Wednesday night’s victory over the Indiana Pacers marked the end of the first week of the 2021-22 Raptors season, and there has already been much to take in. The Raptors’ return to Scotiabank Arena for the first time since February 28 of 2020 this season marks the beginning of a new era, an era without the familiar face of Kyle Lowry and one which seems as though it will be a fun yet also frustrating watch at times.
There has been a lot to unpack over the past week regarding how new personnel fit in and how returning players have developed, and there will be a lot more to unpack over the coming weeks.
With that said, let’s try to unravel how this Raptors team will work based on the past week of viewing. This article outlines five key takeaways from the past week that may play a role throughout the season.
Rebounding has transitioned from a weakness to a strength
Arguably, the most frustrating aspect of watching the Raptors last season was seeing them get outrebounded game after game. Having been blessed with Serge Ibaka, Marc Gasol, Jonas Valanciunas, and even Bismack Biyombo at centre over the past several years, it was tough to watch a disengaged Aron Baynes and an undersized Chris Boucher run that position for most of last season. The team finished third-last in rebounding last season, and it’s no wonder why.
Having recognized this issue, the Raptors’ front office seems to have done a tremendous job in turning this issue around quickly by adding long, tenacious, and athletic players in every position.
At centre, Precious Achiuwa is currently averaging over ten rebounds per game, something no Raptor even came close to doing last season.
While relatively undersized at his position at 6’8”, Achiuwa uses his physicality and second-jump ability as well as anyone else to keep balls alive on the glass. And while his partnership with Khem Birch at centre may not be the flashiest tandem in the league, it is light years ahead of what the Raptors were presenting at that position for much of last season.
On the wings, the Raptors also offer tremendous rebounding potential in Chris Boucher and Scottie Barnes. A fluid centre rotation of Achiuwa and Birch will allow Boucher to transition to power forward full time after playing as an emergency centre last season.
While Boucher has struggled to find his scoring touch early, the move to power-forward seems to have allowed him to contribute more on the glass, as his rebounds per 100 possessions are currently up from 13.5 last season to 15.1 this season.
Barnes, meanwhile, has found no issues fitting into Nick Nurse’s system. His vertical quickness and size at 6’9” allow him to guard and rebound in multiple positions. Not only this, but his playmaking ability also allows him to initiate fastbreak offence when he rebounds by bringing the ball up the floor quickly, as evident by the clip below.
SCOTTIE'S IN HIS BAG pic.twitter.com/bZOZt1gx2c
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 23, 2021
Finally, some new Raptors guards should be able to pitch in on the glass as well. Operating as a 6’9” point guard, Dalano Banton should be able to outrebound most other point guards in the league. Additionally, Svi Mychailiuk’s nose for the ball has led to him being one of four other Raptors with over ten rebounds per 100 possessions.
The dual-point guard lineup does not work with Goran Dragić in place of Kyle Lowry
One of the staples of Raptors basketball dating back to the days of Dwane Casey at head coach is the use of dual-point guard lineups.
The Raptors’ most-played lineup in each of the past two seasons included two point guards in Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry. Beyond this, their second most-played lineup during the championship season also included VanVleet and Lowry, while the second most-played lineup in Casey’s final season included VanVleet and Delon Wright.
What made VanVleet-Lowry lineups so viable was both players’ abilities to guard taller players on defence and play as off-ball guards on offence. Anyone who has watched the Raptors throughout the years would know of Lowry’s defensive capabilities in the post and VanVleet’s strong hands, which helped him lead the league in deflections per game last season.
This defence, along with both of their career three-point percentages both being over 35%, allowed them to complement each other well on the floor together.
Unfortunately, the dual-point guard lineup does not seem to have the same effect with Dragić and VanVleet as Lowry and VanVleet. In fact, in the 35 minutes that VanVleet and Dragić have shared the floor this season, their net rating of -28 is the lowest of any Raptor duo with at least 35 minutes together.
At 35 years of age, Dragić seems to be slow and fragile both on defence and in transition. One of the advantages of a dual-point guard lineup should be the ability to push the ball up the floor quickly. However, Dragić’s lack of pace has all but ruined this concept for the Raptors. His play has been so uninspiring that head coach Nick Nurse slapped him with a DNP – coach’s decision against Indiana on Wednesday.
The one potential saving grace for a VanVleet-Dragić lineup is that, historically, Dragić is a pretty good three-point shooter (37% last season and 36% for his career). He has struggled to find his shooting touch this season, however, shooting a measly 22% from distance. If he can raise his three-point percentage back up to the standards of last season, it might be worth revisiting a VanVleet-Dragić lineup. For the time being, though, I would stray away from those two sharing the floor.
I would argue that the only point guard duo that should share the floor for the Raptors, for now, is VanVleet and Dalano Banton. At 6’9”, Banton has the body and athleticism to defend multiple positions, as well as the ball-handling capabilities of a point guard, allowing VanVleet to play off-ball. There already seems to be chemistry between the pair, evident in the clip below, where VanVleet sets a screen for Banton to force a switch, eventually causing confusion amongst the Pacers defence, leading to an open Banton three-pointer off of a give-and-go.
Rexdale's finest. pic.twitter.com/ArGld1J8Fp
— Raptors Republic (@raptorsrepublic) October 28, 2021
To a *much* lesser extent, VanVleet and Banton could operate as a backcourt the way Stephen Curry and Shaun Livingston did during the Golden State dynasty. This backcourt could see Banton operating as the primary ball-handler, using his height over shorter defenders to see the floor, looking for VanVleet on off-ball screens for open three-pointers and cuts.
Offence must come from defence, at least until Pascal Siakam returns
If one thing is clear from the first five games of the season, it’s that this Raptors team is scrappy and energetic on defence and in transition, but raw (to put it lightly) in their half-court offence. This combination is evident by their fourth-ranked opponent points per game paired with their 23rd-ranked points per game on offence.
Simply put, this team does not currently have a go-to, dependable scorer when they need a bucket. Many had hoped that OG Anunoby would take strides this season to be that player, but he has begun this season with efficiency woes, shooting only 38% from the field. Adon alluded to this expectation after the narrow loss to the Bulls, noting that the extra weight on his Anunoby’s shoulders may be playing a part in his inability to take the next step.
Until Anunoby shows that he is capable of taking the next step, The only player on the Raptors’ roster that has shown they are capable of being a dependable, go-to option is Pascal Siakam. So, until he comes back, the Raptors will have to remain scrappy on both ends of the floor to tough out wins.
More than likely, their defensive ability paired with their lack of offensive ability mean that they will need to hold opponents to 100 points or less to win games consistently, as they did against Boston and Indiana.
Raptors rookies have got guts
It is often a difficult task for rookies in the NBA to make an effective and immediate impact. Rookies want to show their coaching staff, teammates, and fans everything to like about their game and will sometimes press to make an impact as a result. Scottie Barnes and Dalano Banton, however, have been able to make an immediate impact without showing any nerves or frailties whatsoever.
Let’s look at Barnes first. Looking purely at his numbers, you could argue that his immediate impact has been too good to be true. The 17 points per game he is scoring in the NBA right now is nearly seven points per game more than he scored in his only year in college, not to mention that he has also doubled his college rebounding output. Based on these numbers alone, your conclusion is likely either that he has just gotten off to a hot start, has made drastic improvements in the offseason, or fits this system really, really well.
Even considering how good his numbers look, let’s forget about the numbers for now. There are a few aspects of his early play that I think are more valuable than any of his numbers thus far.
First, he hasn’t shied away from the moment. It would be easy for a rookie to defer to veteran players such as VanVleet and Anunoby, but he has remained insistent on getting touches, carrying the ball up the floor, and being a part of the offence.
Second, he’s kept his head up through struggles. This was most clear in the Indiana game, where Barnes opened up 1-5 from the field before scoring eight straight Raptor points in the second quarter. It would be easy to stop shooting after getting off to a slow start, but Scottie is too confident to do that.
And finally, his impact has come in the flow of the game. Again, it can be easy to force plays as a rookie in an attempt to make a lasting first impression, so it is actually more impressive that he has been able to take the game in stride and play at his comfort level.
Also, let’s not forget that he has already spent time as the primary defender on Jayson Tatum and Luka Dončić.
As for Banton, what better way to settle in than by making a half-court shot within 25 seconds of your NBA debut?
Dalano Banton has arrived pic.twitter.com/5kp8slI5hQ
— Raptors Republic (@raptorsrepublic) October 21, 2021
Banton has shown guts purely by snatching at every opportunity given to him. First, Against Washington, Banton subbed into a game that seemed out of reach but took no second for granted. He finished with a team-high plus/minus of plus-eight, helping the Raptors salvage a semi-respectable scoreline. And second, against Indiana, Banton took advantage of another opportunity with Dragić being benched by showing everything in his toolkit, scoring 10 points in 16 minutes with a couple of three-pointers and three assists. Both Barnes’ and Banton’s contributions in the Indiana game were touched on by Sahal.
As the 46th pick in the draft, early signs point to Banton being a steal.
Gary Trent Jr. is a defensive menace
This takeaway is one I certainly was not expecting to see to start the season.
Last season’s impression of Trent after his trade deadline acquisition, for me anyway, was all about what he could do on offence. On that front, he comes off as a capable shot-maker, but with what I can only describe as tunnel vision on the offensive end. That much hasn’t changed.
What has changed in Trent’s game, however, is the intensity to which he has played with on defence. This is something that Adon touched on in his digs and don’t digs piece from yesterday, as well as something that Louis has covered to a greater extent.
I’ll briefly cover what has made Trent such a better defender this year, but if you want to know the full extent of Trent’s defensive impact, I encourage you to read both Louis’ and Adon’s pieces. In fact, I encourage you to read them anyway, but that’s beside the point.
The gist of the matter is that Trent’s improvement on defence has come from a combination of individual development and tighter team defence as a whole. On an individual front, Nick Nurse has noted that he has shown more of a presence in his on-ball defense this season, While Louis has observed that he has been fighting through screens with more intensity.
On a team front, the additions of long, versatile defenders such as Precious Achiuwa and Scottie Barnes have allowed Trent to be more aggressive on defence, knowing that there are capable defenders behind him to back him up. This knowledge has helped Trent climb up to fourth in deflections per game and fourth in steals per game in the NBA.
Let’s not forget…
The Raptors have only played five games so far, and five games is a pretty small sample size. Some of these takeaways may be proven wrong over the coming weeks, and some may become more apparent. All we can do is hang along for the ride.
