Kyle Lowry
The ascension of the 30-year old floor general continued in 2016. Despite slowing down in the first round and a half of the playoffs, Lowry became a better player in the last calendar year. More than just a basketball player, Kyle became a grizzly bear that should never be poked, lest the poker fall victim to a vicious onslaught that can only end in a decisive Raptors victory.
Lowry improved even further in the first half of the new season, posting career best marks in points, field goal and 3-point shooting percentages. Furthermore, he continues to be the guy to rally the troops and rescue wins out of the clutches of defeat time and again.
As the team’s undisputed leader and reliable clutch performer, Lowry had quite a few big moments throughout 2016, here are a few:
Half court buzzer beater to take game 1 of the second round to overtime:
Game winner against Cleveland February 26:
A typical KLOE play, one of many against the Jazz December 23 in an important road victory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tljgLDOE7c
DeMar DeRozan
The other half of the Toronto All-Star combo came back with purpose from Rio and last season’s Eastern Finals run. Adding a difficult to block side step to his arsenal, along with improved passing out of drives and double teams has made DeRozan one of the best offensive players in the Association. Following an encouraging ECF series in 2016, the expectations have been raised for DeMar going into the 2017 playoffs, where the significant experience under his belt should translate into consistent success.
A clutch dunk on Thompson and Cavs:
The big putback on Rubio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cad-E0Jp5qo
DeMarre Carroll
A much-coveted free agent in the summer of 2015, Carroll had a high bar to live up to this past year. And for a lot of it, he hadn’t. Struggling to stay healthy, Carroll made little impact in the grueling playoff run, citing a myriad of injuries upon its conclusion. The second half of 2016 seems to be a harbinger of better times to come, as he played in most of the current season’s games, finding his place as a spot up shooter in the offense. Carroll already has 15 games of 2 or more made threes this season (had 14 all of last season). He still hasn’t shown a consistent ability to be the defensive stopper he was advertised as, but a legitimate case can be made that he is progressing towards that.
A prototypical Carroll triple – this time against the Cavs in the ECF:
Pascal Siakam
The 27th pick in the 2016 draft likely never thought he would be starting on opening night against Detroit, and yet here he is – two months into the season, still starting for the 2nd seed in the East. Though his role will likely be reduced upon Sullinger’s return, Siakam showed enough in his stints to ensure the Raptors invest heavily in his development. His mobility on the floor is lightning-quick, and once his court awareness and strength catch up, Pascal could be a menace on the hardwood. When combined with an improved jumper down the line (he already showed flashes of it), the Raptors stand to gain a solid rotational piece for years to come.
“You comin’ to my house, Gerald?”
Jonas Valanciunas
JV remains a polarizing figure among the fan base. It does not appear as though he will become the All-Star some had penciled him to be, but that may be alright. He is a more-than-serviceable big man in many regular season matchups, and his contributions and value increase in the playoffs when the game slows down. Valanciunas has raised his point totals, rebounds, and field goal percentages in two of his three playoff appearances as compared to the regular seasons that preceded them. For the Raptors to stand a chance against Cleveland (if and when they get there) in May, Jonas will need to repeat the feat in 2017.
Let’s not forget that this happened:
Cory Joseph
Cory continued to be the second unit’s engine in 2016, providing highly competent ball handling and defense off the bench. The first half of the current season sees Joseph posting career highs in points, rebounds and three-point shooting percentage, the latter representing the most vital component of his development in order to remain effective against the league’s top outfits. This past year has cemented CoJo’s standing as one of the best backup point guards in the NBA. Seeing Kyrie explode yet again on Christmas, it is comforting to know that the Raptors have a combination of guys that can defend Uncle Drew as well as anyone in Joseph and Powell, as the franchise works towards being able to defeat the behemoth of the East.
CoJo developing that buzzer-beating three gene:
Patrick Patterson
One of the few players on this season’s version of the Toronto Raptors that isn’t posting statistical career highs, with the exception of one – minutes per game. Patterson’s defense and basketball IQ has improved to the point that Casey is playing him nearly 29 minutes per contest. With his shooting percentages evening out following a horrendous start, Patman is playing starters minutes in his eternal off-the-bench role. His importance to the team’s schemes cannot be overstated, and the difference between the Raptors beating the Cavaliers or losing to them in any one matchup can come down to Patterson making or missing his open looks.
‘Say what?!’ slam against Hawks:
Half Court Buzzer beater against Philly:
Terrence Ross
Could it truly be? Could the wildly inconsistent University of Washington product actually have found his role within the team? Ross is no longer only producing the occasional dunks and threes (there are plenty of those), he now appears capable of changing the momentum of games, an essential skill among top reserves. Boasting a double digit scoring average as well as career highs in field goal percentage and free throw attempts, Terrence has shown a measure of growth in 2016. He no longer appears to be afraid of contact, driving to the rim more than ever before (this season represents a career high in 2-point makes), nor is his confidence lacking when shooting the three. For the first time in his career, Raptor staff and fans know what to expect from Ross on a game-to-game basis. After four years of inconsistency, that’s nothing to scoff at. Whether he will continue to do so in a Toronto Raptors uniform beyond the coming trade deadline is another matter, but there is no doubt that the former dunk champion’s stock has risen in 2016.
Sweet dunk in Philly:
Clutch Three in Denver in OT:
Norman Powell
What more can be said about this young man that hasn’t been already? The Raptors have a number of players who showed considerable improvement in 2016, but none more so than Stormin’ Norm. There were two main reasons that Powell slid to the middle of the second round in the 2015 draft – size and lack of distance shooting. His wingspan and motor easily cancelled out the first part of the equation. The other appeared to be a more significant barrier. Except it wasn’t – Powell has improved his outside shot immeasurably since getting drafted. His rookie year 40.4% from three screamed ‘anomaly’ and beginner’s luck, but this season is proving it wasn’t. He’s upped it to 42.2% in his second year, and with his work ethic, I would not be surprised if that average keeps increasing. Norman Powell may just be the most exciting thing about this Toronto Raptors team, and in this golden age of ‘We The North,’ that’s saying something.
Rocking the house in Game 5 against Indiana:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv9yiPtUs8A
Just another day on the job in Boston:
Lucas ‘Bebe’ Nogueira
2016 is the year Nogueira had been waiting for – after two seasons in the redshirt role, his opportunity had finally come. It took the departure of Biyombo, an injury to Sullinger, and a slow-down of Poeltl – such is the lot of the unheralded NBA prospect. While he’s fouled more than he should and got lost in the defensive schemes at times, Bebe showed much promise, posting very impressive blocking numbers so far this season (1.8 per game). He’s proven to be a useful piece even when Sullinger returns, should Casey want to change up his defensive look in a tight spot.
A pair of ‘get that garbage outta here!’ moments against the Knicks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE06Y2SEsXI
Jakob Poeltl, Bruno Caboclo, Delon Wright, Fred VanVleet
These youngsters have not seen enough action in a Raptors uniform (on an NBA stage) to judge their growth in the past year, but that doesn’t mean this has been forgotten:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzEK9x5ips0
Dwane Casey
It wasn’t that long ago that Casey’s departure appeared to be a foregone conclusion following a devastating sweep at the hands of the Washington Wizards. Fast forward to the end of 2016, and such a notion is laughable. Something has to be said for Ujiri’s support of Casey, one that strengthened Casey’s authority within the organization. In a players league like the NBA, where young ballers from all walks of life often earn more than their ‘boss’ – the head coach, it can be very difficult to achieve the buy-in of the whole locker room. With that decision, Ujiri did not allow the players to deflect 2015’s failure solely onto the coach, forcing them to accept that Casey is there to stay, and they need to work with him if they want the team to succeed.
It was that vote of confidence that gave Dwane the courage to keep DeRozan on the bench in game 2 of the Indiana series, and continue on without a hitch onto game 3. Ujiri was vindicated as the Raptors won that series, and the kiss he delivered onto Casey’s unsuspecting head in the press conference represented the success of both of those patient basketball minds.
Patience is another key word when it comes to Dwane Casey – the man has it in spades. Perhaps that is why fans find it so easy to criticize his decisions, we are by nature beholden to the present; seekers of immediate emotional returns, demanding sweeping changes on the basis of the latest three-game trend. Casey doesn’t think that way. He has a mantra, and he repeats it endlessly. There are few gems to be had in his interviews save for the occasional time-honored metaphor. That’s because he rarely makes wholesale changes – he allows players to grow at their own pace, mould into their intended roles, and backs them even when they fail. He was the one to blame when his offensive system resulted in futile scoring attempts by a pair of overvalued players in Lowry and DeRozan. He gave them time to fail, to learn, while taking heat for doing so. Herein lies the value of continuity, of the right general manager finding the right staff and players, allowing them to err together, to grow together.
I was one of those vehemently calling for Casey’s head in the summer of 2015, refusing to believe he would be back the following season. Suffice to say, I’m glad I was wrong. In the spirit of the holidays, I’d like to extend my apologies to Casey and Ujiri for misjudging Dwane’s value to the club. Once more, the importance of the ethereal chemistry that has been achieved by a group of what appear to be genuinely good human beings right here in the North shines through.
Raw emotion from Casey, and the poignant moment from the 2016 playoffs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRDRtI5ob4M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8UxbJte3UU
The Toronto Raptors Faithful
Although some may consider it facetious, this section is as serious as Norman Powell. The Toronto Raptors have long been the butt of many jokes in the NBA. And rightfully so, as underperforming rosters took to the floor year after year. And yet, inexplicably, the fans did not give up on the organization. Whether the team’s top player was Carter, Mike James, or Andrea Bargnani, the fans continued to rank respectably in attendance and hoped for an improvement in the team’s fortunes.
2016 was a validation of all those long years of scrubbing the bottom of the barrel. As I was watching the dismantling of the Raptors at the hands of the Cavaliers in game 1 of the Eastern Finals, a friend wondered why I remained even-keeled, not worried or angry that the team was underperforming. I explained that I was already beyond excited by winning two playoff rounds, and that no matter what happened from here on out, I was more than happy with the achievement. He called it a defeatist attitude (he was a Spurs fan, you see). He simply did not understand what Raptor fans have gone through over the years. Fans of perennially successful teams will never understand how we continued watching failure after failure undeterred. As a result, they’ll never appreciate success in the same way that we can. We savored every moment of this playoff run, because it was so very rare for us.
That’s why the crowd stood and chanted ‘Let’s go Raptors’ during the last few minutes of game 6, and for some time after the final buzzer too. The crowd was as much a part of the team’s bench as CoJo and Patman, willing our gladiators to leave every last ounce of energy on the floor, beating the Cavaliers in games 3 and 4 when the talent disparity should not have allowed us to even be in it. We made our presence known in every city in North America during road games, and filled out Jurassic Park, setting an NBA standard to be followed by other franchises.
‘We The North’ exceeded all expectations in 2016, and helped the Raptors break a multitude of records. May it continue, and maybe one day in the not-too-distant future, we too will be able to expect nothing less than an NBA finals appearance, and be unfulfilled with a ‘mere’ conference final.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUFRtgwHtZE
Happy holidays to all in Raptorland!
