🙂
Recap: Newcomers show out as Raptors demolish Hornets 127-106 – Raptors HQ
Speaking of defense, the Raptors found success on the defensive end by zeroing in on Kemba Walker. The Hornets are almost completely reliant on Walker to create offense: through their first three games Walker and Malik Monk were the only Hornets to post an above average usage rate. Walker had hit three pointers at a historic rate through the start of tonight’s game, setting an NBA record with 19 three-point makes in his first three games. The Raptors guards did an excellent job of taking that away from Walker, fighting over screens to contest pull-up threes out of the pick and roll. Walker would manage just 2 three point makes as a result, limiting his efficiency, though he still managed to remain productive by fighting to the rim.
The one question mark for the Raptors remains the bench unit, which is still without Delon Wright. After the Raptors starters built a substantial lead in the first, the bench lost ground throughout the second, before the starters came back in and once again widened the gap, growing the lead to 15 at the half. There were still some nice individual plays and performances from the Raptors bench, as Jonas Valanciunas finished everything on the roll and ended with an extremely efficient 17 point, 10 rebound double-double. Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell did a bit of rookie hazing, as VanVleet crossed the bejesus out of Miles Bridges and Powell threw down over Bridges for a vicious poster.
Raps breeze past Hornets, extend win streak | Toronto Sun
“I think we created a lot out of our defence tonight, which I was probably more happy with,” Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said. “It was a high-scoring, free-shooting team coming in here and we asked our players to get out and contest and disrupt some of their rhythm stuff and we did a pretty good job of that.”
And then there was Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard, who did not travel with the team to Washington taking the back end of a back-to-back off, came in fully rested for this one to the lament of the Hornets.
He was stepping into his own threes like he had not all year and knocking them down.
Leonard finished with a team high 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting, his most efficient night in a Raptors’ uniform.But this one was spread out nicely throughout the lineup from an offensive standpoint.
In 20 minutes off the bench Jonas Valanciunas had his way against a smallish Charlotte lineup going off for 17 points and 10 rebounds.
He joined three other starters in double figures in scoring, including Kyle Lowry, Danny Green and Serge Ibaka.
Lowry was at his distributing best with 14 assists to go along with his 16 points. With plenty of the media attention focussed on Leonard, Lowry is somewhat quietly shooting .600 from the field and .577 from behind the arc, both impressive numbers.
Raptors’ fast start matching NBA’s current style of play – Sportsnet.ca
Exciting for everyone but coaches, who have to devise a way to win in this new, high-octane environment. And to that end, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse was provided with a strong formula by his team Monday of exactly how to thrive in the current climate.
The Raptors shot 39 threes, with nine of the 10 players who saw at least 15 minutes of floor time attempting at least one. Toronto moved the ball quickly and efficiently, running up 36 assists on 50 made baskets, and outscoring Charlotte on the fast-break, 31-5. And, on the defensive end, the Raptors blocked eight shots and ran the Hornets off the three-point line aggressively, holding a team that came in averaging 38 three-point attempts per game this season to 9-of-28 shooting from distance.
“It was a high-scoring, free-shooting team coming in here and we asked them to get out and contest and disrupt some of their rhythm stuff and we did a pretty good job of that,” Nurse said. “That takes a lot of communication and energy to continually get out and get up high and get into it.”
Just how fast is today’s NBA? Through the first week of the season, league average pace was up by nearly five possessions, from 97.3 last season to 102.1 so far in this one. Teams were averaging four more field goals attempts per game, and seven more points. The last time the NBA average for points per game was as high as it is now (113.3) was in 1969-70, right at the end of the freewheeling 1960’s, a decade that stands as the most prolific offensive era in NBA history.
And teams aren’t only scoring more — they’re doing it more efficiently. Offensive rating stood at 110.9 across the NBA coming into Monday’s games, which would represent a new high for the league if it holds up over the rest of the season. It’s resulted in a glut of high-scoring games, and a slight adjustment for coaches who can no longer harp on their players for giving up more than 100 points in a night. That’s the new norm.
“It’s still about points per possession. And field goal percentage defence still has a lot to do with your success,” Nurse said before Monday’s game. “But I think the days of us looking at the number up there — whether its 110 or 108 — and saying, ‘Uh oh, we gave up 110 points,’ are probably getting a little fewer and far between.”
Lowry is obsessed with each unit of possession, which makes him as analytically minded as any player in the NBA. Lowry did not shoot better than 30 per cent from three-point range until his fifth season. By last year, more than 63 per cent of his field-goal attempts were three-pointers. It is just one crude example of how as his career has gone on, Lowry has tried to maximize the value of each possession.
“Just by going through walkthrough some of the time, or just what he sees offensively or defensively on clips, the adjustments he makes,” Lowry’s new backcourt-mate, Danny Green, said of Lowry’s intelligence Monday morning before the Raptors beat the Hornets 127-106. “He knows the game really well. He makes the game easier for us, me especially. He puts a lot of confidence in us. He’s not the type of guy to talk down his teammates. He’s gonna help some of those younger guys learn. He still helps me learn things, too.”
Last year, Lamb shot 38.5 per cent on catch-and-shoot three-pointers. On the other hand, he shot 43.8 per cent on pull-up jumpers inside the arc. Without factoring in the closeness of the defender, the expected value of the former was 1.18 points, while the expected value of the latter was 0.78 points. If Lowry could get Lamb to just take one dribble, he would have already gathered a small win.
Instead, he got a much bigger one. Lowry looked directly at Lamb, and took a half step toward him, causing Lamb to take a dribble himself and probe for Lowry’s next move. Once Lamb stepped inside the arc, Lowry had his victory, and peeled off to impede Zeller’s presence, allowing Lamb to take an uncontested long two. Ibaka rebounded the miss, forwarded it to Lowry and he was off, scooting down the court for a layup, plus the foul for an extra free throw.
Depending on how you want to view things, Lowry made the decision to either save 0.4 expected points or one total point for the Hornets. That it turned into a six-point swing was a little bit of good fortune.
How good can the Toronto Raptors be in 2018-19? – ESPN
Brian Windhorst
I think Toronto has the opportunity to do something special because I think they have quietly built a team that is kind of like Rockets North.Jackie MacMullan
For sure.Brian Windhorst
Because the Rockets are a team that was designed to kill the Warriors, and unlike the Rockets, the Raptors have essentially done it. The have a team full of wings, they have a savvy point guard, and they have a coach who was raised by the Rockets who just wants to shoot 3s and layups.
Thoughts on Lowry, Young and more – TSN.ca
KYLE LOWRY (Raptors): Simply put, he has been excellent so far. In three games he’s averaging 23.3 points and 8.7 assists per game while shooting lights out from deep at 60 per cent. He’s got to love the increased spacing on the floor with the addition of shooters Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard along with the Raptors’ small/skill ball lineups. Teams can’t load up as much on Lowry and having teammates who can create offensive chances off the bounce or in the post allows him to play off the ball effectively. His willingness to take charges in huge moments has helped swing big possessions the past two games. He’s locked in and playing at a high level.
Podcast: Locked on Raptors #401 – LOL Wizards, Kyle’s Hot Start & Resting Kawhi – Raptors HQ
In Episode 401 of Locked on Raptors, Sean Woodley goes solo to break down the Raptors’ 117-113 win over the Wizards on Saturday night, including Kyle Lowry shooting flames from his eyes, OG Anunoby’s strong showing, Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka’s fit with the bench unit, and the decision to rest Kawhi Leonard on the second night of a back-to-back.
S03E05 – A good start by Raptors Reasonablists | SoundCloud
Blake Murphy and Eric Koreen break down a 3-0 opening week for the Raptors.
Raptors thriving as Leonard, Green bringing Spurs formula to Toronto – Sportsnet.ca
The Raptors’ game plan was very much to run Charlotte off the line and make life miserable from inside it and it worked — no easy feat given the league-wide increased emphasis on shooting threes in volume and the referees’ emphasis on making it harder for defenders to clutch and grab away from the ball.
“It was a high-scoring, free-shooting team coming in here,” said Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. “And we asked them to get out and contest and disrupt some of their rhythm stuff and we did a pretty good job of that.”
Again, Leonard is useful in this regard. On one play in the first quarter he chased down Hornet’s centre Cody Zeller on a fast-break, corralled the seven-footer while he had the ball inside the restricted area under the basket and forced him into a three-second violation. A moment earlier OG Anunoby — who the Raptors would love to emerge as Leonard’s understudy — blocked Walker step-back on a three-point attempt, and C.J. Miles blocked another triple a little later.
Normally, that kind of aggressiveness can spread a team thin elsewhere but between length and scheme and hustle, the Hornets had no room to breathe.
“It’s rotations, understanding who is the next man up, who is the help,” said Lowry. “…Swing, rotate, rotate. It’s all about communication and being on that rope.”
Lockdown defense, efficient offense, the ball being shared — it was the kind of effort the Spurs would have been happy with at their best.
“It reminds of a team I used to play on,” said Green.
It was just strange to see former Spurs doing it against former Spurs.
“It’s very weird, it’s very weird,” said Parker.
Leonard’s successful Raptor launch no surprise to former Spurs connections | The Star [subscription]
“He’s got personality, he does,” Charlotte Hornets coach James Borrego said Monday morning. “He’s a fun guy to be around, big smile. Guys enjoy being around him, and I think Toronto is going to find out what they have here … They’ve found themselves a very good player.”
Borrego was a Spurs assistant under Gregg Popovich from 2015-18 — his second stint after working in San Antonio from 2003-10 which gave him a front-row seat as Leonard went from raw project to one of the best players in the league, an outstanding defender whose offensive game has blossomed in the last few seasons.
And quite aside from Leonard’s oft-discussed personality, Borrego has an appreciation of his basketball skills and work ethic that runs deep.
“Every year, every day, he got better,” the first-year Hornets coach said before Charlotte faced Leonard and the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. “(He) just approached each day as work, didn’t complain … he just came out and worked and he’s made himself into one of the top players in our league.
“Happy for him. Proud of him. He’s done a great job.”
What Borrego remembers is what Toronto fans are learning now that they are able to see Leonard’s game up close and often. He doesn’t come across as particularly flashy, nor is he what could be described as explosive. He’s just strong and smart. And lethal.
“He’s not sort of a rah-rah defender … it’s like he comes out of nowhere, just kind of lurking,” Borrego said. “He’s kind of that guy who’s just lurking there and then with a second, he can pounce. He’s just hunting down his prey almost. He sniffs things out, he can recover on mistakes as well.
“I think that’s one of the keys for Kawhi over the years. Even when we were beat, he’d just go make a play. When he was out of position, he’d just go make a play with his length, athleticism, timing.”
Armstrong on Raptors resting Kawhi: ‘It’s a marathon not a sprint’ – Video – TSN
With three games in four nights to start the season, the Raptors opted to rest Kawhi Leonard in Saturday’s back-to-back win in Washington. Josh Lewenberg and Jack Armstrong discuss the decision by the team to cautiously manage Leonard’s workload this early in the season.
Raptors 905 coach Jama Mahlalela continues blazing path for Canadians – Sportsnet.ca
Mahlalela is the newest head coach of Raptors 905 – the Toronto Raptors G-League team, based in Mississauga – and he has never been a head coach before, unless you count a brief stint as player-coach of his middle school team. And he’s never played professionally either, although as a T-birds captain he helped UBC to a Canada West title in 2003. And he’s Canadian, by way of Swaziland.
It’s not your average biography for an NBA assistant coach or a head coach in the development league, where the 905 are the only Canadian team.
But Mahlalela has always been willing to step to the front and generate support for a cause.
“To be a leader you have to empower other people,” he said. “… Leadership to me is not yelling and screaming and hollering, it’s learning about people, it’s finding their strengths and putting the puzzle pieces together. That’s leadership in sports to me.”
Mahlalela’s elevation to a head coaching job is the latest step in his rise within the Raptors organization that has both been slow and steady and seemingly rapid all at once; it’s also another milestone for Canadian coaching.
The story of Canada’s increasing presence in the NBA has been an ongoing one for nearly a decade now. The presence of the Raptors in Canada’s biggest city; the galvanizing effect of Vince Carter on a generation of young players and Steve Nash’s example of what is possible – along with a growing minor basketball infrastructure – have all made Canada one of the deepest wells of talent the NBA has. There are more Canadians on NBA rosters (13, including those on two-way contracts) than from any other country outside of the U.S. and the prospective 2019 draft class may be the deepest yet.
But Mahlalela represents another trend, although one that is predictably developing a little more slowly: the rise of Canadian coaches.
In 2002-03 Jay Triano made history when he was the first Canadian to earn an assistant coaching role as the former national team star joined Lenny Wilken’s staff. Triano lasted through three head coaches with the Raptors and made his mark again when he became the first Canadian head coach in league history, taking over from Sam Mitchell early in the 2008-09 season, running an NBA bench for 229 games over three seasons.
Two-Way Players (Two-tiered salary, $77,250 – $386,125)
Beginning with last season, NBA teams were given two two-way roster spots as a means of expanding the league’s development program. Those players can remain with the NBA team until the beginning of G League training camp, re-join them at the end of the G League regular season, and spend up to 45 days on the NBA roster in between. While in the G League, they receive an elevated G League salary, and while in the NBA they receive the rookie minimum salary; with the two prorated rates, two-way players can earn up to an estimated $386,000 this year.The Raptors moved quickly to sign Jordan Loyd to a two-way deal in the summer following his second Summer League stint with the club. Originally an undrafted scorer out of Division II ball, Loyd turned in a strong G League rookie year in 2016-17, dropped a bunch of weight to become more of a combo-guard, and was one of the best players in Israel over the second half of 2017-18. With the NBA club loaded with guard depth and Loyd on a two-year deal, the organization can afford to be patient; when he’s with the 905, Loyd will add some nice scoring punch, perimeter defence and secondary play-making.
Chris Boucher won a training camp battle for the other two-way spot and should be the most intriguing of any 905er. Armed with a ton of natural ability around the rim and an emerging perimeter game, Boucher intends to establish himself as the best defender in the G League, while the 905 believe they can help mold him into a legitimate NBA player. He’ll play primarily at centre and see some time at power forward, using up his NBA days whenever the Raptors need an extra frontcourt piece.
As a procedural note, two-way spots can be churned without much financial penalty. A few teams utilized that option last year, though the Raptors preferred to keep the same players in those slots all year. Two-way deals also supersede G League rights, so even though Loyd’s G League rights were previously owned, his two-way deal allows him to be a member of the 905 (Boucher’s rights were unowned).
Two-way players are not eligible for call-ups from any other NBA team. The players in the sections that follow can be called up by any of the NBA’s 30 teams, with the 905 receiving no restitution in that event beyond an improved waiver priority (if the player stays in the NBA long enough).
OMFG #wethenorth pic.twitter.com/OHC1M2ZWL7
— Sam Holako (@rapsfan) October 23, 2018
NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Jimmy Butler Trade, Kawhi Leonard and More | Bleacher Report
With all due respect to Tobias Harris, Danilo Gallinari and whatever the future holds for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Los Angeles Clippers need a superstar.
And somehow they might have one fall in their lap. Possibly two.
In September, ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Butler was “most interested” in the Clippers, and they were “emerging as a front-runner” for Kawhi Leonard’s free agency. It sounds like both doors remain wide open.
If the Clippers play their cards right, they could be looking at a fortune-changing offseason in 2019. So, naturally, they’re leaving nothing to chance.
“The L.A. Clippers are already rotating scouts through Raptor games like Leonard is a college prospect and they have the No. 1 pick,” ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst wrote.
Truth be told, the stakes are even higher here.
A healthy Leonard is an obvious max-contract candidate, but those pacts can be crippling when mismanaged. If handled correctly, though, this might be a path to Leonard, twice a top-three finisher in MVP voting, and a second front-page star.
Then again, if Leonard likes what he’s seeing north of the border, it’s more than possible that he stays put and no one gives L.A. a long look.
In other words, you’d be hard-pressed to find many clubs with more riding on next summer than the Clippers.
NBA Power Rankings: Raptors lead after impressive opening week | SI.com
Raptors | Record: 3-0 | Preseason: 3
I was prepared to leave Toronto at No. 2 after pulling out the thriller against the Celtics. Then, without Kawhi, the Raptors went on the road and earned another victory on the second night of a back-to-back that they had every reason to lose. Kyle Lowry might be down a best friend, but the championship experience provided by Leonard and Danny Green will mean more than pregame handshakes come May. And through one week in October, it seems it is already paying off.
Curling off the high screen for a catch and shoot three #wethenorth pic.twitter.com/AsGa3KSZED
— Sam Holako (@rapsfan) October 22, 2018
Record: 3-0
Pace: 100.5 (25) OffRtg: 114.6 (7) DefRtg: 105.6 (9) NetRtg: +8.9 (6)Kawhi Leonard isn’t off to the most efficient start, but had 31 points and a couple of big shots in the Raptors’ win over the Celtics, and Kyle Lowry is here to remind us that this team has more than one star. Lowry is 12-for-21 from 3-point range and made a bunch of big plays down the stretch last week, both against Boston and again in Washington on Saturday, with Leonard sitting out the second game of the back-to-back. Bench minutes haven’t been great so far, but part-time starter Serge Ibaka gave the Raptors some important second chances (eight of his 11 offensive boards have come in the fourth quarter) in both weekend games.
NBA Power Rankings — Lakers, Raptors and Pelicans moving after Week 1 – ESPN
In the league’s first big statement game of the season, the Raptors showed off their depth and versatility in a spirited win over Boston. Though he hasn’t shot the ball well for the 3-0 Raps, Kawhi Leonard fits like a glove in Toronto, both as a brawny wing and as a small-ball 4. Meanwhile, Kyle Lowry was one of the league’s five best players during the season’s opening week, pacing the Raps with red-hot shooting. — Arnovitz
NBA Power Rankings: Week 2 – Yahoo
Kawhi has looked fantastic early on this season, averaging 27.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists over his first two games as a Raptor, including 31 & 10 in a win over the Celtics last Friday. And, despite playing with Kawhi Leonard (who was resting during the Raps third game in four nights), Toronto improved to 3-0 on the season with a victory over the Wizards in Washington on Saturday.
NBA Power Rankings: Lakers begin LeBron James era with spitting, punching and losing – CBSSports.com
Too early to have the Raptors’ leap-frogging the Rockets and Celtics for the best non-Warriors team in the NBA? Yeah! Probably! Probably way too early! But Kawhi Leonard looks absolutely awesome (31 points in the Raptors Friday win againstthe Celtics), and Kyle Lowry (28 points and 12 assists) helped the Raptors get a nice road win at Washington with Leonard resting on the second night of a back-to-back. This defense has a chance at becoming elite.
Anunoby’s pregame warmup showed no obvious discomfort. Like last year, his scheduled warm-up time falls right in a dead spot for media duties, and so I’ve seen a lot of Anunoby shooting workouts the last year and change. His performance from beyond the arc last year was statistically strong enough to change the opinion of that tool (he’s started the season 3-of-8 on threes, a tiny sample right in line with his 37.1-percent mark from his rookie season), and he spent the offseason working to speed up his release and make it more repeatable. Friday’s workout was evidence of that good progress, with more wrist in his shot instead of the arm carrying the bulk of the load, Anunoby getting the ball a little higher, and his release in general looking more compact. In that controlled, opponent-free environment, Anunoby seemed just fine in the second pair.
Those ones felt a little better, too, and so Anunoby took the floor with them against the Celtics. In doing so, he became the latest in a line of Raptors to require temporary headgear that includes Cory Joseph, Patrick Patterson and, most famously, Hedo Turkoglu.
The reaction from teammates were all over the place. Adjectives about Anunoby’s new look ranged from “smooth” to “shit,” and while Danny Green wanted a pair of his own, another Raptor suggested Anunoby didn’t need them at all and was just building out his brand. Anunoby denied this, saying there would be no Rip Hamilton-like turn for him here in his sophomore year.
Even if Anunoby wanted to become the latest NBA player with full-time goggles, it was not meant to be. Anunoby and McCullough couldn’t find a solution for the goggles fogging up as Anunoby got playing. The longer Anunoby was on the court, in warm-ups or in the game, the blurrier his vision became.
eonard finished with a double-double of 31 points, 10 rebounds to the chants of MVP from the Scotiabank crowd. He didn’t impress everyone, however, and while Boston forward Marcus Morris acknowledges Leonard’s talent he chalks up his numbers due to the touches he gets in the Raptors’ offence.
“That’s the biggest thing; he’s getting the ball every other play,” said Morris told NBC Sports Boston’s A. Sherrod Blakely.
“He’s a good player, been a good player; not taking nothing away from him. But he getting the ball every play? You gonna get 30. That’s how I feel.”
Leonard finished the night shooting 10-25, taking 11 more shots than Serge Ibaka who took the second most on the team on Friday. He led the team with 41 front court touches and only Kyle Lowry had more touches overall on the night.
DeMar DeRozan Thinks Raptors Pregame Video Was Disrespectful – Uproxx
It makes sense why DeRozan isn’t that insulted by the part that mentioned him. After all, it was done in a way that made it clear letting him go was difficult. He is annoyed though at the video “downplaying” the accomplishment of previous Raptors, though. Which makes sense: these are the stars the franchise was built on before him. No one likes to see a team take shots at former franchise greats.
DeRozan is right, too. The video was meant to send a message that just because previous players left doesn’t mean Leonard will or that fans should just assume that he’s gone. Still, it paints Carter, McGrady, and Bosh as if they betrayed the team and the city for leaving. Quite frankly, Toronto basketball might not even exist anymore if it wasn’t for Carter, and Bosh didn’t exactly have a great supporting group around him throughout his time in Toronto. They did plenty for the team and city while they were there. But as DeRozan points out, there’s no need to paint them as villains just to raise up Leonard and the current team.
Did I miss something? Send me any Raptors-related article/video to rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com
