NFL
By: Greg Rector
The NBA season is reaching the quarter pole so I wanted to take a look at how “Position less,” basketball is going for the Toronto Raptors. Currently, the team sits at 9-10 and has yet to have their projected roster play a single game together. It’s been a team that has struggled some nights to be cohesive and that’s understandable without being able to establish a solid rotation. Even more surprising is the road has been fairly kind while at home the team has struggled. I attribute some of that to the youth on the squad having that bad idea they need to put on a show for the home crowd, along with the need to use so many different combinations due to injuries. Overall if you’re a Raptors fan you have to be pretty pleased they are just one game under .500
Let’s take a look at why the Raptors currently are ahead of the projections many “experts,” had for them.
Scottie Barnes
The rookie from Florida State has exceeded expectations by far he’s been the best rookie in the league. Most nights he’s been the defender he was known for in college and has made life miserable on several high-end opponents. His commitment to defense is a pleasure to watch. It’s at the offensive end where the experts might just have been a tad off. Barnes is averaging 14.8 points and the recent drop-off can be attributed to trying to find a balance with the return of Pascal Siakim. Before the dip, he was over 17 points a game. Like many rookies he started referring to the veteran, it’s been pointed out to him, and he should see his scoring average increase as he puts his own offense first more often.
Fred VanVleet
This is now “Steady Freddie’s,” team to run and he’s been very good at it. One thing I was always on Freddie about is finishing on the inside, that’s improved and he’s also making key three-pointers for the Raptors. at 19.4 points a game along with 7 assists Freddie is doing his job. Again once a more established rotation is in place I look for Freddie to be even better.
Gary Trent Jr
The most improved Raptor by far is Trent Jr. He’s taken to heart Coach Nick Nurse’s defense-first priority. That is a huge change from the last year when he first came to the team. 17.5 points a night is a welcome sight as well. Both Trent Jr and VanVleet are at the 38% mark for the three-point shots and have become an excellent backcourt complement to VanVleet. Not too many are questioning the 3 year $54 million contract anymore, it’s looking like a bargain at this point.
Pascal Siakim
Siakim has only been back for 8 games and his minutes early on were restricted. Averaging 17.8 points right now, I would look for him to get back to over twenty once this roster returns to normal. The tough part for Siakim is he’s forced by the circumstances to be considered as the first scoring option. He understands that though and doesn’t seem to be as sensitive as he was last year to the focus.
OG Anunoby
Without question in the absence of Siakim early on the scoring was led by Anunoby. He’s missed the last few games with a hip injury. Hopefully, he returns on the last game of their current six-game road trip. At 20.1 points a game he took scoring to a whole new level. Not to mention he is finally being given his due for his tremendous defense, along with VanVleet there’s been a few articles putting both in the top 10 of the league for their prowess on the defensive end. It will be interesting to see if the Raptors can balance the scoring between these five once OG is back.
That’s all five guys averaging double figures in scoring, and to my pleasant surprise, the Raptors are currently the top offensive rebounding team in the league.
Rest of the Roster
Khem Birch and Precious Aichuwa, seem to take turns as being the most effective at the 5. Birch is currently out and his presence is missed especially at the rebounding in the defensive end. While the offensive rebounding has been great, the Raptors are 20th in defensive rebounding. For all the great positioning happening on offense, it’s been missing in action defensively. The nice surprise has been Aichuwa’s 3 point shooting, something he never got to show in Miami, currently making 35% of his attempts, including 3 for 3 in the win against the Grizzlies. Svi Mykhailluk has given the Raptors some solid bench minutes. The bench also just got back another defensive energy player in Yuta Watanabe. Dalano Banton the 2nd round pick has also been an energy guy off the bench so much so that Malachi Flynn is having a hard time getting minutes.
Looking Ahead
Once Anunoby and Birch return Nick Nurse is going to face some hard choices in terms of minutes. It’s a problem I think he won’t mind. Getting Anonuby back though is the key to Toronto getting back their overall defensive game. If they also continue to share the wealth on offense this team will continue to surpass the expectations of the experts. I would say at this point “Position Less,” basketball is a work in progress that is ahead of schedule considering they’ve yet been a full roster. If you’re a Raptors fan you should be fairly pleased with the results at the quarter pole of the marathon NBA season. Overall I give this group a B- and that’s due to remaining an almost .500 team despite the missing bodies.
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As always you can find me on Twitter @GregCowboys
