5 hectic minutes rarely wins you a basketball game.
Down two rotational players and facing a historically bad defense, the Raptors sluggish transition defense and overall listlessness put them in a hole that their mad scramble at the end couldn’t get them out of.
Everyone loves a few points to pick and choose from. Pick whatever you want (maybe all of them) and take them to the proverbial water cooler – you’ll be all the rage when you talk about a Yuta Watanabe closeout.
- I said in the preview for Kings-Raps that this was a clear opportunity for Pascal Siakam to get back on track offensively and if this game provided anything meaningful (outside of Yuta, Bembry stuff) that was it. Siakam identified early and often that the Kings didn’t have a single player on the roster who could hang with him, and he coasted to 32 points. He coaxed Holmes under the basket before hitting a balanced and easy fader, bullied Hield in the post, and put Bagley on his butt when he ventured too far out of the paint. It was a good night of mixing different looks, even if the majority of them came directly at the bucket. On balance, unpredictable, and showing good touch. It’s a shame he had a pretty underwhelming defensive performance to go with this offensive showing, but hopefully this is something to build on.
- The Raptors defense dictates that you move the ball against them and unfortunately for the Raptors, the Kings obliged. De’Aaron Fox was able to get the Raptors in rotation early and often, and Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield, Cory Joseph, and Hassan Whiteside all punished the Raptors by sliding into advantageous positions as the Raptors defense attempted to hang with on-ball threats. 11-19 from downtown, and 27-41 from the field is speaks to how out of sorts the Raptors defense was after the initial action, and it was only improved upon when Stanley Johnson, Yuta Watanabe, and DeAndre’ Bembry entered the game.
- Not only did we see Watanabe’s career high scoring output, but in concert with Bembry and Johnson he covered the court exceptionally well. He has full defensive possessions where he touches damn near every corner of the half-court, and we even saw him turn straight line drives into resets for the offense. This was also Watanabe’s best game as a driver this season. He’s a bit too hesitant at times and will let gaps pass him by un-punched, but last night he got all the way to the cup a couple times. The jumper will translate, but his in-between offense is the only thing keeping him from being a very important rotational player. Super fun performance throughout, and especially late in the game.
- With a few very impressive defensive showings in recent games, I really like the extended minutes for Bembry. His on-ball defense is monstrous at times, and he showed an exceptional nose for sniffing out passes in the 4th quarter in this one. He played a huge part in rattling Fox late in this game.
- With OG missing time, Fred VanVleet is sneakily in position to stake a claim to the Raptors best offensive and defensive player so far this season. If the Raptors are at full strength and playing well that isn’t the case. However, VanVleet is lifting the Raptors at every opportunity and while the Raptors didn’t win and the late game execution was a little underwhelming he just continues to perform. He makes his contract look better and better with each game.
- With the way the roster is currently constructed, Anunoby might be the most essential player on the team. When he’s not in the lineup, Nurse is forced to juggle between offense only and defense only players, and that’s almost impossible to find the right balance with. Plugging OG in alleviates a lot of what is currently ailing the Raptors.
- In order to try and shore up the defense the Raptors have been marching out small lineups (as I highlighted above) and it’s currently cannibalizing a lot of the minutes and opportunities that Chris Boucher was getting earlier this season. Something to watch over the next 7-10 games to see if the rotation is starting to phase him out. He’s clearly talented enough that his deployment should be something the Raptors prioritize.
Couple of Quotes
“I definitely didn’t think it was warranted. I didn’t do anything…She was the only one that heard it. Personally, I didn’t do anything. It is what it is…I do a lot of complaining and things of that nature. getting the short end of the stick on that one.” – Kyle Lowry on his second technical of the game
“I just think we weren’t real connected on defense again, there were a lot of those gaping mistakes. I think they were taking it right to the front of the rim on us and we weren’t doing a good job of controlling the ball. There wasn’t the early help, late help was a little late as well. And then we would happen to get them to miss one, they’d crash the glass on us and get another crack at it there for a while. We just weren’t very good defensively is the main thing.” – Nick Nurse on the Raptors defense vs. the Kings
If the Raptors defense continues to break down this quickly, they’ll be susceptible to any team with players who can put the ball on the floor against a closeout. Or, they’ll have to play small a lot more often to compete on that end. If they embrace the small playstyle they’re going to have to prioritize the development of at least one of Bembry, Watanabe, or Johnson if not two of them. There’s a lot of holes in the Raptors roster and the release of Alex Len indicates – at least to me – that a lot of this wasn’t planned out with much intention by Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster. It’s fine to be on the outside looking in of the Giannis situation, most teams are, but the way in which they maneuver on the back-end of it is meaningful.
Have a blessed day.
