It doesn’t take long for babies to become toddlers. Well, it takes a long time overall. But once they start taking those first few hesitant steps, reaching out to hold on to anything in sight, it’s moments before they’re running confidently. Sometimes baby steps become a giant leap for mankind in a matter of moments.
The Toronto Raptors took baby steps recently in returning Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to the basketball court. It didn’t result in a win, or, really, anything very close to it. But it resulted in structure. Offensive possessions that operated as they should in the NBA. That’s a requirement for improvement -- even beyond giving young players extra minutes. And in Quickley’s shooting and Barrett’s driving, the Raptors at least added some NBA skills to the court.
Of course, the Raptors lost the next game by a franchise-record 48 points as they rested most of their NBA-caliber players. One step forward, two steps back. But the Raptors keep marching forward. Against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Raptors were resilient, revamped, rejuvenated, recalcitrant, redeemed.
All of a sudden, their baby steps have become NBA-sized strides back to relevance.
Toronto was fun against Milwaukee. Quickley, perhaps most of all. He was busy just trying stuff out there, and it was working more often than not. He Nash'd a drive, taking the baseline but keeping his dribble, twisting around the other side of the rim and spinning into a push shot over an unsuspecting Brook Lopez. He drilled triples. He even tried a fake pass in the middle of a stepback triple out of the pick and roll. (He missed it, but woah man was it fun.) Quick isn’t the best shooter in the league, but when he’s hot, he can trade jumper for jumper with anyone out there. He was one assist away from a triple double, and his speed was a vital weapon in Toronto winning game. He gives the offense juice in a way few guards in franchise history have.
