Five Things I Dig and Don’t Dig About the Toronto Raptors

With two thumpings given, the Raps look like their starting to find their mojo. O.G. for DPOY is live and kickin’.

Let’s roll.

1. Why are we all surprised?

I’m starting with the Kyrie stuff, kinda. I have the luxury of having an extremely small platform. Might as well use it. Thank you in advance.

*UPDATE: Of course, as I am writing this, Brooklyn suspended Kyrie Irving. 

In the last few months, the NBA has exposed its blemishes as a deeply imperfect entity.

At all layers – governors, coaches, executives, players – came incidents of sexism, racism, abuse, sexual assault, bigotry. The whole shabang.

And, as the NBA does, it didn’t give a fuck.

Raptors Republic alum, Esfandiar Baraheni tweeted the following:

And while I get what he’s saying, thing is, Es. There’s no blind eye[s] here.

Pro Sports, or the NBA in this case, doesn’t turn a blind eye.

It’s the exact opposite.

They take a goooood hard, calculated look at every incident. Mulling over every legal, economic, and public relation angle possible. The query not is it a problem? But, is it a costly problem?

It’s not about moral ambiguity. Or benefit of the doubt. Or innocent until proven guilty. It’s not about Jews. It’s not about people identifying as women. It’s not about Black liberation. It’s not about the victims. It’s not about who said what? It’s not about what’s right.

It’s about what will make the most money.

Let’s take Kyrie Irving’s most recent wading through anti-Semitic propagandistic shitction that he suggests is a part of his knowledge journey, for example.

Adam Silver came out with a statement and barely had the nerve – calculatedly so – to outright condemn Kyrie.

“Kyrie Irving made a reckless decision to post a link to a film containing deeply offensive antisemitic material,” Yes, Adam, you’re right he did.

“I am disappointed that he has not offered an unqualified apology and more specifically denounced the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize. I will be meeting with Kyrie in person in the next week to discuss this situation.”

“Disappointed”. A super powerful head of a multi-billion dollar company is disappppointtedd. Aw shucks.

The best Silver could muster was a feckless reprimand like an indifferent parent. Silver’s use of “Reckless” couches Kyrie’s actions and his subsequent refusals to “offer an unqualified apology” as unintentional. Whoopsee daisy.

Adam, wearing the big boy pants of the League will be “discuss[ing] this situation”, as in “rest assured everyone you can go on with your usual attending games and buying 18$ hotdogs cause I got this” slash “I’m not punishing him”. (That’s true, now. Brooklyn went ahead and did so on their own accord).

Adam Silver’s response is about as meek as it gets. As meek as he was in the face of China’s ire a few years ago. As meek as he was in doling out a pathetic slap on Robert Sarver’s wrist. As meek as he has been with most every other incident that were it to happen in any other employment setting would have severe disciplinary consequences. All for the simple reason that there’s no value in coming down harshly. Unless there is.

It’s pretty obvious. Two examples: A random 12th man spouting anti-Semitic garbage on a video game is immediately ostracised from the league. An up-and-coming Superstar openly mocking transgendered people on social media receives a measly fine. I’m not necessarily equating them. The NBA certainly didn’t.

The only, seemingly, genuine response to any particular issue was when, during the Bubble, NBA players threatened a strike. Following the murder of George Floyd, the League watched as NBA players, black players especially, almost-collectively decided to wield their power for change.

Such weaponization of talent and money struck the NBA’s chord – and governors’ pockets. Cue the funding, the voting support, the jerseys with the progressive messaging, etc, etc.. Even then, you know, I know, we all know, it was about the money.

So, why we so surprised now?

You want to get Kyrie. Smoke his bank account like they hit Kanye’s. Enough consumer outrage. Enough activism. Enough disapproval to the point that consumer critical mass says it’s okay to disavow a once loved icon. Eventually, the house of cards that is a corporate identity or “celebrity” will come crashing down; those making millions solely from licensing their name on shoes, jerseys, or whatever else bullshit they’re peddling, will come grovelling.

Unless they don’t, at least you squeezed them.

As for the NBA, fuck them too. They tout themselves progressive. They’re not. They’re profiteers cowtowing to their product (the players), their payors (TV networks, etc.), and their consumers (us) under the guise of morality.

It’s a sham and we shouldn’t be all that confused by cumbersome, poor responses to what so clearly call for immediate, severe responses.

2. Figuring Out the Freaking Guard Rotations

Look, I understand this whole back-up point guard business isn’t easy. It’s been a fraught experience for two+ years now. But for God’s sake, random minutes at random intervals for random players is not how you do it.

All offseason, Nick Nurse was hounded – and Freddy lightly interrogated – “Is Freddy going to play every game like it’s his final 48 minutes on earth?”

Nurse answered jokingly, nonchalantly, vaguely, unconvincingly, “no”. No, Fred would not be utterly bedraggled 45 games into the season because of an ungodly volumes of minutes.

Well, sorry for asking, Nick, but we’re right for not being convinced. In six games, Fred is 3rd in averaged minutes played and already playing in a curiously poor way that looks less like injury stuff and more like exhausted stuff.

The answer and questions revolve around Malachi Flynn and Dalano Banton. Both young. Both deeply flawed. Both chomping at the bit to prove themselves. Both needing to prove themselves so that there is some semblance of back-up point play. Yet, neither given much of any chance to excel.

It’s not for a lack of minutes, generally. They’ve been afforded some time. It is for a lack of consistency.

Look at their minutes distribution.

The general script, when both are playing “meaningful” minutes, is Dalano 1st half, Flynn 2nd half.

Why?

I dunno.

I get that every reserve is supposed to be ready at the whim of the coach. Ready to perform whenever required. I also get that each is tested in their own way at their own pace. I also also get that each game is situational: some more conducive to Banton’s frenetic up-and-down pace; others where Flynn’s shooting is needed and small stature not so much a problem.

All that I understand full well. And, yet, look at those patterns. They’re all over the Goddamn place. Oren Weisfeld and I kvetched about this on the Rap Up. It does no good to anyone playing such an erratic pattern of minutes.

One unpredictable minute you’re out there, the next you’re not. The pressure is also immense. They know that for each bad minute they play likely means future minutes foregone . That’s motus operandi for quick-trigger Nurse. Couple mistakes or poor production andddd see ya next week or, in Yuta Watanabe and Svi Mykhaliuk’s case, never again.

All I’m saying is give these guys a chance. Let Banton do a game or two as the rotation guy in the 1st/2nd and 3rd/4th. Then let Flynn do it on another night. How hard it must be to focus with zero certainty as to when and for how long you will play?

Russell Westbrook spoke on that very challenge. He’s been a starter his whole career. Coming off the bench threw off his mojo. Different situation and brain altogether, I know. Point stands: these guys thrive off consistency, routine, certainty.

I feel like we’re never going to get to know the true Malachi Flynn (especially him, because the pressure is mounting, he’s older, and seems a bit more heady) without giving him a big fat stamp of approval and some stable, consistent minutes to go and work this thang.

We saw it in stages in the past, and he stepped up. Particularly, last year when he went had that nice four-game stretch and then unfortunately got injured again.

Please, for the love of Freddy’s legs, Nick, give these dudes time and space to fly.

3. Chris Boucher Closeouts in Three Acts

One of our jobs, like that of a player, like that of a scout, like that of a coach, is to find progression or to hypothesize it. Identify change or lack thereof, highlight it, analyze it, and suggest counters.

I mean, that’s basketball – sports, really – in a nutshell.

It’s always fun when the literal progression happens so starkly in a single game.

Enter the Boucher Closeout.

We all know Chris’ predilection for rejecting perimeter points. Despite his unsound defensive fundamentals – one should never jump as high as one can closing out on a shooter, especially, a shooter with a dribble remaining – the Raptors encompass it into their “rush dudes off the three-point line” philosophy.

Sometimes it works. Sometimes, Boucher gets the swat. Other times, players rush by into an awaiting snare. Other times, it’s an easy pull-up, lay up, or drive and kick. That’s the way of the Raptorian Gambit.

In the following, we get to see how Danuel House Jr., a player prone to shooting more than any other offensive endeavour, processes and adjusts to the pterodactylian swoops of Chris Boucher.

To be fair, a more offensively gifted player might be a better control test, but it’s still fun to see how each action and reaction plays out.

House’s first action is sooooo 2021. He thinks he can draw three free throws by jumping into a helplessly flying Boucher. Not any more, my man. That stupid trick’s on Referee’s Most Wanted. Offensive foul.

Round 2. (First, note how Precious DID NOT jump on his close out). House is spooked. You knowwww he wants to make Boucher club him again, but you can also see him thinking to himself that “no, stupid stupid, don’t do it. Shoot it!”. The inner brain monologue discombobulates House. He ever so slightly falls off balance, enough for a Clank!

Round 3. “I got this.” House does exactly what one should do after watching a defender soar by: drive. (Though, you do see House bracing for that jump-into again. Can’t teach old hoopers new tricks). By driving, House feeds right into the Raptor plan. He’s much less of a threat attacking the hoop than shooting a corner 3.

You see that very premise unfold. Freddy sags off Maxey to guide House to the baseline, where Precious and Freddy and the baseline force House into a [nice] falling out of bounds pass to a cutting Shake Milton who’s easily batted away.

I bet House got this exact montage in the film room the following day.

4. Barnes Burning Baselines

Much Hullabaloo over Scottie Barnes’ shooting. Rightfully so.

He’s shot a surreal 12/23 in 7 games. That’ll regress; if it holds at any decent clip, Eastern Conference foes shall tremble.

Whatever happens with his shooting – I pray it remains – we still have Scottie’s cutting to our great delight.

Of guys who cut on at least 10% of their possessions, Scottie (12%) is approximately 21st in the league at 1.33 points scored per cut. That’s quite astonishing. If you drill even further and forego guys who don’t really create on-ball and rely mostly on their size and positioning – Steven Adams, Isaiah Stewart types – Scottie’s almost top 10.

It’s fair to say Scottie’s in rare company as both a ballhandler, a “guard”, a high usage scorer, and an efficient cutter.

I know, we’re not all that surprised. From Day 1, Scottie’s demonstrated a supernal court awareness. Most attributed to his passing: finding guys in transition, lighthouse scanning out of the high post, and fast-balling cross-court passes to corner lurkers.

But his palantiri vision is also evidenced by his cutting.

Scottie has a natural inclination to colonize the dunker spot. An underrated space for “non-bigs” who don’t necessarily favour the angle or the awkward distance. It’s an essential space to counterbalance driving teammates for an easy drop off like the following two plays:

Or to exploit a weakside rebound:

What makes Scottie particularly dangerous is his baseline frolicking. He runs it like a gondola, dunker spot to dunker spot, stepping away from dutiful helpers and stealthily slipping past distracted defenders.

Pascal is a vortex of attention. You see that very clearly in all three of those videos and in many, many more. He often operates at the top of the key in the middle, all defensive eyes on him. Part of Pascal’s sudden rise to superstardom this year has been his understanding and then leveraging of defence’s overcompensation to find the right Raptor at the most opportune moment. Baseline Barnes has become a favourite target (50% of Scottie’s total assisted makes come from Pascal).

The beauty of the execution is Scottie’s sauntering. How does a defence not notice the slow perusing stride of a 6’10” scorer hunting putbacks and dumpoffs?

It’s the magic of Scottie’s vision, like I said. He’s moving as Pascal’s incising. When heads are swivelling and helpsides are stepping. When defences are collapsing and onlookers panicking. His invisibility is other peoples’ momentary blindness.

Scottie’s the deranged anarchist delighting in the chaos of a collapsing star standing beneath its implosion. A smile on his face as he fancifully waltzes towards the hoop to get a perfect pass for a simple jam.

5. More Jack Media

This is just such a no-brainer, I’m shocked it took this long.

Someone @me when there’s a musical with Jack doing Frank Sinatra or something. Also inevitable.