The time’s changing, the weather’s changing, and finally it seems the Raptors 905 fortunes may be changing too. After a couple of tumultuous weeks saw three 905 players called up to the big leagues, an injury to AJ Lawson, and three new additions to the lineup, things are starting to steady for the squad ahead of the G-League playoffs.
As the 905 prepared to take on the Delaware Blue Coats on a beautiful bright Sunday afternoon in Missisauga, Ont. all the chatter pre-game was about the debut of the former NBA 1st overall pick, Markelle Fultz. It’s rare to see a player of Fultz’s stature join a G-League squad so late in the season, and while the reward can be high, equally high is the risk. When a player’s been at the top of the basketball world it’s fair to wonder how he’ll adapt to playing in the G-League. Will he buy in to the goals of the program? Or is he just trying to service himself?
Less than a minute in and the answer was clear. Fultz is here to win basketball games. On the very first possession of the game he brought the ball up, and after some clever screening and cuts from Tyreke Key, Fultz zipped a pass to his waiting hands as he stepped into an open triple. Cash. The next time down the court, same play call, different read. Instead of finding Key open on the wing, Fultz threw a slick bounce pass to a rolling Tyson Degenhart who finished through contact.
Down on the other end of the court Fultz was just as impactful, you could hear him constantly talking with his teammates, and he was as locked in on playing the physical brand of 905 basketball as anyone else on the team (even trying to draw a charge early).
Head coach Drew Jones had high praise post-game for the way he kicked things off:
“I thought he set the tone. The way he came in, his professionalism, his humility, his willingness to lead that locker room was incredible. I thought he set the tone on both ends for us. An incredible testament to how when adversity hits, keep rumbling and regardless of where you are in your career, you can always impact and he’s doing that.”
With their three-point shot not falling early (2/12 in the first half), Delaware battled back by running out on the break and taking advantage of the smaller 905 frontcourt. Drew Cisse had no issues spinning and throwing a floater over Jonathan Mogbo, and a couple of possessions later DeAndre Williams tied the game on a tough middy over Mogbo as the shot clock expired.
That was a persistent issue for the 905 in the game, as they couldn’t seem to slow down Delaware inside. The Blue Coats scored nearly 70% of their points in the paint and Teddy Allen in particular looked unstoppable as he scored 28 off the bench for Delaware. When I asked Coach Jones how they can improve their interior defense given the size they’ve lost to NBA call-ups, he told me “The majority of it was transition. So we talk a lot about doing hard things, right? We gotta love to do the things that we have to do anyway. And until we love to sprint with urgency more consistently in transtion, that number will continue to be high.”
Fortunately for Coach Jones and the 905, their three-point shooting more than made up for the points they gave up in the paint. Alijah Martin, Jarkel Joiner, and Key all buried multiple triples in the first half, with Key drilling his third with 20 seconds remaining to put the 905 up 16 at the half. With 23 points tonight Key led the 905 in scoring, and post-game Coach Jones highlighted the guard’s consistency over the season:
” He’s a guy that when coaches talk about ‘don’t save it’, his face is right there in the dictionary. He burns the candle on both ends. Incredible defender, high level shooter, attacks the rim with force, great connector in the locker room. He’s a coach’s dream. He’s been wildly consistent all year.”
After smoking the Blue Coats from beyond the arc in the first half, things got dicey early in the third as shots stopped falling and the 905 picked up four quick fouls. After Key was called for a foul attempting to take a charge and Joiner was stripped on the next possession the lead was down to just 10. At that point it was AJ Hoggard who responded in a big way, getting downhill off a Joiner screen and drawing a foul of his own and then feeding Key off a beautiful give and go sequence for an open layup. Hoggard finished the game with 11 points and 11 assists, putting on a show for his parents who made the trip to watch their son play.
“…it just means a lot, you know? We started this journey together, so for them to still be here, supporting and traveling miles to come to every game…when they get a chance, it’s just big for me and I always try to play my best game when they get here.” said Hoggard post-game.
Still, the Blue Coats were hanging close, coming dangerously close to making this a tight game. After a Malcolm Hill three and a Kennedy Chandler sweeping drive, the lead was once again back down to 10. This time it was Martin’s turn to step up, saving a broken play by canning a side step triple and then next play beating his man off the bounce, drawing the help and throwing an oop for Tyrese Samuel. Over the final three minutes Martin was directly responsible for ten 905 points and regained the squad’s 16 point lead.
In the fourth, the Blue Coats attempted one more run, but were quickly shut down by a 905 scoring flurry that saw Hoggard drop in a baseline jumper, Degenhart throw in a contested hook, and Joiner drill a pull up three as the shot clock expired. The Raptors 905 finished with a dominant 24 point win, a much needed victory on their journey to home court advantage for the playoffs. With eight players scoring in double digits, today’s game was a reminder of how strong this team can be when they play as a unit.
As for Fultz? While his statline wasn’t eye-popping (4 points, 5 assists), this post-game quote from Hoggard tells you all you need to know about former 1st overall NBA draft pick:
“…we had another veteran voice today in the locker room, in Markelle Fultz, just talking to us and everyone respecting him ’cause we know what he can do. And just leading us and talking to us through a lot of things because he’s been there before and been where we’re trying to get. So I think that was a big, big step today in that right direction for us.
