“Here we go,” said Darko Rajaković, igniting peals of laughter, after being asked about an inefficient night from Kawhi Leonard. Usually, such a thing isn’t necessarily a laughing matter for the Raptors. But when Toronto’s starters combine for 92 points to beat the Chicago Bulls by 43 points, there’s room for humour in Scotiabank Arena.
Wednesday night’s performance against the Bulls was one of the most lopsided contests in franchise history, and certainly, will be remembered as one of the most notable
opening nights for Toronto sports. The Raptors did more than silence any doubt that they were a team capable of serious contention, rather, showed early flashes of what the new identity of the Toronto Raptors might be.
Fast. Defensive. Forcing turnovers. And shooting threes. Lots of threes. Take Immanuel Quickley, who attempted nine of his own, making four of them, looking like the shooter that he’s been paid so handsomely to be. Up from an average of nearly seven last year, it seems like volume could be the name of the game for getting the Raps to the promised land. Still, the Raptors were below average for the league, based on last year’s figures of threes attempted, so pumping those numbers is going to continue to be a priority.
As heartening as watching the Raptors make mincemeat out of the Chicago Bulls was, this game serves as an example of both an extreme outlier, and some established ideas about how the Raptors might look for the rest of the season.
While the Raptors won the night, the Chicago Bulls put in a lot of work to lose in such a spectacular fashion. After all, shooting 32% from the field and 11% from three isn’t something that happens without a lot of effort being put in from the other side.
Both teams shot under 50% from the field that night, something the Raptors will hopefully not be replicating too often down the line. Shooting efficiency varied across the board. While Quickley was lights out from three, Ja’Kobe Walter, for example, played 23 minutes, as much as many of the starters, but was one for five from three.
The Raptors are now at a point with their depth that they’re able to stagger their starters and leave none of them hanging out to dry with an impotent second unit. Subbing out Scottie Barnes for Collin Murray-Boyles isn’t exactly giving the other team a huge leg up on the defensive end, and benching RJ Barrett to get a three-point shooting specialist like Jamison Battle in doesn’t kill momentum offensively.
This brings back memories of the Raptors’ reserves in the late 2010s, the original Bench Mob, that lives so dearly in the hearts of Raptors fans. Jamison Battle, Allen Graves, Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Collin Murray-Boyles are a fearsome fivesome that combine defence, playmaking, and shooting in the exact manner that both compliments that Raptors’ starters. The Mob serves to target the issues that can sway a game most heavily in tight moments, and will undoubtedly be a key piece in the Raptors’ victories down the line.
But unfortunately, it’s not all just a matter of good cheer in Toronto. Jakob Poeltl is a $19 million dollar man who is about to be a $27 million dollar man, and he scored three points in 22 minutes. Not great. Collin Murray-Boyles is a sophomore coming off the bench, and he out-rebounded Poeltl, eight boards to six. It’s fair to note that the other starters were heavily ball-dominant throughout the game, but in a contest where the Bulls were playing a backup centre, Toronto’s starter at the pivot should blossom, not wilt.
Today’s matchup against the Washington Wizards will see the Raptors play a reinvigorated Anthony Davis, in which our Noah Curitti projected a Raptors win. He wrote that “Anthony Davis presents the biggest matchup concern after his performance in the season opener,” and that “his interior scoring and rim protection could challenge Toronto on both ends of the floor.”
Davis had 34 points, 12 boards, and four stocks against the Milwaukee Bucks, who fielded Myles Turner against him. Poeltl is roughly in the same tier of centre as Turner, and when factoring in the type of game that the Brow had against him, major concerns arise. While the Raptors have excellent defensive personnel in Barnes and Boyles, they’re not true rim protecting centres, and expecting them to bang in the paint with the likes of Davis, Joel Embiid, and Nikola Jokic verges on the unreasonable.
The next few games will tell viewers a lot about what they can expect from Jakob Poeltl, who, by all accounts, was cleared for regular play. A month ago, Bobby Webster said that Poeltl was in “good spirits, good shape,” but if there aren’t significant improvements from Poeltl — especially in matchups like tonight — “good shape” from him might not be good enough anymore.
The Raptors twin stars in Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes both looked fantastic – and, looked a bit like one another. During Wednesday’s game Scottie took some of these turnaround midrange jumpers that showed he had certainly picked up a trick or two from working with Leonard all summer. Barnes taking that motion, and echoing the greats like Jordan and Nowitzki, will hopefully be a herald of even more offensive prowess from the young player.
Leonard looked healthy last game, playing 24 minutes, but shot an ugly five of 17 attempts from the field. A lot of shots from him that looked like they would go in just didn’t materialize. This is something that fans shouldn’t be concerned about, however.
“I just need more reps, to learn plays,” said Leonard. “This is where you get better. You get better on the floor, and trying things, and shooting the ball when you open. You can’t wait ‘til practice and, you know, just shoot 100 shots. You need game reps, so, you know, that’s what I was looking for.”
William Lou on the Hello and Welcome Show pointed to Leonard’s delayed trade impacting his meshing with the team, and argued that even this incomplete version of the Klaw was someone who could deliver, bringing four steals and 11-11 free throws made. “This is probably gonna be the worst Kawhi we’ll ever see for the season,” said Lou. “How blessed are we, man?”
Indeed, Raptors fans were blessed with an impressive first win for the season, a look at a hyper-competent bench, and the first meaningful sample of what second-stint Kawhi Leonard can do on the Raptors. However, all that can’t mean that a severe deficiency at centre should be ignored. Tonight’s game will be a major diagnostic about how concerning that issue really will be for the Raptors, going forward. It’ll be matchups like the one against Davis that will dictate trade priorities and potentially even new starting lineups for the team.
But; the Raptors look good, and they look ready for the season ahead. A new normal for Toronto fans is set to begin this season, and those who stuck around throughout the down years are already having their patience rewarded.
