Photo credit: Trung Ho / TrungHo.ca
Raptors 905 have done the somewhat unlikely, making it back to the G League playoffs for a second consecutive year despite almost an entirely turned over roster. Considering where they started, it’s quite an accomplishment – this is a team that expected to have reigning Defensive Player of the Year Edy Tavares and Toronto Raptors training camp invite Kyle Wiltjer on the roster for more than one game combined, and their early removal made it look as if it may be somewhat of a building year for the young roster. A 4-9 start seemed to point the same way, but a team meeting (coincidentally in Grand Rapids) was the impetus for a change in approach and a dramatic change in results – no team has been better since, and the 905 look like a legitimate threat to defend their 2016-17 championship.
Standing in their way are the Grand Rapids Drive, the G League affiliate of the Detroit Pistons.
Tragically, the Drive will be playing without Zeke Upshaw, who passed away on Monday. Our continued thoughts go out to Upshaw’s family, friends, and the entire G League community.
The Format: In an interesting new D-League wrinkle, the road to the G League Finals is paved with one-and-done series. The expanded playoff picture also brought some curious seeding with it, and so despite finishing with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and the third-best record in the G League, they landed in the fourth seed in the East. That’s because the only team better than them was their division rival, the Westchester Knicks, and division leaders are seeded one-through-three. So not only do the 905 not have a bye, they’ll have to go on the road to Westchester for the second round. The single-elimination game should be fun, at least.
The Schedule, How to Watch, and a Ticker Discount!: The 905 host the first-round series Friday at Hershey Centre.
Game 1: Grand Rapids Drive @ Raptors 905 – Friday, March 31, 7 pm, ESPNU/Twitch
The G League is looking to make sure that their playoffs don’t overlap with the NBA playoffs like they did last year (when the 905 raised the trophy as the Raptors clinched over the Bucks). The one-game format to the finals means things will move pretty quickly, and the winner of this one will find themselves in Westchester for another one-game series on Monday (7 p.m.).
Raptors Republic readers can use the promo code REPUBLIC905 for a discount on playoff tickets (if this link doesn’t work at any point, the code should still work at check out).
Season Series: The 905 and Drive met three times this season, with the Drive winning the series 2-1 thanks in part to playing two games at home. Interestingly enough, it was the third meetings between the teams that sunk the 905 to 4-9 and was the impetus for the team’s dramatic turn around. The sides haven’t squared off in over three months, so the familiarity here has likely faded away. Malcolm Miller and Alfonzo McKinnie, for example, each played in only one of the meetings, while Malachi Richardson didn’t play in any of them.
- Raptors 905 106, Grand Rapids 112, Nov. 5 in Grand Rapids – Lorenzo Brown goes 27-5-8-5 in the season opener but the 905 couldn’t dig themselves out of a second hole after making one double-digit comeback earlier.
- Raptors 905 119, Grand Rapids 83, Nov. 26 in Mississauga – A huge Bruno Caboclo game helps the 905 snap a three-game losing streak and brings some positive vibes in garbage time.
- Raptors 905 87, Grand Rapids 101, Dec. 8 in Grand Rapids – Down several assignment players, the 905 start three Canadians but hit their breaking point after another bad first half.
The Tale of the Tape: The Drive have succeeded essentially as a watered-down version of the 905 all year. That’s not meant as an insult, necessarily, but the two sides play an incredibly similar style, and the 905 do it better in almost every area except 3-point shooting. This is a battle between two teams that really grind the pace down, put their primary emphasis on the defensive side of the ball, and prioritize cleaning up their own glass over getting out and running. Where the 905 are first in defense, first in rebounding, and dead-last in pace, the Drive are fourth, second, and third-last. If the Drive have an advantage, it’s from long-range – the 905 do better to move the ball around and keep opposing defenses scrambled, while Grand Rapids hit at a deadlier mark from outside, perhaps the 905’s biggest area of weakness. Grand Rapids’ offense was a hair ahead of the 905’s during the season, though the 905 grade out as the stronger team overall.
There really couldn’t be more of a mirror-imaged battle. It’s essentially the Spiderman meme in team form.
NBA Assignees: This is the first year where G League teams have the benefit of two-way players, and it will be interesting to see how each franchise approaches assigning their guys. Two-ways are playoff ineligible at the NBA level but eligible in the G League, and so while some teams may prefer their two-ways at the NBA level right now – the number of days they can spend in the NBA is uncapped now that the G League regular season has ended – there’s a good case to be made for assigning them for playoff experience.
It did Pascal Siakam and, later, Fred VanVleet a world of good last year, and as such, the plan is currently for the 905 to have all of their usual assignment and two-way pieces available, barring injury. Whether Grand Rapids does the same is unclear, as the parent club Detroit Pistons are fighting for their playoff lives. The Drive survived a lot of the season without heavy assignment benefit, anyway – Luke Kennard and Henry Ellenson played a combined three games, Brice Johnson spent one game on assignment, Dwight Buycks played 10 games, and two-ways Kay Felder and Reggie Hearn combined to play 29. That’s a total of 43 games from NBA players. The 905, by contrast, got 152 – 35 from Alfonzo McKinnie, 34 from Malcolm Miller and Bruno Caboclo, 32 from Lorenzo Brown, 12 from Malachi Richardson, and five from Nigel Hayes.
In other words, the 905 will likely have an edge in terms of NBA talent here, though it’s telling that Grand Rapids has done so well with little NBA help all year.
Kay Felder, Pistons two-way: The quick-twitch point guard leads the Drive in scoring among players still around, and his fantastic handle and ability to change speeds should keep the 905 defense on its toes. He’s averaging 16.6 points, 5.9 assists, and 1.8 steals and ranks eighth in the G League in usage percentage, letting the 905 know where they’ll need to focus their defense. Felder does offer the opportunity to slip under screens, as he’s not much of a threat to shoot outside the paint, though the speed at which he can get to the rim will still make him a problem (he ranks eighth in the G League in free-throw percentage, too). The Drive outscored teams by 4.3 points per-100 possessions with Felder.
Reggie Hearn, Pistons two-way: While Hearn hasn’t gotten much opportunity to show it at the NBA level yet, his improvement since his first G League season in 2013-14 is marked. The two-guard is a big part of why the Drive are a dangerous outside shooting team, as he’s hit 37 percent on over six 3-point attempts per-game this year. While he’s mostly just a scorer for the Drive – he grabs 4.9 rebounds and dishes 1.5 assists – he’s incredibly safe as a secondary ball-handler (he has the eighth-lowest turnover percentage in the league) and his gravity helps the offense breathe, with the team outscoring opponents by a team-best 14.1 points per-100 possessions when he’s on the court.
Dwight Buycks, Luke Kennard, Brice Johnson, and Henry Ellenson, Pistons assignees: None of the Pistons’ three former assignees are expected to be on assignment for Friday’s game, though plans could change.
Alfonzo McKinnie, Raptors assignee: His second go-round in the G League hasn’t come with a major bump in statistical production, though McKinnie has improved his defense at both forward spots and taken an important step forward as a shooter, hitting 34.8 percent of his threes. He’s also improved as an attacker, especially when facing up opposing power forwards, and he’s had a few huge performances to lift the team, particularly on occasions that Brown wasn’t around. McKinnie’s 14 points often come in emphatic fashion, and his rebounding ability from either forward spot (7.5 per-game) is a big reason the 905 are the league’s premiere rebounding team.
Malachi Richardson, Raptors assignee: Still adjusting after a deadline trade, Richardson figures to play a smaller role in this series, likely off the bench. In 12 games since coming over from Sacramento, he’s averaging 7.2 points on 42.6-percent true-shooting, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. He’s also been dealing with a wrist injury that kept him out of the team’s last two games. He said Tuesday that he’ll be good to go.
Lorenzo Brown, Raptors two-way: The team’s leader at both ends of the floor, Brown’s experience and poise are a massive luxury for a G League team to have. He also really wants to repeat the title run, and the 905 have a great chance if he’s around – Brown leads the G League in assist percentage by a wide margin at 46.3 percent and finished in the top 10 in VORP. The 905 outscored opponents by 9.8 points per-100 possessions when Brown was on the court this year, and while his 54.2 true-shooting percentage is modest, he carries a heavy offensive load with a 27.3-percent usage rate, largely against heavy pressure. Brown finished the regular season averaging 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.8 steals and should receive some MVP votes.
Malcolm Miller, Raptors two-way: The best defender on the best defense in the G League, Miller slowly picked up speed as the year rolled along and he put his offseason ankle surgery behind him. He finished the regular season not only contributing to the parent-club Raptors but with the a plus-5.2 net rating while with the 905. His counting stats don’t necessarily pop – 12.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists – but he’s hit 37.9 percent on a large volume of threes, has improved noticeably as a secondary playmaker (he had three or more assists nine times), and is the team’s go-to lock-down defender at multiple positions.
Depth Charts and Key Non-Assignment Players: On top of not getting a ton of NBA help, the Drive lost Marcus Thornton to China and lost Luis Montero when the Pistons decided to end his two-way deal earlier in the year (they had converted Buycks to an NBA deal and cut Montero to sign Felder and Hearn). Still, it says a lot that the Drive are in the playoffs with light NBA contributions, and it speaks to the quality of their G Leaguers. The 905 have a deep G League rotation, too, one that has survived in rare instances they didn’t have assignees. They’re an inexperienced bunch, though, and the 905 will lean more heavily on their NBA contributors than Grand Rapids.
K.J. McDaniel, Drive: A familiar name to Raptors fans, McDaniels actually cracked the opening day roster but was waived a week later. He’s spent the year trying to make his way back to the NBA, and in the process has emerged as a real leader for Grand Rapids. McDaniels is averaging 16.2 points, seven rebounds, one assist, 1.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks, and he’s posted an above-average 57.2 true-shooting percentage in the process. That efficiency mark has been made possible not by the addition of a 3-point shot – he’s taking more but still isn’t much of a threat – but by his ability to out-muscle defenders on his way to the rim. The Drive outscore opponents by 7.9 points per-100 possessions with McDaniels playing, and Jerry Stackhouse wil
Landry Nnoko, Drive: Nnoko is on a fairly short list of MVP candidates in the G League this year. If that sounds odd for a relative unknown name in NBA circles, consider his dominance of the leaderboards – Nnoko is 10th in the league in minutes, second in total rebounds, third in blocks, first in defensive win shares, third in total win shares, and first by a wide margin in VORP, and the Drive are a plus-3.8 when Nnoko is on the floor. Everything the Drive do on the defensive end is made possible by Nnoko’s presence inside, and he’s averaged 2.1 assists and shot 57.9 percent for good measure.
Speedy Smith and Jon Horford, Drive: Smith runs the show when Felder isn’t on assignment, ranking second in the league in total assists and third in assist percentage. He’s also a ball-hawk defensively, though he does give some of that back with turnovers…Horford works as a solid tag-team partner for Nnoko, ranking fifth in the league in total rebound percentage and third on the team with a plus-10.9 net rating.
Kennedy Meeks , 905: A candidate for the league’s most improved player over the course of the season, Meeks’ turnaround coincided with the team’s dramatic turnaround. He finished the year in the top 20 in VORP and win shares, sixth in defensive rating, third in total rebounds, and first in offensive rebound percentage. Nobody takes better advantage of an opponent on their own glass, and because Meeks is also an adept playmaker from the block or the elbows, those second chances have produced a huge benefit for a 905 offense that has often needed it. He averages 12.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, one steal, and 0.9 blocks, and his improvement defending the pick-and-roll really opened up a new gear for the 905 defense.
Fuquan Edwin, 905: A mid-season acquisition, Edwin played so well in his 3-and-D role that he recently got bumped to the starting lineup and could stay there for the playoffs depending on which assignees are available and how Stackhouse wants to line up. More than half of Edwin’s shots come from outside, where he’s hitting 37.3 percent, he’s third in the G League in steal percentage, and the 905 outscore opponents by 10.3 points per-100 possessions with him on the court.
Shevon Thompson, 905: It may have been smarter to list him and Meeks together, because the 905 basically lose nothing when Stackhouse goes to his bench. Thompson replicates what Meeks does excellently, ranking third in offensive rebound percentage and fourth in total rebound percentage. He also shoots a higher percentage from the floor (61.4 percent, ninth in the league) because most of his looks come while ripping the rim off. The owner of the best net rating on the team and the best defensive rating in the entire league among qualified players, Thompson figures to be a huge part of neutralizing Nnoko.
Prediction: 905 in 1.
