Quick Reaction: Raptors 109, Wizards 112

It’s been a major adjustment for Gradey Dick, having his shot diet change, and doing it while facing starting-caliber defenders. But in the last two games, things have really started to come around for the rookie, and if his play this season has taught us anything, it’s to trust the process. Especially during the slumps. He’s finding different ways to score, like attacking closeouts with a live dribble and getting into the lane, all while staying hot from the corners.

This was a great defensive game for Ochai Agbaji. When he takes advantage of his strength and athleticism on that end of the floor, it really allows him to flourish in that wing-stopper role the Raptors want him to grow into. His game on offence was simple – hard cuts, strong takes, and open shots. Simple but that’s all that’ll be asked of him.

A fairly standard Kelly Olynyk game. He’s crafty as heck and did a bit of everything. His playmaking on offence is essential at this juncture with no real point guard available, but he remains stretched fairly thin on defence/the glass. The reality is, while the Raptors continue to roll out lineups with just one true centre, Olynyk will continue to be tasked with too much of a workload on the defensive end.

Jahmi’us Ramsey got his first NBA start in this game and he was effective early, especially on the defensive end. He applied plenty of ball pressure while guarding Jordan Poole (who might be a top-five bad decision-maker in the NBA but is still a good scorer). On the offensive end, he kept things simple, finally knocking down some of his looks from deep and his drive-and-kick game was a pleasant addition.

After missing their last game with lower back stiffness, Gary Trent Jr. made his return and the veteran two-guard showed some rust. Or, it might’ve been the back stiffness bugging him still. Either way, it was a slow start, but Trent Jr. eventually got into a rhythm and his scoring prowess is always a welcomed sight. What’s been a pleasant surprise was his defensive and playmaking effort. He’s been wreaking more havoc on defence as of late, getting back to using his active hands, like when he slithered from behind a play and picked Richaun Holmes pocket and ran the other way for a transition layup (that he actually made).

Bruce Brown keeps doing this thing where he begins the game looking pretty brutal, to be frank, and then he gets better as things progress. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t great at any point, but he’ll start off erratic and then slowly simmer down. Now they need to figure out how to capture his second-half play for a full four quarters.

Javon Freeman-Liberty’s stints weren’t long but he showed good point guard development and that’s the biggest thing for him. Speaking to JFL during his latest 905 assignment, the point of emphasis for him, from the organization, is defence and working to create for others. Both of which are improving incrementally, and we saw bits of that in this game.

This felt like a pretty uninspired Jordan Nwora game. He wasn’t particularly inefficient on offence, although a couple of his misses were rather ill-advised shot attempts. He just offers very little when he’s not scoring, especially on the defensive end. Which is a shame, because he has the frame and athleticism to be impactful on that end, evidenced by a major block he had in the first minute of the fourth quarter.

The prototypical vet. Garrett Temple playing any minutes is a surprise, let alone checking in for meaningful minutes in back-to-back contests. Hitting his third three in four outings was a pleasant bonus. Although, he did get lost on a post-spin move by Marvin Bagley at one point, but the NBPA vice-president gets some slack on that one.

A fairly brief performance for Mouhamadou Gueye but he continues to provide at-minimum one highlight-worthy play whenever he does step on the floor. He simply can’t do things in unspectacular fashion. You can’t teach a 6’10 frame with freakish athleticism.

There wasn’t much to question with Darko Rajakovic’s decision-making. He gave practically every player available a real run (besides Jalen McDaniels, which I’m not mad about), and he even tried to get guys like Dick and Trent Jr. back into the game sooner when they were playing well and went off for a rest. I’m somewhat critical of his continued reliance on Brown, but what other options does he have for a facilitator on the second unit?