Raptors Discussion: v71|RIP Bruno era (2014-2017)

[Glenn Isildur Healy]

Siakam's problem remains that he continues to hopelessly jack up 3s even though he sucks at it. If he could just stop that, he'd be fine.

And even if his whole shot goes in the tank, he'll likely have some utility as no worse than the 11th/12th man on the bench who can come in as an energy/defensive player vs bigs.

That's not the only issue with Siakam. He plays at a scoring position and he's a complete non scoring threat in a halfcourt set. He's not a post player, he's not a shooter, he's rarely going to drive by anyone. I've noticed his defense has regressed as well. The issue is, we have no replaceable for him.

Looking at our backups (which Casey has decided to play all together), our PG can't shoot, our SG is an extremely inconsistent shooter, our C can't shoot, our PF can't shoot. Our only shooter is CJ Miles, which teams are already looking out for when they're playing against our 2nd unit.

 

[MapleLeafistan]

65-63 Sac lead Toronto.

Poor D so far.

 

[Glenn Isildur Healy]

The Powell we all know is back!!!

Once Ibaka comes back, time to staple Siakam on the bench. Perhaps we'll see OG and Miles get more PT at PF

 

[MapleLeafistan]

 

[MapleLeafistan]

 

[MJ65]

Another big win for Raptors and they are closing the gap with Boston one 1 game behind in loss column - keep it up

 

[Ignatius Reilly]

I am loving this year's version of DD.

"Now featuring ball movement".

So far, he's been stuck in the "top two players for the Raps". Kinda like a Bosh or Camby.

But each and every year he improves over the summer. Now he's starting to make some 3s, and is getting more space to be effective Iso because he's a threat to distribute the ball.

If he keeps this up, he can be a truly elite player, league wide.

 

[zeke]

Offensive Rating

1.GSW
2.HOU
3.CLE
4.TOR
5.MIN

Defensive Rating

1.BOS
2.GSW
3.OKL
4.POR
5.SAS
6.TOR

Net Rating

1.GSW
2.HOU
3.TOR
4.BOS
5.CLE

Effective FG%

1.GSW
2.HOU
3.CLE
4.NO
5.TOR

True Shooting %

1.GSW
2.HOU
3.CLE
4.NO
5.TOR

Assist / Turnover

1.GSW
2.MIN
3.TOR
4.MIL
5.CLE

 

[The Nemesis]

I am loving this year's version of DD.

"Now featuring ball movement".

So far, he's been stuck in the "top two players for the Raps". Kinda like a Bosh or Camby.

But each and every year he improves over the summer. Now he's starting to make some 3s, and is getting more space to be effective Iso because he's a threat to distribute the ball.

If he keeps this up, he can be a truly elite player, league wide.

Not really. shooting .250 from 3-point range for the season. That's his lowest percentage since his rookie year. The difference is that he's shooting the more 3s on volume than he has the last 3 years or so (but not the most of his career. He had a higher rate in 2013-14)

 

[Eyedea]

Boston’s defensive rating has slumped to the bottom half this month too. Love how all those preseason predictions had the Bucks, Wiz, 76ers and the like leapfrogging the Raps this season, yet here we are again.

 

[stickty111]

I will say it again, Raptors and Celtics are equal.
Celtics are not clearly the better team.

 

[stickty111]

Offensive Rating

1.GSW
2.HOU
3.CLE
4.TOR
5.MIN

Defensive Rating

1.BOS
2.GSW
3.OKL
4.POR
5.SAS
6.TOR

Net Rating

1.GSW
2.HOU
3.TOR
4.BOS
5.CLE

Effective FG%

1.GSW
2.HOU
3.CLE
4.NO
5.TOR

True Shooting %

1.GSW
2.HOU
3.CLE
4.NO
5.TOR

Assist / Turnover

1.GSW
2.MIN
3.TOR
4.MIL
5.CLE

In short, this is a very good team.

 

[Diamond Joe Quimby]

I will say it again, Raptors and Celtics are equal.
Celtics are not clearly the better team.

I said in the offseason that the Raptors are better, and I maintain that to be true. And that's WITH Hayward. And after the Celtics actually go on their west coast road trip (which the Raptors have already completed), I imagine the standings will reflect.

 

[stickty111]

I said in the offseason that the Raptors are better, and I maintain that to be true. And that's WITH Hayward. And after the Celtics actually go on their west coast road trip (which the Raptors have already completed), I imagine the standings will reflect.

During that trip as well, we could/should have won those games.

 

[Glenn Isildur Healy]

I said in the offseason that the Raptors are better, and I maintain that to be true. And that's WITH Hayward. And after the Celtics actually go on their west coast road trip (which the Raptors have already completed), I imagine the standings will reflect.

Time for this team to prove it
Last season, we finished all our west coast trips early as well
Thought we had an easy schedule to take out Boston. Yet, there was a stretch where we lost 11 of 15 against mostly easy teams. Could've finished 1st but didn't

 

[Budsfan]

Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) runs against the NBA trend of prolific backcourt scorers relying heavily on the 3-point shot. Frank Gunn AP

Read more here: Fearless predictions: Old-school DeMar DeRozan leads Raptors into road game vs. Hornets
Fearless predictions: Old-school DeMar DeRozan leads Raptors into road game vs. Hornets

By Rick Bonnell
[email protected]
Fearless predictions: Old-school DeMar DeRozan leads Raptors into road game vs. Hornets

December 19, 2017 11:39 AM
UPDATED December 19, 2017 11:39 AM
Five fearless predictions for Wednesday’s Charlotte Hornets game against the Toronto Raptors:
1. The mid-range shot matters more

Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan breaks the NBA’s trend toward 3 point-centric scorers. He is a throwback to a time when the optimum NBA shot was the mid-range jump shot.
2. Kemba Walker makes a 3.

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Doesn’t sound like a bold prediction, except Walker is 0-of-13 from 3-point range in his past two games. Looks like that left wrist injury might be a factor.
3. Heads up, no hangdog

Center Dwight Howard correctly observed the Hornets were hanging their heads when things got tough lately. A blowout of the Knicks should lift some moods.
4. It’s on Howard

The Raptors are top-10 in scoring and field-goal percentage, without being strong from the 3-point line. That puts extra focus on Howard being a rim protector Wednesday.
5. The final score

Containing Toronto’s offense might be too much to ask right now of these Hornets, but a winning streak would be nice for the holidays. Raptors 114, Hornets 105
[LATEST: Full Charlotte Hornets coverage]
Raptors at Hornets
Where:
Spectrum Center
When:
Wednesday, 7 p.m.
TV/Radio:
Fox Sports Southeast /WFNZ 610-AM

Read more here: Fearless predictions: Old-school DeMar DeRozan leads Raptors into road game vs. Hornets

 

[Budsfan]

 

[Eyedea]

OG’s range looking real nice right now.

 

[MJ65]

Another big win for the Raptors

 

[veedubn1]

They turned it on and never looked back at the halfway point of the 2nd quarter.

Eight dimes for Deebo tonight and OG continues to look like a huge steal with 20 points on shots with his usual stellar D.

 

[La Masse]

OG’s range looking real nice right now.

A couple teams are going to mad at themselves for not picking him

 

[Diamond Joe Quimby]

They turned it on and never looked back at the halfway point of the 2nd quarter.

Eight dimes for Deebo tonight and OG continues to look like a huge steal with 20 points on shots with his usual stellar D.

Lol got a team full of gangstas.

 

[Tuggy]

Definitely the best Raptors team we've seen in a while. So deep.

 

[Budsfan]

Game Preview: Raptors at 76ers | Toronto Raptors
Game Preview: Raptors at 76ers

Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
Posted: Dec 12, 2017

Toronto Raptors (21-8) @ Philadelphia 76ers (14-16)
When: Thursday, December 21st 7 P.M. ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center
Broadcast info: SN1, TSN1050
Last meeting:
The Raptors earned a 128-94 victory against the 76ers in the first meeting with Philadelphia this season. Playing at the Air Canada Centre, Toronto jumped out to a quick 36-19 lead after the first quarter and the Sixers were stuck trying to play catch up the rest of the way through. DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 30 points, including a 14-for-16 performance from the free throw line. Serge Ibaka added 21 points and hit five three-pointers and Kyle Lowry contributed 17 points. The Sixers were led by 16 points from Jerryd Bayless as they played without Joel Embiid.
Leading into this afternoon’s game:
Injury report: Lucas Nogueira is out with a right calf injury while C.J. Miles did not travel with the team following a dental procedure. The Sixers have not yet announced their injury report.
Passing the rock: In Toronto’s 129-111 victory against the Charlotte Hornets, the team set a season-high for assists with 35 on 49 made field goals. This is the fourth time this season the team has had 30+ assists and the ninth time scoring at least 120 points. Wednesday’s victory was Toronto’s 10th in its last 11 games.
Home and home: Thursday’s game will be the second in a back-to-back for Toronto, while the Sixers will have fresh legs, having last played on Tuesday in a loss to the Sacramento Kings. The game will also kick off a home-and-home with Philadelphia, with the Sixers heading to Toronto to take on the Raptors once again on Saturday in a 5 PM. ET tipoff.
Extra assists:
OG for three: Rookie OG Anunoby came into the game ranking second among all rookies in three-point shooting. He was lights out from beyond the arc in Charlotte, making six of his seven three-point attempts as he finished the game scoring 17 points in 29 minutes. Via TSNs Josh Lewenberg, Anunoby is shooting 19-for-33 (58 percent) from beyond the arc this month.
Sizzling Simmons: Philadelphia rookie Ben Simmons has been incredible in his first NBA season thus far. How good? He and Russell Westbrook are the only two players in the NBA averaging at least 17 points, nine rebounds and 7.5 assists per game, and he is also the only rookie since the 1963-64 season with four triple-doubles through 29 career games. He also ranks second in the NBA in steals per game, trailing only Paul George (69) and Westbrook (61) in total steals this year.
Familiar faces: The Raptors face a beloved ex-Raptor when they see Amir Johnson in Philadelphia. Johnson spent six seasons with Toronto, becoming a fan favourite immediately. Sixers guard Jerryd Bayless also appeared in 91 games for the Raptors spanning the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. Beyond the court, Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo served as the Raptors’ general manager from 2006-13. Away from the arena, Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry is a Philadelphia native who also played at Villanova University before heading to the NBA.

 

[Clark4Ever]

I really like the makeup of this team compared to the last few years. We have the depth to make some noise in the playoffs, as long as our kids don't get overwhelmed by the pressure.