los Angeles style of basketball player is that aggressive, score early and score often approach both he and Harden share.
“I think you could say that,” the Raptors leading scorer said. “You kind of gauge where players are from, like you can kind of tell a New York player with the dribbling, with the handles and everything. I would definitely say the L.A. style you could base it off James and I — that aggressiveness, scoring-wise.”
DeRozan didn’t come right out and say it but that approach likely has a lot of Kobe influence in it, a player both he and Harden grew up idolizing.
“Who didn’t?” DeRozan asked when Kobe’s name was brought up. “Everybody grew up on somebody that was a scorer.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNKC6I2l9OJ/

123. Cory Joseph – Player FM