Quick Reaction: Raptors 125, Bulls 104

Siakam doesn’t lack for confidence in the corners, which is important until the effectiveness catches up with how the shot looks. Otherwise, his biggest offensive weapon is his ridiculous speed, which makes him an automatic outlet bucket. The Raptors switch so aggressively with Siakam, it’s clear they’re very, very high on his defense, and you can really ratchet that up against bad teams like Chicago.

Starting didn’t seem to limit Powell’s usage at all here, and he’s learning how to attack against a defense tilted opposite him. A couple of nice finishes stood out, and despite a poor shooting night, he remains decisive firing up threes.

Was a bit of the full JV experience here. He continues to play some of the best ball we’ve seen from him, blocking a couple of shots early on and using his soft hands to turn tough passes into baskets. Some of the usual issues popped up – slowish decisions on the short roll, navigating the level to play defending the pick-and-roll – but his camp has been extremely encouraging.

When the opposing team’s announcers are crying “Lowry is everywhere” in a preseason game, it’s probably a good sign. Also, you can chill a bit. You don’t need to be fighting to draw offensive fouls. His effort and savvy on defense are such a good example for the team’s other young guards, specifically how he digs down to unsuspecting bigs in the paint. He’s also going to shoot a ton of threes this year when DeRozan is playing primary ball-handler.

Had another really strong first half from a playmaking perspective, and him and valanciunas developing some chemistry could be huge for the starting unit. His assist rate coming in was double his regular-season career high, and he had four assists in 25 minutes again, though he had a shakier third quarter on offense. This was also probably his best defensive game of the preseason, highlighted by some nice fight on post switches, the jumping of passing lanes, and a drawn charge.

He sure looks comfortable being the Dad of the youthful second unit. His confidence shooting and communication defensively are huge for that group. I guess it helps, too, when he scores 27 pints in 20 minutes and needs just 14 shots to get there. Heck of a last two games for him. I’m sold on Miles off the bench now.

Somehow managed four assists in just two minutes of action as the Raptors’ third-stringers pumped the Bulls’ bench. I generally only give INC grades for stints this short, but he made the most of it.

Zeal can be a major positive and occasionally a tiny negative. It skewed mostly toward the positive for McKinnie here, as his nine minutes were a part of solid runs, and he was noticeable for his effort level. He didn’t do any one thing that popped, but it was a modest end to a strong preseason.

It’s hard to say if McDaniels sitting all night is a death knell for him or a sign that the team is confident they know what he can bring. He definitely had a worse performance in games than McKinnie, but we don’t know how they looked behind closed doors.

If he’s going to continue to hit threes with regularity, maybe the Bebe-at-PF lineups aren’t a thing of the past. Was behind Poeltl for a third time in five games but did a great job once he checked in, immediately turning away a shot at the rim and making a great find for a VanVleet corner three. This battle remains open into the season.

It’s a fun argument as to who the smartest player on the floor is when the Raptors’ two bench guards are out together. They’ve built such a terrific chemistry in the early going, trading forays to the rim, and VanVleet’s masterful at recognizing the next pass. He’s also a plus shooter, meaning there could be a lot more of these dual-PG bench looks.

How about that deep range on a late-clock three? Wright shooting any threes with confidence is encouraging, and it seems like his confidence working into the teeth of a defense has grown, too. He’s very savvy drawing fouls against lesser players and has a veteran feel for some of the Raptors’ pet plays and how to use the young bigs.

We’ll be kind here because he was a part of a late pull-away and Bruno could use a win. Grabbed a rebound, missed a late-clock three he had no choice but to take, and made his only other attempt. He’s the 14th or 15th man entering the season.

The lowest-usage man in the game only got two touches in 18 minutes but converted one and was fouled on the other, and it didn’t deter him from being a presence around the rim and on the glass at the other end. He’s probably done enough to hold the backup job entering the year, but he’ll need to show he can bang with bigger centers – Nogueira’s biggest weakness – to ward off a constant shakeup in that spot.

What is there to say, really? He’s not going to be ready for the season? Naw. He’ll have rust? Sure, a bit, when it comes to timing and bounce. He can’t shoot? Wait, wait, wait…Anunoby went 3-of-7 on threes, shot with confidence after the first make, drove and cut intelligently, and made a handful of nifty passes (like in his debut) that didn’t produce assists. It’s really hard to put a lid on the excitement right now.

Other than Ibaka, this looked close to how an in-season rotation may look in Game 1, at least for three quarters. I still don’t think he’ll risk much time with both Lowry and DeRozan sitting, but he’s empowering the kids to make their case for it. And we have to give the credit somewhere – the Raptors have 61 assists over their last two games and the commitment to ball movement looks legitimate. (And hey, let’s see a tiny bit more of that Lowry-JV-bench unit you teased.)