NFL
By: Greg Rector
Toronto Raptors fans are none too pleased with what has been going on, especially in the month of December. In the latest stretch of games the calling card that gave them their identity has been missing in action. The Raptors’ high-energy team defense can often lead to easy transition baskets has been absent. Sure they held Donovan Mitchell to just 12 points and also limited Kawhi Leonard recently, so that aspect is still there if you’re an opponent’s best player you likely won’t reach your scoring average facing Toronto. It’s every other aspect of the team defense approach that isn’t going very well. 29th in team defensive ratings over the last 10 games? Even worse is the 30th in the opponent’s field goal percentage. What has happened to see such a drastic drop in their play?
The Starters
The Raptors have now used 18 different starting lineups, easily the most in the NBA this season. Christian Koloko the second-round draft pick was not expected to be thrown into the fire as often as he has been forced to. The skills are there but his frame needs to be developed in order to handle playing center on a nightly basis. He should be playing more with the G-League 905 squad and working on getting bigger. That hasn’t been the case. The injury bug of course hasn’t helped matters. The losses have hit the player’s heads and that’s become obvious. For me, it’s also obvious that the scrutiny is getting to everyone involved. The focus on BLAME, rather than focusing on solutions doesn’t help anything. While the starters have done very well for the most part against the superstars, opposing teams have been killing them with everyone else. There simply hasn’t been enough of those four and five-minute stretches the Raptors are known for where they lockdown an opposing offense. Pascal Siakim has been a one-man wrecking crew as evidenced by his recent 52-point game in Madison Square Garden, but he’s also working way too hard to get his teammates open looks, and playing 38 minutes a night could lead to trouble down the road. On nights where he plays downhill, Scottie Barnes can be a force, but that doesn’t happen nightly as he too has to balance trying to get the ball to open shooters when Siakim isn’t handling the ball. When he keeps his game simple things work well. OG Anunoby is still one of the best defenders in the league and has contributed on offense quite nicely most nights averaging 19 points. Here’s the problem though, they don’t have three or four guys scoring well consistently enough. OG knocked down six threes against the Cavaliers but against the Clippers was ice cold from three going 1 for 6. For me, the biggest problem is they are not great at three-point shooting but what’s the mindset once they fall behind? You guessed it, jack up the threes.
The Bench
Again thanks to the injuries there’s not been a consistent rotation for the second unit either. Juancho Hernangomez has been getting starts as well to provide a three-point shooter (It hasn’t helped), and Malachi Flynn as well has to start whenever Fred VanVleet’s back issues flare up. The biggest piece that has been missing though has been Precious Aichuwa who should return finally against the Phoenix Suns tonight. The problem with hoping for Aichuwa to help the bench is he was not having a good start to the season either. Chris Boucher has been either really good or simply horrendous, with no in-between. That causes Nick Nurse to sit him and that affects Boucher’s mindset as well. While the bench will get Aichuwa back not having veteran Otto Porter Jr (Toe), available has also made things harder. Gary Trent Jr’s move to the bench has helped with bench scoring but everyone else remains far too inconsistent when it comes to scoring.
Nick Nurse
In five seasons I have never seen Nick Nurse so openly question his team’s effort as he did after the loss to Memphis last night. If you watch a Raptors game every broadcast begins the same way, the opponent’s head coach or best player talks about the Raptors’ defense, and the various schemes Nurse uses to make life miserable for opponents. Is he listening too much to his own press? Nurse has also targeted individual players at times as well. Normally he looks for the positives but this season he has focused on shortcomings more often than not. That’s not good and is a part of focusing on BLAME, instead of putting the focus on making the changes needed. It’s a quick way to lose a locker room as well. While Toronto has been well known for making superstars’ lives miserable they’ve also been known to let them have their way and shut down everyone else. I haven’t seen that approach this season. So maybe that’s what’s needed to get everyone back on the same page defensively. Quit trying to outsmart opponents and instead focus on being the tenacious defenders that have made the organization’s reputation over the years.
Shake Up
Masai Ujuri despises the idea of being a middle-of-the-pack team. Currently, they sit half a game behind the Bulls for the last play-in spot in the Eastern Conference. The biggest need is at the center position. When the likes of Ivica Zubac and Steven Adams are having their way offensively against you it’s obvious you’ve got a major problem. Jakob Poetl’s name, the former Raptor and now a San Antonio Spur has been mentioned as a trade possibility and maybe it’s time for that move to happen. There are pieces on the Raptors that other teams want and may also be in need of. So with an expiring contract use Gary Trent Jr or even Fred VanVleet in a deal. Something needs to change and while fans may miss them, teams that refuse to change things when necessary end up right where Ujuri hates being, in the middle of the pack. They have draft picks to move as well. If Toronto is going to push for a playoff position this current roster isn’t going to get there. The other shake-up needs to be a vastly improved half-court offense. Stop jacking up the threes when they aren’t falling for you. Pay the price get to the basket and earn the old-fashioned three-point plays. Get back to basics and stop worrying about the scrutiny. This organization has lost the other aspect that made them well known, the US against the World mentality.
