It’s fully irresponsible of TSN and Sportsnet to not preface every Toronto Raptors’ sport with the next warning:
This program comprises excessive rallies at finish of video games which can be too intense for some viewers. Viewer discretion is suggested.
Like, actually. I had a espresso within the third quarter and by the center of the fourth, I used to be in a defensive stance at my laptop yelling at Gary to lure Lonzo within the nook.
I suppose that’s what one opts into when selecting to cheer for a workforce amidst its rising pains. The ugly moments betwixt the scintillating ones.
This isn’t like watching the Orlando Magic or the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, although. The Raptors’ journeys to self-discovery are effectively on the best way; some, already nearing Nirvana. A stunning notion contemplating we’re together with a rookie and a second-year participant right here.
Scottie Barnes is simply manner forward of the place I assumed he was pre-draft on offense and as a scorer. Simply manner, manner forward, not another technique to say it. He’s been nice to this point.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) October 23, 2021
The Bulls-Raptors conflict final evening was, certainly, the newest within the Raptors’ path to particular person and collective development. Becoming, seeing as they had been taking part in towards the Unique Gangster of Toronto-Raptors-success-story, DeMar DeRozan, who honed his goddamn magical scoring prowess by years of self-discovery in Toronto.
The Particular person Journeys
OG and Knowledge
OG’s so, so shut. So shut. He’s a fucking demon on defence. Of Raptors who performed greater than 20 minutes final evening, he had the bottom opponent efficient subject aim share and lowest opponent free throw fee. Unimaginable.
On offence, it appeared prefer it was one other regression. He shot 1/5 within the first quarter. The distinction this time, although, was his spicy passing. He had three assists within the quarter. Earlier than you ask me, what’s the large deal? He’s solely had 1, 3, and 0 assists within the final three video games.
OG’s making an attempt to determine himself as a primary scorer. You may inform he is aware of that everybody’s ready for him to pop. That information has induced him to pressure the difficulty. A part of that’s nerves, a part of that’s eagerness, and a part of that’s naïveté. Final evening, although, he settled.
On his first help, OG posted DDR, drew two defenders, and located a reducing Scottie (man, he’s so good at discovering open house within the paint) for the floater. The second was a straightforward peasy cross. The third, although, was true playmaking. He drove baseline and Alize Johnson got here from the weakside to stifle the drive. Usually, OG would energy up and muscle his technique to the rim. As an alternative, he wrapped a drop cross by Alize’s hip to a diving Khem for the lay-up.
OG additionally let the scoring come to him extra organically. Moderately than pressure contested photographs in isolation or stumble his manner by a defence in the direction of the rim, he bought his 22 factors by crashing the offensive glass, recognizing up, and utilizing curls and cuts to search out open photographs.
Gary and Persistence
Gary Trent Jr. is realizing he doesn’t need to get his by getting his.
Every so often he’ll indulge himself, however Gary’s actually shopping for into the Raptors’ system, trusting that his teammates will discover him on the opportune moments. Moments that Gary skillfully creates for himself.
All evening, Gary was placing himself in positions to attain. He noticed up on the weakside for drive + kicks or swing-swing-pops, and he flew off screens and stuffed gaps, receiving the cross, and making decisive strikes right into a pull-up – 3 of which had been step-backs.
That is the good things. Not one of the dilly-dallying, whirling round baloney that Gary’s vulnerable to do. Straight to the purpose, making the most of an unset defender and firing.
Like so:
Uff Gary Trent Jr. pic.twitter.com/lbNEOYD4M3
— Alerta NBA
(@AlertaNba) October 25, 2021
One may argue 15 photographs is a tad an excessive amount of for Gary, however when the workforce desperately wanted buckets, it was Gary that answered the decision with 18 within the sport.
Fred VanVleet and Main
Fred VanVleet set profession highs in assists (17) and turnovers (8) final evening. An ideal image of the Raptors’ yin and yang of success and failure, within the path to assembly their potential.
Fred’s vastly underrated – even, at occasions, by his personal followers – and underappreciate for a way a lot he does for this workforce, at each ends, frankly. He works so exhausting and does a lot to search out the crevice and crack that he can leverage to pressure the defence to shift. Like when he snaked his manner by three Bulls:
SB4 comin' via pic.twitter.com/ID6pWCmmK1
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 26, 2021
Or sliced the entire of the workforce coast-to-coast:
Coast
To
Coast@FredVanVleet pic.twitter.com/frTv5OqpB5
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 26, 2021
He’s nonetheless studying, after all. Therefore, the mound of turnovers. However he’s by no means had this sort of consideration on him, ever. Lowry and Siakam allowed for house and time. Not.
Some errors had been inexcusable. Fred knew it. You can inform by the best way he castigated himself instantly following the turnover. He tends to get a lot too deep within the paint and pressure a cross. The defence reads it and swipes it. That accounted for practically half of his turnovers.
You noticed him get on himself about it. We all know that he is aware of that the Raptors can’t afford him making these sorts of errors.
He ought to look to the Steve Nash’s answer. When it’s not there, as an alternative of elevating or delving deep into the forest of males, he can curl again out or throughout the paint, hold his dribble, and reset.
No matter, he is aware of higher. He’ll be higher.
All the identical, it was Fred that dragged this workforce again and induced me to sweat and scream and bounce with anticipation for the final a number of minutes of the fourth quarter. He had 8 factors and three assists within the body, bringing the Raptors again from the useless. A optimistic sidenote: all three buckets had been on the rim, the place Fred’s at all times struggled.
Sadly, he couldn’t do all of it, FVV missed the game-tying three on a groin-tearing crossover of Nikola Vučević on the buzzer.
Scottie and Aggression
In some unspecified time in the future, this offence goes to have to be an entire lot extra Scottie. Within the paint, he’s practically flawless. His first three buckets had been piece-o-cake: a floater, an aircraft-landing lay-up, and an elbow jumper.
Getting Scottie into these positions to attain is a little more difficult. His half court docket creation is restricted…orrrrrrr is it:
BEAM ME UP SCOTTIE pic.twitter.com/c9CXM0I9fI
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 26, 2021
However that play is my level.
As soon as within the elbow or the submit, Scottie’s making all the best choices. In earlier video games, he’s discovered the best cross, be it the diving cutter or cross-court nook. When the Raptors languish within the half-court, getting Scottie touches in dribble-hand-offs and within the high and low posts will grease the wheels some. Shorter guys can’t problem his – to this point, so good – jumpers or again downs or overhead passes. Bigger guys who play too shut get a style of what Patrick Williams simply ate for dinner above.
Lastly, Scottie’s defence continues to amaze me. He was on Lonzo Ball, then on DDR, then on Vooch. He’s the epitome of versatile.
DDR struggled with Barnes size (kryptonite to DeRozan’s sport we all know all too effectively). Aside from the primary chunk on DeRozan’s notorious pump-fake, Scottie stayed down along with his arms up. Even when DeMar was attending to the rim, Scottie dosey-doed, protecting his arms up within the air alongside DDR like he was claiming his innocence to the trainer assessing why the child mendacity on the playground ground is crying.
Scottie’s going to get so many of those over the course of his profession as a result of he’s a Goddamn pest the whole lot of the court docket. And each single one goes to make whoever my neighbours are hate me
pic.twitter.com/M2VlX73IxO
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 26, 2021
Different Journeys:
Prince Achiuwa continues to be studying, like the remainder, to decide on his spots. He has moments. Fred dumped him a cross early within the first quarter. Of current, Prince has gone up with that and had his shot blocked. As an alternative, seeing Vooch come over, Prince one dribbled backwards and floated it. He and FVV proceed to overlook one another on the alley-oops – they had been 1/3 on these. After they lastly related, it was off of a Prince determination to forego a three-pointer (a second of knowledge) and hand it off to Fred. He made a few different passes that made you go, ohhh he’s getting it.
Lookin' for that spark pic.twitter.com/hnzjEvE9Pb
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 26, 2021
Svi Mykhailiuk had a stronger displaying. I really like his auto-drive to the rim aggression. Generally, he ought to perhaps shoot it, however he’s doing what few Raptors do, placing stress on the center of the defence. He did it twice on this possession that, finally, ended up as an OG three.
Unselfish basketball pic.twitter.com/GFuzMczGPe
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 25, 2021
Dalano Banton performed all of 5 minutes, however they had been a scorching 300 seconds. He bought a steal and two free throws, however most significantly he breathed life right into a deflating workforce morale.
Th3 Dawg Hau5
Malachi Flynn
One other DNP.
Goran Dragić continues to wrestle capturing the ball however did get to the road six occasions. I’m undecided the plan. Perhaps that is to showcase Goran to get him out the door. Perhaps it’s well-deserved respect to the veteran. Perhaps Malachi’s bought a tood. However when this offence goes Molson Chilly Shot chilly, you’d suppose Mr. P&R may go work some magic with Birch to get one thing going.
Apparently not.
Chris Boucher
I’m not stunned TBH.
His shot choice has been horrific. It’s like he’s making up for the misplaced time that I feel he thinks he deserves. He’s been chucking the worst chucks all season: 3/10, 4/11, 0/5, and, towards Chicago, 1/3 in 4 minutes.
When he wasn’t catapulting contested threes, he was making an attempt to ballhandle on the perimeter. All it achieved was killing what little stream they needed to start with. Nurse plunked him down fairly shortly.
Tip Adon Moss
Raptors get a profession evening (the great + the unhealthy) from Fred VanVleet, however, once more, can’t shut the comeback. originated on Raptors Republic.
