Chaos reigns in the NBA.
Look no further than last season’s finalists: the Champion Warriors are grappling in training with the aftermath of Draymond Green beating teammate Jordan Poole, while the Celtics are being managed by a new head coach after Ime Udoka suddenly died just before training camp been suspended for the year.
Given that, plus owner drama in Phoenix, trade-demand drama in Brooklyn and more, the question that will define the upcoming season might be: Is it possible to reign amidst the chaos?
The Toronto Raptors are betting the answer is yes — if this chaos is under control.
Compared to the above teams, the Raptors’ offseason made little difference. When they wrap up their season at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. ET), it will be mostly the same cast of characters.
The starters will likely be Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. Except for opening night, those five started every game a year ago where they were all healthy.
CLOCK | Raptors eliminated by 76ers in Game 6:
Philadelphia beats Toronto 132-97 and wins the first round series 4-2. Joel Embiid has a solid 33 points while James Harden adds 22 points and a solid 15 assists.
Toronto’s most influential offseason signing could be Otto Porter Jr., a former warrior who was set to inject some much-needed gunplay. His most notable addition may have been Juancho Hernangomez, best known for starring in the film as Bo Cruz Hurry.
The Raptors spent their lone draft pick, a second all-rounder, on center Christian Koloko, who was born in the same Cameroonian town as Siakam. Koloko immediately became the team’s only seven-footer.
On the bench are proven veterans Porter Jr. and Thaddeus Young, as well as two highly talented but error-prone centers in Chris Boucher and Precious Achiuwa.
Those are all controlled variables — elements that proved they can work in harmony as the Raptors conquered the East’s fifth seed in last season’s playoffs before losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in six games.
“I just feel a little bit of urgency, I feel a sense of togetherness and I feel a real intensity this summer and I think those are all three really good words going into a training camp,” Nurse said during media day. “I think the team is shaping the identity that showed up a bit late last year. They know who they are and want to build on them. It was a good summer.”
Barnes, Siakam illustrate experiments
The Raptors are a basketball experiment: Instead of “positionless basketball,” Toronto compiled a roster of players who essentially all play the same position.
That position is vaguely defined – reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, rumored to be your prototypical 1.87m forward, was listed as guard/forward on the team’s season-opening roster.
“I don’t know what position this guy plays. He’s one of those guys who just plays basketball and is an incredible basketball player,” Ujiri said.
CLOCK | Barnes records double-double in win over Nets:
Barnes fielded with 28 points and 16 rebounds in a demolition of Brooklyn Game-highs.
The same goes for Siakam, Anunoby, Achiuwa, Boucher and even Young.
Ideally, all of these players can organize an attack, play with the ball, and connect when there are open catch-and-shoot opportunities. Defensively, they can all ricochet and defend opponents regardless of size, weight, or speed.
The others bring enough elements for the Raptors to play their favorite style of basketball—making turnovers with speed and wingspan, scoring goals in transition, and ultimately gaining more possession than the other team.
Last season, the Raptors forced turnovers from the second-most opponents while racking up the second-most steals in the NBA.
In a way, it’s refreshingly simple: if you fire more shots than your opponent, you’re more likely to score more points.
VanVleet is the key to success
Where the Raptors ran into trouble last season was converting those extra opportunities. Toronto’s field goal percentage ranked 25th in the league.
Amidst the band of 10 players listed between Barnes at 6’7″ and Boucher at 6’9″, VanVleet stands out.
His job is to keep the Raptors afloat, both as a traditional 6’1″ point guard and as a 38.2 percent three-point taker for his career. While Barnes and Siakam work to tighten their grips, VanVleet is already there. He’s in control of the Raptors’ chaos, able to fix things with a clutch shot or a deftly executed pick-and-roll.
CLOCK | VanVleet joins CBC’s FrontBurner:
Toronto Raptors star Fred VanVleet talks to CBC Front Burner’s Jayme Poisson about his confidence, leadership on the team and mentoring young people through his scholarship program.
But if VanVleet represents the bottom of the Raptors in a way, then Siakam and Barnes are the top.
Between the 2019 championship run and the pandemic, the Raptors had not experienced a normal offseason for four years until last summer. After the previous one, Siakam won the Most Improved Player title.
If there is another jump, it would go a long way towards filling the Raptors’ superstar gap. Two potential growth elements for Siakam are ball handling and the ability to create your own shot.
Barnes, on the other hand, is potentially personified. Best there is Hints by LeBron James as a point-forward who creates for others while forcing turnovers by playing defensive free safety.
If the 21-year-old suffers a slump as a sophomore, the Raptors can again become first-round fodder or even fall back on the play-in games.
But if Barnes and Siakam step forward again, Toronto could have a real run — at least that’s the hypothesis.
#NBA #Disorder #Raptors #Controlled #Chaos #CBC #sport
Leave a Comment