Anyone have a Groupon for a seance?
Because Chuck Darwin has some serious explaining to do.
If natural selection is, indeed, a thing, then where the Hell did this supposed human trait, misery, come from? And why the Hell hasn’t it been buried long, long ago with our hairy ancestors?
Makes no sense.
Ohhhh.
Woeee is me.
The offseason for coconuts was awful. My divisional rival keeps stealing my hunting grounds.
Blurggghh.
I’m just gonna sit here and mope and hope I get first pick of coconuts next harvest.
There’s no survival vibes there.
The opposite. Our proclivity, our path of least resistance, seems to be seeking out and glomming on to one, single radiant electron of negativity and building an entire universe out of it.
Optimism is much too hard. A doomed ship assailed by unrelenting swells. Shreds of positivity tossed about the flotsam. That’s “good feels” in the era of social media. Hip Hip Hoorays barely last the hour.
No clearer example than certain factions of the Toronto Raptors fanbase.
Read more: How to Enjoy the 2023-2024 Toronto RaptorsI emerge from my little summer hiatus to look about and see nothing but a barren wasteland of hope. Scattered remains of the few who set out to find the Lost City of Optimism. Something happened to them. All of them. There’s no one left.
Well, I’m here.
A bastion of silver linings. A fortress of small wins. A crossroads diverging naysayers west to Detroit, east to Washington, south to Charlotte, north to the Maple Leafs (Burn). I’m here to remind you that things could be worse, much worse, and in fact, there’s much to be hopeful over.
I wrote something similar two years ago. Already, here were are again. See what I mean!?
Same old misery.
1. What’s Up, Side?
Speaking of cognitive bias.
How about that one where we assume what was and is, will continue to be?
I know, I know, it’ll be year 2054 and I’ll still be prognosticating O.G. Anunoby is about to pop. But seriously, we’re really losing perspective on the prospect of this team. Other pundits also agree.
The conversation surrounding the Toronto Raptors has concentrated dramatically down to a binary one: all-in around Pascal Siakam [a la Dame Trade] or all-in around Scottie Barnes [a la blow it up]. Each inferring – as argued by many in media – that Raptors management has failed to “pick a side”.
That their actions – trading for Jakob Pöltl, letting Freddy VanVleet go, not trading O.G. – are uncalculated, contradictory, and passive. As a result, with all the middling and piddling, the Toronto Raptors suddenly find themselves like an unwary frog: immersed in a boiling cauldron of mediocrity.
The simplifications and baseless conclusions gloss over the potential. This team is not at a crossroads. It’s on the Autobahn. Destination and length of estimated time of arrival: unknown. But en route, it’s four lanes with speed limits 200 KM/H. All is well.
Most importantly, this team is still young. Pascal is 29. Jak 27. The rest of the core – Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent Jr., Precious Achiuwa, and O.G. Anunoby – are 22, 24, 24, and 26 respectively. That averages out to the same age as Detroit and Indiana, two of the younger teams in the league. Throw in Jalen McDaniels (25) and Gradey Dick (19) and we’re young young.
With youth comes all the excitement of potential and development. Yes, those four aforementioned all – with the exception of O.G.’s evolution into an on-ball anaconda – disappointed last year; there’s little reason to assume they’ll fail expectations again. Regression, just like it’s purdee cousin, Progression, is never linear.
In fact, there’s much to suggest otherwise. A new coach; a new system; a new player development regime; a new roster hierarchy; a new combative attitude towards “selfishness”. All of it with the Mach III intention of putting these young players (for what it’s worth, I’m feeling a Malachi Flynn year) and this franchise in a position to succeed.
If you’re a gambling type, like yours truly, there’s nothing more exhilarating than having a bunch of potential winners. If one of these fellas hits the jackpot, we all get paid – figuratively speaking, of course – handsomely.
The fun is in the anticipation; the reward is in the patience.
2. Scottie B Free
Lots of guys to be excited about.
But who are we kidding? It’s all eyes on Scottie Barnes.
Some seem to have lost faith in Scottie. Perhaps it was the “down” year. Perhaps it was the way Scottie was quazi-scolded by management last offseason. Perhaps, it’s that ubiquitous misery obscuring his brilliance. Whatever it is, it’s gotta stop.
Scottie struggled last year. Fair. There were moments of lackadaisicalness; moments of discombobulation; moments of looking out of place; (Scottie had incredible moments too!). That’s common for sophomores. Particularly, for those who, suddenly, face greater expectations, better prepared defences, and a roster or coaching style not emphasizing their skillsets or supporting their growth.
Everywhere Scottie looked last year – sometimes literally – there was a Raptor already there. Bring the ball up? Freddy’s got that. High-post? Pascal and Jak in position. Low-post? Same thing. Maybe some pick + roll? Freddy and Gary on ball, Bouchie, Precious, Pöltl on pick. O.G. was already picking up scraps; Scottie, for halves at a time, was chowing on scraps of scraps. He looked disheartened.
It wasn’t all bad, but you catch my drift. A complex combination of trials and tribulations led to Scottie producing at a level less than expected of him. Not bad, just, from our ravenous desires, less than good.
Well, as has been very dutifully tracked by other Raptor Republicans, there’s lots to be hopeful for this year. Most importantly: style of play.
Head Coach, Darko Rajaković’s, touted “0.5 second” offence demands hyperspeed cerebral processing and immediate decision-making. Such emphasis of the intellectual and instinctive side of the game enables and amplifies those who excel at passing, cutting, and attacking untethered defences.
Scottie’s challenge in the past was to find spacing in an iso-heavy, shooterless half-court offence. He eked out backdoor cuts and found the odd high or low-post action, but, often, Scottie looked like the Goose in Duck Duck: running around with nowhere to really go.
A new regime of ball movement and flow brings Scottie’s multi-dimensional vision and spatial awareness to the fore. On-ball, he’ll be able to attack in movement and into spacing rather than initiating statically – where he struggles without a sound jumper or sharp handles.
With others moving around him, his height and vision teleports passes few at that speed and complexity can. Samson Folk explored how effective Scottie is as a pick and roll ballhandler and the advantages he creates. Not just scoring, not just assisting, but in putting defenders and systems on their heels. So much more will arise with a dynamic offence.
Off-ball, more passing and moving liberates Scottie. He’s always sneaking past distracted helpside or exploiting undersized matches or snuffing out open spaces. The more feints and mismatches and undefended areas, the closer Scottie comes to nirvana.
And the closer we will come to celebration and joy.
3. Attitudinal Coordinates
Something was off last year. Like reallllllly off.
You could see it. Hear it. Feel it.
The discontent. The mutinous rumblings. The distrust. The “selfishness”. We all saw it as empirically as ever and, yet, no one said anything declaratory about it. Until that hella awkward end of season media day where we were all told what we deep down already knew.
It was so bad even returning Coach Jama Mahlalela noted its weighty presence.
So far, that heavy gloom seems a distant memory.
A transformation of leadership, strategy, and approach has given this team the much needed breath of fresh air. Levity and good vibes no longer forced platitudes or distant ideas. Just natural occurrences.
Even the omnipresent grin of Scottie’s is back to being as wide as a bear’s bum.
The revitalization of joyful vocabulary organically underway as well.
Then we got the Rook, Gradey Dick, unleashing that Dorothy in Oz whirlwind energy upon Toronto. With no sign of slowing down.
A deeper contingent of professional veterans are also aboard: Thaddeus Young; 37 year-old pro’s pro, Garrett Temple, who was recently voted one of the likeliest players to become a coach by the NBA’s General Managers;
outspoken, World Cup Champion and MVP, and good friend of Coach Rajaković’s, Dennis Schröder; and, recent cranky-retired-NBA-player-bad-take-fodder, but hopefully healthy, NBA [not World] Champion, Otto Porter Jr (who is still only 30[!]).
We saw Thad struggle to be the lone vocal veteran presence last year. Freddy and Pascal were leaders, I’m sure, but they had other responsibilities and priorities too. Thad and Garrett know why they’re there: to demonstrate professionalism, ensure unity, and impart wisdom.
The storm cloud darkening the Toronto Raptors seems to have dissipated.
Let’s indulge it while we can.
