https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aVkuMFz-6U
After the loss to the Pelicans last week, Nurse made it clear he will consider bending his starting lineup to his opponent’s if that opponent features a traditional centre. Not surprising, given their lack of a true big man on the roster, the Raptors have failed to slow down those types frequently this year. Jonas Valančiūnas had 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting in that game while finishing as a game-high plus-28. In a much grimier game two nights later, Karl-Anthony Towns was the Timberwolves’ most efficient offensive option by far, with 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting. (Towns’ teammates, for comparison, had 67 points on 33.3 percent shooting from the field.)
Nurse indeed used some of the break to think about how he might shift things around in this last stretch of the regular season. It probably won’t even be a consideration until the Raptors play the Nets on Monday and Tuesday, assuming Andre Drummond starts for Brooklyn.
“Here’s what I hope: I hope to God I’ve got some hard decisions on who’s gonna start. I really do,” Nurse said. “It’s not been where we’ve had too many (players performing well enough to start) available too often this year. I really hope in these last 20 to 25 it is (the case), and I’m gonna have to go to somebody and say, ‘Hey, you’re going to have to come off the bench tonight,’ that’s been starting all year when they’ve been available. That would really help us.”
As discussed earlier this week, Barnes is the most obvious candidate from the Raptors’ smaller starting lineup to head to the bench. I asked Nurse whether he thinks asking any regular to switch to a reserve role on an occasional basis would be difficult.
“Not especially,” Nurse said.
Late-season sprint should lead the Raptors to do some fine-tuning | The Star
When I was talking to Fred VanVleet the other night in Cleveland about what the Raptors need in the 25-game sprint to the end of the NBA season he hit on one point that caught my attention more than others.
Not because he’s right, but because I think it’s already being taken care of.
He said they need to start a “shift to towards more playoff basketball” at the end of the season but it struck me that they already do that to a large degree and he must have meant more fine-tuning than stark change.
The Raptors already have a tight playoff rotation – eight guys most night and I think that’s about the max they would play in a post-season series.
The Raptors halfcourt offence isn’t wonderful but it is varied and being able to take advantage of any number of matchups is the key. Pascal Siakam sometime, Scottie Barnes or OG Anunoby sometimes, Gary Trent Jr. getting his shots and VanVleet orchestrating any number of two-man games seems a great variety that will be necessary playing the same team four or five or six or seven games in a row.
The Raptors do play a variety of defences, man-to-man, they sprinkle in a couple or three different zones to mix things up and they can trap and junk a game up on the odd occasions.
So instead of having install all kinds of new strategies or schemes or, as Nick likes to say, “foundational principles” I think it’s more like the Raptors have to drill down hard on what they already do.
And there is not ton of room for error. I think they’re more likely to finishing the five-through-seven section of the jumbled East than they are the eight-through-10 but any kind of lengthy losing streak could throw a wrench into that.
This is going to be a fun ride, I suspect, busy but fun and I think the way this team plays, which is hard every night, should stand it in good stead.
The pieces are there for a solid run, the honing what’s already in place is the key.
Toronto Raptors: Midterm Marks for the players at the All-Star break – Raptors HQ
Pascal Siakam: A
After missing the first few weeks of the season, Siakam took a little bit to get into the flow of things, but ever since January, he has made a case for All-NBA. Pull-up threes, step-backs, floaters, post moves, driving and spinning, and slicing and dicing; Pascal is literally scoring in every way.
During Toronto’s eight game winning streak in January, Pascal averaged 25 points per game, on more than efficient shooting. On top of that, we all know that Siakam is a top of the line defender. This just goes to show that you can’t judge a guy based on how he plays in Disneyland, and in a season with no home games.
What are the best remaining games of the 2021-22 Toronto Raptors season? – Raptors HQ
April 3: Miami Heat
If all goes according to plan, this game will finally see Kyle Lowry in Toronto again after numerous circumstances prolonged the delay in his return. If you, the reader, are going to attend any game for the rest of the season, I would suggest going to this one (if Kyle is indeed healthy and confirmed to play). His return is guaranteed to be a hallmark moment in franchise history, and I suspect there will be special speeches and/or tribute videos involved.Even outside of Kyle though, this Miami Heat team is dangerous and always proves to be a challenge. After the Raptors won the last two meetings, including a thrilling triple-overtime game, the Heat should be extra motivated to seek some revenge. For sentimental reasons and beyond, this game should be a memorable one.
Thanks for reading, and sound off in the comments below if there are any other games I didn’t mention that you’re particularly excited for!
