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Nick Nurse: Kyle Lowry levelled up after championship – Yahoo!
Much of what makes Lowry an effective scorer remains the same, but he’s scaled that impact over a higher volume of shots. Lowry is shooting a career-high 8.3 threes per game, as he’s lethal in both catch-and-shoot and off the dribble. Lowry also leads all point guards in transition scoring.
But the main driving force behind Lowry’s scoring bump is his renewed ability to attack the basket. After years of creeping decline, Lowry is back to attempting a fifth of his shots within the restricted area, and he’s also getting to the line at double the rate he was last season (5.7 to 3.0). Much of that is attributable to the Raptors being able to trot out lineups with five shooters to space the floor, but it’s also a reflection of Lowry’s meticulous conditioning to consistently sustain contact in the lane.
But for Nurse, it’s also the intangibles that makes Lowry an indispensable player. Nurse said the Raptors are “clearly Kyle’s team” in large part because he’s leads by example. You won’t find many star players leading the league in charges taken, or ones that play as hard as Lowry does on a nightly basis. The rest of the team follows his lead, and Lowry is the one constant as the Raptors head into their seventh-straight postseason appearance under his guidance.
“I think Kyle is going to be a hell of a player in the playoffs this year,” Nurse added.
Kyle Lowry Still Standing Tall as Toronto Raptors’ Leader | Complex
He is—in relative terms in a land of giants—small in stature and raw, magnetic star power. But as days went by and Kyle Lowry appeared absent from the Toronto Raptors’ stay in Naples, Florida prior to their arrival in Orlando, it became increasingly clear who possesses the central gravitational force for the defending NBA champions.
It would be reasonable to wonder why entering the season, considering the 2019-20 campaign appeared a fitting time to begin a passing of the torch to the likes of Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet from the 34-year-old. Lowry admitted as much on opening night, when Siakam and VanVleet combined for 68 points as Toronto raised an NBA championship banner to the rafters for the first time.
But while other stars are able to shine bright with supreme athleticism and highlight-reel moves that fade with time, Lowry’s supplements his steady numbers—19.7 points, 7.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals—with doing the little things so much better than anyone that it all adds up to the biggest thing: winning. Lowry’s cerebral power is a lasting one, a solar power-generated force that allows the lights to always stay on; it enables him do everything from buy his team an extra possession on either end via a 2-for-1 or a charge to go back-and-forth with officials over the most microscopic detail of a foul call to be purposefully bratty with the media.
“I think it’s clearly Kyle’s team,” head coach Nick Nurse said after practice Monday. “His care factor is way up there; his intelligence factor is way up. I mean, we’re in good hands with him being the leader of this team…
“When a guy plays the way he does, the leadership by example—that phrase is probably over-used, but it’s certainly the case. For basketball in general, the way you play is like the first kind of characteristic of being a great leader.”
Lowry’s leadership has grown over the years and taking centre stage now – Video – TSN
TSN’s Kayla Grey catches up with Raptors reporter Josh Lewenberg to discuss how import Kyle Lowry’s leadership has been both on and off the court for the Raptors.
NBA restart X factors – Eight players with big questions – ESPN
Siakam was the best performer on the floor in Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals, dropping 32 points on 17 shots. Now the Toronto Raptors are hoping Siakam can help them defend their championship without Kawhi Leonard.
Siakam is one of the NBA’s most ascendant and unlikely stars. Drafted No. 27 overall in 2016, he averaged four points per game in his rookie season. Four years later, he is one of the best two-way players in the league.
He blends isolations, pick-and-rolls and post-ups as a truly unique volume scorer. His driving spin moves have become his signature weapon, but he also has improved his perimeter touch with each season (now averaging six 3-point attempts per game while converting 36%), making him one of the toughest matchups in the Eastern Conference.
Although Siakam’s scoring efficiency numbers have dropped slightly as his usage has increased this year, Toronto’s offense thrives when he is on the court. The Raptors score an impressive 112.8 points per 100 possessions when Siakam is in games, but that drops to a disappointing 106.8 when he sits.
Toronto relied on Leonard over and over again when it mattered most last season, with the Finals MVP posting a 41.1% usage rate in 58 clutch playoff minutes (No. 1 among players with at least 20 such minutes played). Now, the ball should be in Siakam’s hands during those moments.
Giannis and other African players to watch in Orlando’s NBA Bubble – ESPN
Cameroon’s Siakam is in just his fourth season in the NBA, but is already widely acknowledged as one of the best players to come from the continent.
In his first NBA Finals game, Siakam erupted for 32 points on 14-of-17 shooting as the Raptors’ 118-109 win set the scene for what was to be an historic Finals victory for the franchise.
This season, there has been some doubt about the defending champions’ ability to retain their title, but it is in the face of such doubt, and via the explosiveness of Siakam, that Toronto seem to flourish.
They have thrived this season despite a rash of injuries taking players out of the line-up, and their 46-18 record is third best in the league behind the Bucks and Lakers.
For Siakam, he has almost doubled his average points every season since he began, jumping from 4.2 to 7.3 to 16.9 last season. Before the halt, he was averaging 23.6 points, 3.6 assists and 7.5 rebounds.
It’s safe to say that the Cameroonian will be an exciting draw for Toronto fans, but not so much for their opposition.
Cash, security and status: Raptors under the most pressure when the NBA returns – The Athletic
#ProveEm, Group 1
Terrence Davis
Of everyone on the team, barring injury, Davis probably has the widest range of potential outcomes in the restart. Davis could come out on fire from deep, show an improved ability to make plays for others and more attentiveness defensively, and possibly (but not likely) usurp Norman Powell’s spot in the rotation. Davis could also show signs of a stalled rookie season, with his inability to work within the team setting for more than three months, leaving him as a liability with and without the ball, leaving Nurse to favour McCaw and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson over him at the back end of the rotation.The likely result is somewhere in the middle. Davis is the only Raptor that played in all 64 pre-hiatus games. That streak could snap in the playoffs. Think of Powell’s rookie year: He went from playing 28 minutes in Game 5 against Indiana in the first round to playing just 24 in the last five games against Miami in the second round. He floated in and out of the rotation as needed, with his lack of track record and the myriad options available on the perimeter keeping his spot uncertain. That is likely Davis’ future, unless he gets hot quickly and stays that way.
And that is fine. He is on a team-friendly deal for next year, which is really when the pressure will ramp up for him as he heads toward restricted free agency.
Norman Powell
It’s hard to picture Powell doing more to help his stock and reputation than he’s done already this year. He went from being a slightly negative asset due to the long-term money he’s owed with a ninth-man type of performance, to a net-positive asset with borderline Most Improved and Sixth Man cases. Consistency was always the issue for Powell, and he’s delivered, at least on the offensive end. What’s more, what he does offensively is so important to a Raptors attack that’s light on rim pressure and willing high-volume scorers.That doesn’t mean Powell has nothing on the line, especially in the playoffs. He was at times a non-factor in the championship run, nearly falling out of an already thin rotation. He also probably tops out as average defensively at this point, completely inverting where he provided value as a rookie and over the past five years. Looking ahead to his 2021-22 player option, a strong playoff showing (and should league revenue rebounding by then) could make him a serious opt-out risk, with a second big deal waiting at age 28. – BM
The Raptors still have eight games before the NBA playoffs, but ‘everybody is ready’ | The Star
“You can’t try to adjust this, that and the other. You have to have that same approach each and every game and figure it out as you go,” Raptor Norm Powell said.
“It’s going to be a different feel with no fans and all of that, but the main focus is getting ourselves back to the level where we want to be and be able to compete and fight for a championship.”
The Raptors are counting on their experience to get them through the most unusual circumstances, because every key member of the rotation went through 10 weeks of intense competition in the championship run of 2019.
“(The players) came here in great shape and, as soon as we got here, everyone was starting to put in work,” Serge Ibaka said. “I’ve been in the league for 11 years. You can see when people (are) locked in and they are ready mentally and when they are not.
“So I can tell you right now, mentally, everybody is ready.”
The Raptors, who opened camp in Orlando on Saturday after training in the Naples/Fort Myers area, were limited to small group workouts before joining the NBA bubble. It was frustrating not to have five-on-five time, but it’s not like it was going to change what the Raptors are or what they do before the games begin.
It’s the same for their eight opponents: all good teams, legitimate championship contenders, staying true to themselves.
Toronto Raptors: 3 x-factors for team to succeed in Orlando restart – Hoops Habit
1. Continuity
For the bulk of this roster, they have not only been here before, but they have been here together and gone all the way to win a championship. That is something that no other team in the Eastern Conference right now can say. The Bucks might be better because they have a roster that fits really well around reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they haven’t yet reached the summit.
The Philadelphia 76ers have two superstars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons that many have long questioned if the fit is right between the two. They are also yet to have any real playoff success themselves. The Celtics have plenty of talent, but point guard Kemba Walker hasn’t played with the kind of expectations that he now faces at any point in his career.
He is also a different type of floor general to Kyrie Irving, and it will be his first time attempting to navigate what the organization will hope is a deep playoff run. The Heat have an interesting group and somebody in Jimmy Butler who is always desperate to win, but they too are a new collection of mostly young players who have yet to do anything significant together.
Which keeps bringing us back to the Raptors. They have the experience, but also the blend of youth with Siakam and Anunoby. They’ve been here before, and they’ve been here together. They even beat Giannis and the Bucks last season, and although they had more help on that occasion, head coach Nick Nurse can at least point to the fact that they’ve done it before.
Lowry, Gasol and Ibaka, in particular, don’t have too many goes left at playing at a high level and being an integral player in the playoffs, and it is unclear how much longer that nucleus will be kept together for anyway. With so many people overlooking them, and with a level of continuity throughout the roster and coaching staff that has them knowing exactly who they are, the Conference Finals are within reach for them. They’ve got plenty of x-factors to get them there.
Should Terence Davis make the All-Rookie Team? | NBA.com Canada
At some point, winning needs to trump inflated stats that are merely a byproduct of circumstance. More than any other rookie outside of Morant and Williamson, Davis embodies the ethos of his entire team. Throughout the season, no current playoff team suffered more injuries than the Raptors who have played musical chairs with lineups since essentially the first week of the season. They’ve somehow managed to make it this far with the third-best record in the entire league thanks to a next-man-up mentality that permeates throughout the entire locker room.
Not only is Davis the only player to appear in every single game for the Raptors, the undrafted swingman has earned every ounce of every opportunity extended his way. When he’s on the floor, good things happen. The Raptors are 5.7 points per 100 possessions better whenever he’s on the floor, third-best on the team behind only Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol. He’s been a plus defensively and has seamlessly picked up on Toronto’s advanced defensive schemes, no small feat for anyone let alone a rookie. He’s knocked down just a hair under 40 percent of his shots from beyond the arc and looks every bit the part of an impact 3-and-D wing.
I don’t care that 19 rookies are averaging more points per game. I don’t care that 15 rookies have played more minutes. Winning matters and Davis should be rewarded if nothing else than to send a signal to the rest of the league that there’s far more to making an impact as a young player than stuffing a box score full of empty calories.
NBA Draft Watch: Should the Toronto Raptors keep their first round pick? – Raptors HQ
Option 1: Trade the Pick
Why should the Raptors move out of the first round? They can potentially flip this pick (for a future pick) to another team that wants a crack at this year’s prospects. Last year, for example, Detroit’s 30th pick was traded for four future second-round picks. Or should they use the pick to dump Stanley Johnson if he opts into his contract next season? Choices!With the emergence of Oshae Brissett and Paul Watson Jr, Johnson might find himself out of the rotation again. Johnson has a player option next season for about $3.8 million, but is his contract big (or valuable) enough for which to cough up a late first round pick?
Could this be the draft where it’s worth the risk of getting out of the first round? Considering the mock drafts out there now, it looks like the consensus is that there’s not much talent separation from the 20s all the way to late second round. Can the Raptors convince a second round prospect to decline being drafted for a high-stakes chance to earn a roster spot (e.g. the Fred VanVleet “Bet on yourself” special)? Admittedly, when you describe it out like this, it suddenly doesn’t sound so crazy for the Raptors to trade the pick entirely.
Raptors’ roster holds the lowest-average draft position of NBA teams – Hoops Hype
When the Raptors won the title in 2019, it was the only time that the NBA champions did not have a lottery pick on their roster since the league changed to a weighted lotto system in 1990.
In fact, the 2019 Raptors had the lowest drafted players among NBA champions since the Houston Rockets in 1993-94. (Although those numbers were a bit impacted by the fact that Mario Elie was selected at No. 160 overall, fully one hundred spots later than the final selection eligible in the modern draft).
This year, the only Toronto player selected in the lottery was Stanley Johnson. The former University of Arizona forward was picked at No. 8 overall in 2015. But he averaged just 4.8 minutes per game in 2019-20, making zero appearances in the starting lineup.
The only first-rounders on the team are OG Anunoby (No. 23 overall), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (No. 23 overall), Kyle Lowry (No. 24 overall), Serge Ibaka (No. 24 overall) and Pascal Siakam (No. 27 overall). All of these players were taken in the second half of the first round.
