Samson Folk & Trevon Heath breakdown the Raptors opening SL game and look forward to their matchup against Orlando.
From Samson’s writeup on the game:
“It wasn’t an offensive minded affair to begin with, as both teams played with extended pressure to erase transition points, and the Bulls even went so far as to play zone to vex the Raptors further, and to take away the early pick n’ roll opportunities that they wanted to attack with Jamal Shead. A unique zone wrinkle with Noa Essengue often meeting ball handlers at halfcourt and then sinking into the zone after slowing the ball. Neither team found their way to dependable offense — neither side had an uber talented manipulator on ball to bend the defense — so they both made their money off of broken plays, and AJ Lawson was maybe the most effective at taking advantage in those situations.
For the Raptors that meant attacking gaps and rumbling downhill until they could rummage through and muscle the ball into the bucket. Jonathan Mogbo & Ulrich Chomche in particular were able to score out of broken plays or off of steals – both made plays by stepping out above the break on the defensive end. The Raptors bench was extremely animated as they cheered on every steal, every foul, and every effort play they could muster. As per usual with SL openers, the vets showed up to support as well.
The players who provided the finesse early on were Ja’Kobe Walter (who had a great layup in traffic, taking contact and finishing over the top, and adding a pull up triple for good measure), Matas Buzelis (whose bully drives helped fuel advantages for the Bulls), and Yuki Kawamura (who was able to push pace and thread the needle on some passes that outfoxed the Raptors pressure at the point of attack). After awhile, the game did open up though. The Bulls didn’t necessarily have the depth or mobility to maintain the pressure that made the Raptors so uncomfortable, and the Raptors were able to supplement a bit of halfcourt scoring with quite a few runouts. In the middle of all of that, Alijah Martin ascended for the earliest contender of Summer League’s best poster. Halfway through the second quarter, the Raptors had amassed a 10-point lead, 35-25, and they didn’t relent at all after that.”
Have a blessed day.
