One can only hope that last night’s game was the Raptors attempt to purge themselves of all the worst aspects of their version of basketball. Most everything was sloppy. Things that typically work, didn’t. For the second game in a row, the starters looked dysfunctional and severely lacking in offensive punch or rhythm. And yet, it’s only the preseason, so who knows?
If the preseason is for noticing trends, then the Raptors performances have been cause for at least some worry. And most noticeably, the positive trends exist mostly towards the back end of the roster; where we know a player may change their lives, but typically isn’t where winning basketball is decided. As great as it is to see Jeff Dowtin continue to slither into the paint and create, Raptors fans would have more cause for excitement if either Scottie Barnes or OG Anunoby were the author of those possessions.
So, how have the auditions for “primary initiatory” been going? Pretty poorly. Pascal Siakam has tenure, and he looks as good as we remember. The same can be said for Fred VanVleet. We are, however, waiting to see either of Anunoby or Barnes start to produce interesting possessions as initiators – and neither has. We’re typically supposed to glean things from process, not outcomes, and we’ve been bereft of good process. Barnes seems poised to hold onto the ball longer than he ever has, despite showing nothing new in the way of breaking down defenders or manipulating the second level. In the preseason, he hasn’t touched double digits in scoring, has turned the ball over a lot, and has lost a lot of minutes. It’s been rough! Anunoby is perhaps a little easier of a watch, because most of the successful trappings of his game are still present, even if he doesn’t make the creation jump – which hasn’t been good.
And yet, it’s just preseason. The absence of development is notable, but it can’t be a referendum. Why on earth would I put more stock in Barnes’ inability to create against the preseason Rockets, when we saw the seeds of superstardom against some of the best teams in the league in the games that matter. Anunoby helping keep the Raptors offense afloat with empty-side pick n’ rolls vs. the Bucks matters more than whatever we’re seeing here. It sucks that we’re seeing absolutely nothing to get excited about, but thems the breaks. How very Raptors of them to have the reigning ROY, and for the preseason to offer very little intrigue outside of Precious Achiuwa + the end of bench battle.
Not to be forgotten: the aforementioned Achiuwa intrigue. The tantalizing mix of athletic pop, fluidity, and burgeoning ball skills have started to coalesce under the house called “Precious”. It’s fascinating to watch him work. It’s important to remember that many NBA players succeed by being off-kilter and looking different, but how could you not get excited about Achiuwa’s ability to flash a handle that looks every bit like many superstar wings of the past. He’s still clanging his threes, and everyone needs those to drop, but we’ve seen the difficulties bigs have with handling him in space and he continues to press that advantage. Additionally, he still looks great on defense, and he continues to win possession on some of the most heavily contested rebounds out there. He looks tremendous, and last night in Houston was no different.
The deep bench collective continues to threaten comebacks (in the Celtics case, delivering on the threat), and they do so by inserting Gabe Brown’s shooting, Josh Jackson’s active and pressing defense, Dowtin’s probing playmaking, and Khem Birch’s navigation of the middle of the defense into the lineup. Dalano Banton was too good with this group and started to see more minutes with the big guns – which went extremely well for him. It’s impressive to see a player as limited as he is in the halfcourt still find ways to get to his spots. Whether it’s ‘Get’ action, re-screening pick n’ rolls, or filling lanes in transition, Banton is getting to dangerous spots on the floor. He even hit a middy against a dropping defender last night. If there was any doubt as to whether Banton would be pushed out of the rotation with Thaddeus Young more affirmed and newly signed Otto Porter Jr.? He’s asserted his case to receive time regardless.
When it comes to all things Christian Koloko, newly minted starter, Louis has you covered here.
So, while the poor shooting continues to exacerbate all the limitations on the roster, we just have to sit back and watch the players who are so desperately trying to introduce us to the interesting aspects of their game. Maybe the stars will catch up.
Have a blessed day.
