A new year often brings with it new possibilities, and for the Toronto Raptors that certainly seems to be the case.
Picking up their first victory of the season with a 100-83 rout of the New York Knicks Thursday evening, the Raptors still have a lot to figure out about themselves, particularly in terms of their rotation and roles.
Of course, the surprise announcement that the Raptors were giving Pascal Siakam the night off for disciplinary reasons just before their New Year’s Eve tilt with the Knicks played a factor, but the level of experimentation seen from Raptors coach Nick Nurse in the game suggested he’s still probing and searching for more consistent answers across the board.
The team is still only four games into its season, but some level of role certainty would be a better look instead of what has appeared to be a bit of scramble from Nurse, searching for answers all throughout games.
Here’s a quick glance at some of the clutter the Raptors are dealing with right now.
Norm dilemma … again
Over the course of his career, a common trend with Norman Powell has been the splits he’s put up between starting and coming off the bench.
A perfect example is what we saw in regards to this last season, where he played 26 games each as a starter and as a key bench piece.
In contests that he earned the start, Powell averaged 18.7 points per game, shooting 52.2 per cent from the field and 44.4 per cent from deep. When he came off the bench, however, he only averaged 13.2 points, shooting 46 per cent from the floor and 34.2 per cent from three-point range.
Powell did play more minutes as a starter, averaging a little more than 31 per game as opposed to the 26 per contest he would get coming off the bench, but that’s still a large difference in production and we saw a small example of that play out once again Thursday night.
In Toronto’s first three games this season, Powell was averaging a measly six points per game on a truly abysmal 17.4 per cent from the field, but with Siakam being disciplined Thursday, Powell drew into the starting lineup and popped off for 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
Powell was quickly able to establish himself, scoring seven of Toronto’s first 10 points, something that seemed to jumpstart his game and led to his best performance of the season.
So this begs the question once again, if the Raptors seem to be getting consistently better performances out of Powell as a starter, would it not make more sense to make him a full-time member of the first unit?
It’s something that Nurse has wrestled with before and after Thursday’s performance he may be giving it another long look.
“I think it needs some consideration,” Nurse said of Powell perhaps more permanently acting as a starter. “I think the statistics really bear it out. For sure. So I think it needs some evaluation. The only part that makes it tough is who goes out of the starting lineup?
“And I don’t know, maybe we’ll get to a point where we move it around a little bit. I kind of had grand visions of that when I took the job, that we have like eight starters moving around a little bit.”
The dilemma of who moves out of the starting lineup is a big one as the current starting five appears to be the most logical, but the idea of a rotating starting lineup with Powell drawing in from time to time depending on matchup does sound interesting, especially because Powell already views himself as something of the team’s sixth starter.
“Obviously it’s nice to start. I see myself as a starter in this league,” Powell said. “So every time I get a chance to go out there and start it shows that I can fill that role and I try to take advantage of that. Obviously, I’ve always been a team guy, to focus on what the team needs of me in whatever role that is, and the last three games prior to this one I really looked at myself to see what I could do better.”
Like a broken record every season, monitoring how Powell is utilized will once again be interesting as the season progresses.
Many, many reserve wing options
During training camp and pre-season, Nurse mentioned wanting to have a certain level of role certainty at the No. 8 spot of his rotation, specifically narrowing in with, preferably, a three-and-D wing there.
So far there hasn’t been close to an answer yet as to who will take that role and run with it.
Nearly every reserve wing option at Nurse’s disposal has been used, with Matt Thomas getting more consistent looks in the first two games, DeAndre’ Bembry getting some quick glances here and there, Stanley Johnson being used more heavily over the past two games, Terence Davis getting his first taste of action Thursday playing 16 solid minutes, Yuta Watanabe even playing a little over nine minutes Thursday as well, and even rookie Malachi Flynn and Paul Watson Jr. finally seeing the floor Thursday in garbage time.
In other words, it’s a complete jumbled mess at that spot and Nurse just appears to be going with whatever he feels is the right matchup at the moment because no one has impressed enough to stake claim to that rotation spot.
It’s why we’ve been seeing funky lineups like the Kyle Lowry-Johnson-Chris Boucher-Davis-Watanabe look. This was just one example of a plethora of strange lineups used Thursday and given the fact Nurse is still searching, we can probably expect more weirdness in the games to come.
Can’t centre in on a consistent centre
Another question mark Nurse is dealing with is how to divvy up minutes between his three centres.
Aron Baynes has been the starter, and while that likely won’t change, the question of whether he’ll end up playing starter-type minutes over the course of a full game is worth asking.
This is because Baynes has had ups and downs to start the season much like his other three counterparts, leading to Nurse also looking for an answer at the five spot as well — both with the primary and secondary unit.
“I think it’s going to be a game-to-game type of thing,” said Nurse. “I think Aron’s had two good games and two not so good games so he’s batting about .500. Chris has had a couple of real good games, but Alex [Len] has had a couple of good ones, too.
“I don’t know, I think we’re going to feel it out, feel it through and just keep evaluating.”
Len, in particular, looked to take a big step in the Raptors’ centre battle Thursday, finishing with 11 points and drilling three triples. All this production came in the third quarter and the form on Len’s three-point stroke looked exceptional, with the Raptors even appearing to run a set play to set up a corner three for the seven-footer.
“I was looking like crazy for a corner three-point shooter and I can’t believe I couldn’t find one and there it was tonight, Alex Len,” Nurse joked Thursday after the game. “He made some big shots for us tonight and I’m just glad he goes out there and competes, he looks like he’s getting more comfortable.”
Whether that comfort Len is feeling leads to more consistent opportunity is anyone’s guess at the moment, but at the very least his name will be in the hat as Nurse continues to search for consistency.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
