Preseason Notebook: Raptors vs Kings
Preseason Notebook: Raptors vs Kings
A first look at the new Raptors
Going into this game there were a few specific things I wanted to look at with this being the first real(ish) game for the Darko Rajakovic lead Toronto Raptors.
What does this roster look like playing a more conservative and less switch happy defence?
How does the offence look with the ball moving through Jakob Poeltl in the halfcourt? What does a Dennis Schröder starting line-up look like?
What do the young guys look like against NBA players?
These will be ongoing questions through Preseason however lets go through what we saw in this game.
The Defence:
The Kings had a playmaking big in Domantas Sabonis which forced Jakob Poeltl to guard at the top of the key. This configuration commonly left the Raptors having Dennis Schröder as the backline help defender at the rim. It unlikely this will be the norm for the Raptors with Jakob able to patrol the paint against most teams, but the Kings starters are a well oiled machine and in the first quarter their offence broke free for lightly contested layups to the rim fairly routinely. Would expect the communication on the Raptors end to improve through the preseason and as the game progressed the defence definitely did a better job of locking down the paint, which is what Darko Rajakovic has said is the stated goal for the team. The team did dial back the aggression on the perimeter compared to last season, with most of the issues on defence being related to communication on screen and screen navigation rather than outright gambling for steals.
The amount of length the Raptors can throw out there with Siakam, Anunoby, Barnes, McDaniels, and Boucher in this game was noticeable, especially in the 2nd and 3rd quarters where the Raptors were flying around the court to contest and close out on the Kings 3 point shooters. While there were definitely a few mixups with two players committing to the same man, if they can work through the kinks, the defence has the potential to prove impressive. The Raptors mixed in switching as the game progressed as Darko had promised, however there were still some issues with their forwards navigating screens as the Kings speedy guards found their way into the lane on quite a few occasions. Both Barnes and McDaniels got caught taking long routes around on-ball screens, an area that will need to be continually tightened up as the season progresses.
Overall this game was an example of the Raptors defensive versatility however we will need to see more in the coming games. It is a shame that Precious Achiuwa and Christian Koloko have both been ruled out as the Raptors could really benefit playing full time with a centre both on defence and offence, to get accustomed to the new sets being run.
The Offence:
The Raptors had 30 assists on 39 made shots, 18 assists on 23 made shots in the first half alone. A stark change in philosophy as players created for each other more than needing to create for themselves. Assists to made shots is a good indicator of how buckets are being created, and this clearly shows how the Raptors identity will be different this year as they evolve to being a 0.5 Offence team under Darko. The players were happy to keep the ball moving, minimal iso ball was played, and players quickly moved from one action to another to keep the possession from becoming stagnant.
Results wise, the first quarter offence with the starting lineup was somewhat clunky. Dennis Schröder’s pace was definitely notable, bringing the ball up and getting the ball into Jakob Poeltl at the top of the key early. From there you could see some of the roughness of the new offence. In a motion offence the precision and timing of screens, player movement, and passing will dictate the advantages that open up and how significant they will be. It was encouraging to see that the starters do appear to be bought in as the core 3 players in Pascal, Scottie and O.G. rarely broke from offence to call their own number, trusting the offence to create the best shot. Jakob showed a willingness to see and make passes from the middle of the floor, and Dennis made an continual effort to continue to move off ball and set screens to free up their multi-talented forwards. In the 2nd and 3rd quarters the starting unit settled in well with the ball finding the 3 forwards consistently to finish plays. The Raptors offence will likely improve alongside Jakob and Dennis building their Pick and Roll partnership and developing their timing. This partnership will be key in the offence maintaining a constant threat attacking the rim. Without reliable shooting in the starting lineup, threatening the rim from multiple angles will be paramount for the halfcourt offence to succeed and create the advantages they aim to exploit.
Gary Trent Jr. feasted in his first look in the motion offence scoring 22 points on 7/12 shooting, as he continually came off screens looking to attack and make quick decisions. Outside of a few breaks from the offence while playing with the bench, he stuck to shooting shots the offence created showing off his best skill of finishing plays. While last year Gary played his best basketball paired with Pascal Siakam on the floor creating shots for him, now he is able to take advantage of the offence creating shots for him even when Pascal is not on the floor, which hides some of his subpar self creation skills. Gary is clearly a dangerous offensive weapon, and it should be fun to see him deployed in an offence which is actively utilizing and creating for him. When asked to create Gary struggled committing 5 turnovers on 0 assists, mainly with the bench unit, which is an area of weakness to monitor as the season continues on.
The Young Guys:
Gradey Dick came on in the second half with his first two play calls being him coming off of a screen at the wing, curling to the opposite elbow and throwing the ball ahead of him into a fading mid range jumper. The first was called for a double dribble, however both were makes. Gradey may not have the best footspeed but managed to get his shot off clean both times using his length and accurately gauging the space he has from his defender coming off the screen. He seems to still be struggling with his legs and stamina after a few defensive possessions but when he was active he showed off his gravity and ability to bend defences with his movement off-ball.
Markquis Nowell struggled with his first real taste of NBA size. He had the ball poked out twice while trying to dribble by his primary defender. When he did manage to create penetration, the Kings happily gave him the attempt at the rim instead of over committing to the drive. Markquis will need to find a way to threaten as a scorer to open up the lanes for his passing which is his strongest skill. He did have one nice baseline drive drawing in the Kings defenders, kicking out a bullet of an overhead pass to Freeman-Liberty for an open above the break 3. Wasn’t converted but shows the passes he is able to make when he can draw help.
Other Notes:
Scottie Barnes played aggressive and downhill straight from tip-off and showed how difficult he can be for a defence to handle. While he did have a couple less than great passes I thought he played a positive style of basketball and did well to continually push the pace of the team even with Dennis Schröder on the bench.
Jalen McDaniels is very long and that length was very apparent on both sides of the ball. He hit an open 3, and his activity on the glass on both ends and active movement off-ball projects to be very good fit for this Raptors team.
Mohamadou Gueye continue his summer league form by playing a high energy style of basketball. Should be a fun player for the 905.
Malachi Flynn struggled with Davion Mitchell’s physicality, had difficulty initiating the offence in a timely manner. He had 5 assists, but he also had 3 turnovers, and didn’t create many advantages while spending significant time on ball. He shot 1/6, with his only make being a catch and shoot 3. He will need to show much better guard play all around, or become a knockdown 3 point shooter to have any real role this season on the team.