The Raptors “Four Factors” to Playoff Success – Raptors Republic
The Raptors interior defense has had it’s fair share of problems this season. Jonas Valanciunas has shown glimpses of stellar rim protection, and then a handful of games where he goes missing on defense. Pascal Siakam who has also shown glimpses of being a good on ball defender, but hasn’t shown a great sense for grabbing rebounds. Patrick Patterson, is arguably the Raptors best defensive front court option. Patterson is a very smart defender in almost all aspects, and shows the unique ability to guard multiple positions, unfortunately he doesn’t have the size to make him an elite rebounder. This has proven troublesome when he is playing minutes at centre when Valanciunas is having an off game or match ups dictate a smaller lineup. Lucas Nogueira has been a major bright spot defensively, but is still seeing less than 19 minutes per game, and has missed 8 games to injury already this season.
When Nogueira does see playing time, he’s helping fill the the role that Bismack Biyombo gave the Raptors last season off the bench. It seems logical that Nogueira will see some more time in the future, as his rim protection has taken major strides this season. Bebe also posses the length, verticality, and rebounding smarts to box out some of the better rebounders in the league, and as a bonus has proven that he can hold his own on the offensive end. Bebe’s development over the course of the season might be a huge piece for the Raptors come playoff time.
While it was an ugly game to watch, the Raptors loss to the Atlanta Hawks this past Friday was a nice wakeup call for the team. The Raptors allowed the Hawks to score 125 points on their home court, for one of the ugliest defensive showings of the season. The Raptors had a slightly higher eFG% that game, a better turnover percentage, but the Hawks had a 42.9% ORB% compared to the Raptors 21.6%.
Raptors can already focus on the post-season: Cox | Toronto Star
The debate, really, is whether they can develop a team over the course of this season that can challenge the Cavaliers or the Golden State Warriors, if the NBA final was to come to Toronto. Based on the evidence so far this season, the answer is no, they can’t. But we won’t really know the full answer for a while yet.
For starters, once Jared Sullinger gets healthy, we’ll see if the former Celtic can add an element to the Raptors they currently lack. The bulky power forward may only be here for a short time, not a long time, so the answer he brings could be a temporary one.
Second, we don’t know the moves team president Masai Ujiri might make to strengthen his roster before the trade deadline. Maybe none. Maybe something big. There’s no shortage of folks, for instance, who daydream about what DeMarcus Cousins might look like in Huskies blue and white.
Finally, we’re still learning about how a variety of players on the Raptors bench may be able to contribute as the season rolls along, and that’s one of the elements that makes this team intriguing to watch, even if the standings aren’t necessarily filled with drama.
For a team with an eye on a championship sometime in the near future, the Raps are interesting because they’re seemingly trying to develop players at the same time.
Raptors this week: Historic offence can’t mask inconsistent defence forever – Sportsnet.ca
Having played one of the tougher schedules among all teams so far this season it’s entirely possible to see the Raptors keeping up this level of offensive excellence throughout the rest of the season and therefore likely remaining among the NBA’s elite in the regular season. But what about the playoffs, when things get tighter and teams have a chance to really focus their scouting efforts over a prolonged best-of-seven series?
Right now the team simply isn’t playing good enough defence to inspire confidence when put into that context.
Case in point: the Raptors’ last three games.
Their match against the Philadelphia 76ers was never really in doubt, even after going down after the first quarter. However, the Raptors allowed the hapless Sixers – the league’s worst offence – to score 114 points, shoot 50 per cent from the field and hang a 40-point quarter on them. Granted, that 40-point fourth was in garbage time, but it’s still jarring, nonetheless, especially when you consider what happened in their next game.
Three quarters allowing 30 points or more, 125 points allowed in total and an embarrassing 53.5 per cent shooting torch job by the Atlanta Hawks at Air Canada Centre on Friday felt much like a continuation of the fourth-quarter evisceration from the Sixers. It was a rude awakening, and one Toronto didn’t actually wake up for until the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic.
DeMar DeRozan, James Harden named Players of the Week – NBA.com
DeRozan led the Raptors to a 3-1 week, averaging a league-high 31.5 points on 60.5 percent shooting to go with 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. This marks the second time this season he has scored at least 30 points in four consecutive games. DeRozan also shot over 50.0 percent from the field in all four games. On Dec. 16, he tallied 34 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in a 125-121 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. On Dec. 18, he finished with 31 points, three rebounds and three assists in a 109-79 victory over the Orlando Magic.
DeMar DeRozan named Eastern Conference Player of the Week – Raptors HQ
Astoundingly, this is the second time DeRozan has been named Player of the Week this season. He’s now won the honour three times in his career. Along with those 31.5 points per game, DeRozan shot an insane 60.5 percent from the field (46-of-76), and chipped in 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He good.
There’s no slowing down Raptors star DeMar DeRozan | Toronto Sun
Though his free throw rate is down slightly, only four players make more than him per game and his shooting has improved from everywhere on the floor. His player efficiency (26.3) is way up (career 16.8, including a previous high 21.5 last season). His true shooting percentage (.574) is also a new high and most advanced metrics are up as well.
DeRozan is now 74 points away from passing one-time teammate Chris Bosh as the franchise’s all-time scoring leader.
Like many of his teammates, you can quibble about his sub-par defensive efforts, and he needs to be much better on that end, but offensively, DeRozan has become one of the most lethal scoring machines in the world. He doesn’t do it in a traditional way, but it has become impossible to argue with the results.
VanVleet shows the value of the Raptors’ shuttle | Toronto Star
“This is a great testament to our program, the investment we made in 905,” Casey said. “It says a lot about our program, having our guys ready. “If (VanVleet) had just been sitting on the bench down there, not having game experience and game reps as he’s had and Bruno’s had … he would not have been ready.”
VanVleet’s role with the Raptors is well established: He is the third point guard to be used in case of emergency or blowout, and he’s well aware of it. He was pressed into action Sunday when Cory Joseph succumbed to an illness and it is to his credit that he was ready to play. VanVleet is a starter and a key cog with the Raptors 905, even if his attendance is often dependent on the NBA schedule.
“I could come in here with a different offensive set every game and he’ll pick right up on it and he knows what to do,” 905 coach Jerry Stackhouse said last week. “He knows when to pick his spots, knows when to get everybody else involved, but when it’s time for him to make a play for us he steps up and does that.
“I wish we had him down here all the time but I understand.”
Lewenberg: Why it’s time for the Raptors to start Patterson – Article – TSN
Like Amir Johnson before him, Patterson’s contributions won’t necessarily jump out at you. They don’t run plays for him, his counting stats are modest and his jump shot is inconsistent. However, he does the little things that help you win, which makes him the perfect complement to Lowry and DeRozan – a pair of high usage stars.
“You put Pat out there and he’s got one of the highest IQs on the team,” DeRozan said. “His ability to knock down shots, understanding plays defensively, offensively, he’s always two steps ahead with you. He’s got a feel for every one of us. We’ve been playing together for some years now and you can obviously tell that once Pat goes in I think it just brings us all together.”
Last season, the Raptors outscored teams by a total of 403 points with him on the floor – the best mark on the team. This year, he’s a plus-252, second to Lowry (plus-260). Currently, only five NBA players have a better plus-minus than Patterson: the Warriors’ big four – Curry, Thompson, Durant and Green – and Lowry. The Raptors are simply a better team when Patterson is in the lineup.
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Raptors Notebook: Should Patrick Patterson be in the starting lineup? – Sportsnet.ca
The question is not whether or not you can win now without Patterson in the starting lineup, but can you beat a team like the Cavs who spread the floor so well offensively and are tough to guard in the pick and roll? The Raptors starting lineup was -17 in their last loss to Cleveland. Every point is precious against the NBA’s elite and the Raptors know this— they lost all three games to the Cavs this year by four points or less.
Raptors notebook: Does Brook Lopez’s 3-pointer merit respect? – The Athletic
“We were winning some games easily so we kind of relaxed,” said Valanciunas, rationally. “That’s what we cannot do. It’s good it’s early in the season — or middle of the season, almost, but we still have some time. We just have to remind ourselves that every team can play hard and come out and fight and play hard.”
“The consistent approach: the physicality, the having someone feel you, not being … far away from guarding your man,” Casey added when asked about what he was looking for from his defence. “Your guy cuts to the lane, and he’s got to feel your presence. All of those things are reminders. Hindsight’s undefeated. Still, to see it, to be embarrassed by it, the way Atlanta did with us, was eye-opening hopefully for our team.”
The Raptors are allowing 104.9 points per 100 possessions, just 18th in the league. In Brooklyn, the Raptors get another bottom-third offensive team: They rank 22nd.
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Tipoff: Nets at Raptors | Toronto Sun
Brook Lopez vs. Jonas Valanciunas
The big man has always seemed to have his way against the Raptors. Lopez has averaged 21.4 points and 8.1 rebounds on 54% shooting from the field in 21 career meetings against Toronto. He came a rebound and two assists shy of his first career triple-double on Sunday (and added five blocks).
“Now he’s added a three-point shot, so, it’s (an) even bigger weapon,” Valanciunas said of Lopez on Monday after practice.
Lopez had made three three-pointers in eight seasons before hitting 44 so far.
Nets walking into Raptors buzz saw with limited Jeremy Lin | New York Post
Lopez is fully healthy but was left home Monday.
“Brook is going to rest against the Raptors,” Atkinson said. “It’s just performance, information we get, accumulation, everything. We’re just taking everything into account, in conjunction with me, Brook and the performance team.”
That means more playing time for big men Luis Scola, Anthony Bennett and Justin Hamilton. Hamilton hasn’t played since Dec. 7 against Denver.
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Game day: Brooklyn Nets at Toronto Raptors | Toronto Star
KEY MATCHUP
Brook Lopez, Nets, vs. Jonas Valanciunas, Raptors. Two of the longest-serving Eastern Conference centres match up in what is usually a physical affair. Valanciunas had 16 points and 13 rebounds Sunday in Orlando, and has double-doubles in three of his last four games. Lopez is one of the few Brooklyn bright spots, averaging more than 20 points per game.
5 NBA Stats to Know Through Week 9- numberFire
The scary thing for other NBA teams is the top quintet is made up with three starters and two bench players. Superstars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan continue leading the way, but veteran Patrick Patterson, along with young role players Lucas Nogueira and Norman Powell form the top five-man group in the NBA.
This group has a remarkable +69.4 net rating per 100 possessions, which outpaces Golden State’s group by 10.7 points. Another positive for the Raptors is that in an evolving NBA, teams are favoring an up-tempo offense instead of using a big man, which plays right into the hands of this group north of the border.
With two stars and a plethora of strong role players, the Raptors can adapt to any style of play and could make them a tough opponent for anyone come playoff time.
Report: Tony Allen on the Trade Block? – Grizzly Bear Blues
Who exactly would be interested in his services? Memphis almost traded Allen to the Minnesota Timberwolves two years ago- would Tom Thibodeau be interested in getting a man of Allen’s talents on the young Wolves? What about teams like the Houston Rockets, the Toronto Raptors, and the Boston Celtics? These are teams that may well be contenders in their respective conferences, but could use a talented defender who could bring energy and an ability to slow star players like Thompson, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, or LeBron James in the playoffs.
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