The New Point Guard Controversy – Raptors Republic
But traditional statistics don’t show the whole picture as Joseph does not look like the same player he was last season on the defensive end. What has traditionally been his calling card has been a clear area of struggle for him. Last season he was a revelation for the Raptors in how he hounded opponents. This season he is regularly getting blown past, or losing his man off ball. Something just appears to be off for Cory, and his defensive win shares has dropped from 1.7 last season to just 0.5 this season.
The Raptors meanwhile are getting ready to welcome Delon Wright back from injury, with Delon having missed the entire season after shoulder surgery in August to fix a labral tear.
Delon remains a curious prospect in both measurements and skills. It’s not very often that you find a 6’5” point guard with a tight handle, good vision and passing, a 6’7.5 wingspan, and the ability to guard smaller/quicker players.
The biggest problem is it’s tough to know exactly what Delon can bring to the table. Due to recovering from surgery we have yet to see him this season and last season saw him receive a total of 229 minutes in just 27 games played.
Most of what we have seen from Delon has come from the D-League and Summer League. It makes comparing him to Cory (played 2046 minutes last season) a very tricky endeavour. The majority of Delon’s minutes were also garbage time minutes, which helps to inflate the statistics that we do have for him.
Raptors have win record in reach, but there’s only one victory that counts | Toronto Star
Offensively, it’s hard to imagine things improving much. Toronto has one of the most efficient offences in the league — the Raptors and Golden State have been swapping first and second for most of the year — and Toronto has been without high-scoring forward Patrick Patterson for basically all of 2017.
“The offensive efficiency has been important,” Casey said.
It’s the other part of the game where the Raptors need to tighten up in what’s a 42-game run to the post-season. They were 21st when play began Monday, not as bad as they have been at times so far but a spot that’s crying out for second-half improvement.
The arrival of veteran power forward Jared Sullinger will help, getting the versatile Patterson back will help but the Raptors need to show more consistency to chase their big goals.
“We’re not going to become a defensive juggernaut overnight but the way we played the third quarter (Sunday in holding New York to eight points) has to be our disposition, at least make people feel us . . . if we’re playing for something big,” Casey said.
Again, another reference to a bigger goal than any regular-season records.
https://twitter.com/athletesnfltrd/status/818967676823412736
Still in recovery, Jared Sullinger itching to join Raptors on the court – The Globe and Mail
Casey said it is not a concern, that Sullinger understands all the sets and schemes that the Raptors run for the power forward position.
“He’ll help us, he’ll help our rebounding tremendously,” Casey said. “That’s one of his gifts, his rebounding the basketball, his screening, his shooting. All the things he will do will kind of fit right in and really help us and better the chemistry and help the ball movement.”
Last season with the Boston Celtics, Sullinger averaged 8.3 boards and 10.3 points in 81 games and helped Boston into the playoffs.
His physical presence will be a welcome addition to a Toronto team that has struggled at times rebounding the ball this season, their 42.9 average per game ranking them in the league’s lower echelon.
Isiah Thomas Says He Was Playing Small Ball With The Toronto Raptors 20 Years Ago – Forbes
When I put together the Toronto Raptors, if you remember the power forward position at that time was a position of strength, dominance, and you had to be physically strong to play that position,” Thomas said. “The shooting guard would be coming off of the power forward and the center would be your offense. During that time, what I talked about with my scouting staff and also our ownership group at that time was that we have to find a way to change the game and really affect things out on the floor. We came up with what we called the Raptor Two. And Raptor Two basically had to be a power forward that could also have guard skills, he had to be able to switch the power forward and the shooting guard and not lose ground.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPWKPfRA6Zi/
DeRozan named Eastern Conference Player of the Week (Again) – Raptors HQ
What did it take for a Player of the Week award this time? For DeRozan, it meant leading the team to a 3-0 week while averaging 30.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Oh yeah: DeRozan also shot a wonderful 51.5 percent from the field and 87.5 percent from the free throw line. I’m beginning to get the feeling his level of play this season is, in fact, sustainable.
As you’ll also recall, DeRozan was the man who refused to lose against the Boston Celtics, exploding in the second half of that game (after getting hit with a technical foul) to lead a comeback against the Raptors’ rival. He dropped a season-high 41 points in that game. Everything after that — the calm dismantling of both the Nets and Knicks — is just delicious gravy. DeRozan’s game, and what he means to the Raptors this season, is officially a gift.
Toronto Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan wins NBA Player of the Week | VAVEL.com
DeRozan is currently leading the NBA in points per game with 30.5 points per game since the start of the New Year. He has been shooting the ball fairly well since then as he is shooting 47.8 percent from the field. On top of that, DeRozan is also making 11 field goals a game, which is fairly impressive. Over the course of the season, however, he is averaging a career-high 28.1 points per game, which is tied for fifth place with DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPVrmoygYov/
Wolstat makes his picks for the NBA all-star game starters | Toronto Sun
Kyle Lowry – The best guard in the East has been nearly flawless this season. He had a slow start, but has been lights out since. Lowry ranks third in three-point percentage, third in real plus/minus, fourth in value over replacement player and fifth in win shares. DeMar DeRozan might have the scoring numbers, but Lowry is Toronto’s best player and the engine that drives everything in the North.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPVKQXBg9oT/
Game day: Toronto Raptors at Brooklyn Nets | Toronto Star
KEY MATCHUP
Jonas Valanciunas, Raptors, vs. Brook Lopez, Nets. The Toronto centre has been on a hot streak of late, with 23 rebounds against Boston last week, 10 against Brooklyn, and 16 Sunday vs. the Knicks. He had double-doubles in all three games. But Lopez can be a difficult matchup. He has averaged 21.4 points a game against Toronto in his career, and 29.3 last season.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BPVBieCA-HM/
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