Wizards | 98 | Final Box Score | 83 | Raptors |
C+ | P. Achiuwa19 MIN, 6 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 3-8 FG, 0-0 3FG, 2- FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -6 +/- It started off with a thunderous dunk but ended with whimper for Precious. There were flashes of tantalizing potential mixed with a heavy dose of sporadic play. Like with Khem, it’s a concern that we had trouble with the likes of Gafford and Harrell. | ||||||||
C+ | O. Anunoby34 MIN, 11 PTS, 10 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 3-17 FG, 2-9 3FG, 4- FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, -21 +/- The “OG for Most Improved Player” campaign has hit an early snag. Tonight, he shot to miss. Oh well, it’s all a part of the process. Expectations are high for OG, so we’ll slap this C+ grade on him while knowing he’ll be the reason for several of our wins this season. | ||||||||
B | S. Barnes33 MIN, 12 PTS, 9 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 5-13 FG, 0-1 3FG, 3- FT, 0 BLK, 6 TO, -11 +/- He still hasn’t made his first three yet, but Scottie was a lone bright spot during one of the darkest moments in the Raptors’ shooting history. I wouldn’t be opposed if we went to Scottie more often in the block against the right matchups. He had several assists taken away due to that aforementioned shooting slump. Also – we need more actions between Barnes and Banton moving forward! | ||||||||
B | G. Dragic22 MIN, 9 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 3-7 FG, 1-2 3FG, 2- FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -16 +/- Despite a lacklustre preseason, Goran came to play offensively. We may need to move him to the bench to inject that unit with some veteran savvy and playmaking. | ||||||||
C- | F. VanVleet35 MIN, 12 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 5-20 FG, 1-9 3FG, 1- FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, -22 +/- Even with Pascal, we’re not going to get very far with Freddie shooting like he did tonight. There was a tendency for him to take on too much last season and it looked that way again against the Wizards. | ||||||||
C | C. Boucher18 MIN, 7 PTS, 4 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 3-10 FG, 1-6 3FG, 0- FT, 2 BLK, 1 TO, -1 +/- I loved when he was used as an off-ball cutter for Banton and Barnes. I hated when he forced jumpers or dribble drives. If he’s not rebounding and blocking shots, it’ll be tough to find shots and playing time for him. I appreciate Chris for coming back earlier than expected. | ||||||||
B- | K. Birch26 MIN, 9 PTS, 9 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 2-4 FG, 0-0 3FG, 6- FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -8 +/- Khem is still getting his legs under him but he played okay tonight. It’s a concern that he struggled off the bench against Harrell. | ||||||||
A | D. Banton12 MIN, 7 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 3-4 FG, 1-1 3FG, 0- FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, +8 +/- Banton was electric! I’m sure playing at home for the first time had something to do with, or the fact that his first shot attempt in the NBA was a made three from half court at the buzzer. Every time he touched the ball, I felt like something exciting was about to happen. Great debut! | ||||||||
D | S. Mykhailiuk16 MIN, 4 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-5 FG, 0-3 3FG, 2- FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -1 +/- Everything that made Svi lovable during the preseason was missing tonight. He looked unsure with the ball on penetration and got stuck in the air on passes far too often. His defense wasn’t there and neither was his jumper. This was disappointing, especially on a night when our bench needed a spark. | ||||||||
B- | G. Trent Jr.26 MIN, 6 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 3 STL, 2-9 FG, 1-3 3FG, 2- FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, +3 +/- We saw a really enjoyable version of Gary. He was extremely active on defense and didn’t force anything on the offensive end. If he can bring this type of energy and knock down more shots, he’ll be a great edition to this team. | ||||||||
C | Nick Nurse Nick pretty much fluked his way into the turnaround Banton helped facilitate. Beal exposed the switch-happy defense. The roster has issues down low and we’re missing Pascal Siakam but we looked unprepared early on. This team isn’t a world beater, but we’re supposed to be better than what was displayed tonight. |
Things We Saw
- If Banton continues to impress, who will he take minutes away from? I could see Dragic being useful in 20 minutes off the bench. Gary Trent Jr. will find time if he plays scrappy defense like he did tonight. Does that leave Svi as the guy who is impacted the most? Either way, this team needs to see more of Banton in meaningful minutes if the team is struggling to generate offense.
- I wish we could go back to the days of Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka. I would even take the “in-the-bubble-against-the-Celtics” Marc Gasol. Forget Harrell and Gafford, Kyle Kuzma finished with 15 rebounds.
- The return of Pascal Siakam won’t solve this team’s shooting woes. We’re not 7-of-34 bad. But we’re also not a good shooting team. We’re going to need to figure things out defensively so we can get out and run.