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Morning Coffee – Thu, Dec 17 – Raptors Republic

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8 bold predictions for the 2020-21 Toronto Raptors – Yahoo!

Raptors slip out of the top-5 in defense

Toronto’s defense kept the team afloat last season, especially across stretches where the Raptors suffered from injuries. Every member of the starting five graded out between good and elite on defense, and Nurse also had Ibaka, Powell, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to fill in. Toronto’s rim protection was airtight, particularly with Gasol in the middle, and the Raptors forced enough turnovers to fuel the most efficient transition offense in the league.

The Raptors will still be excellent on defense this season, but repeating as a top-five defense will be challenging. For one, the losses of Gasol and Ibaka are significant. Aron Baynes is a physical and disciplined defender, but he isn’t as big as Gasol, nor is he as savvy at anticipating plays. The drop-off from Ibaka to either Alex Len or Chris Boucher will be even steeper. Len offers slightly more size than Ibaka, and might be as effective in a conservative scheme where Len can simply stay by the basket, but Len has none of Ibaka’s versatility. Boucher is capable of the supernatural with his three-point blocks, however, he is prone to mistakes and is too slender in the post which leads him to compensate by jumping for everything.

The loss of Hollis-Jefferson isn’t significant on its own, but the bigger issue is that Toronto never replaced him. Anunoby is already being tabbed as the reserve power forward behind Pascal Siakam, while there is an open tryout between a handful of G-League forwards for the 15th slot. Hollis-Jefferson wasn’t consistent but he was immense at times. He famously forced Kawhi Leonard into a career-high in turnovers, then followed it up by limiting Damian Lillard to single digits in scoring. Hollis-Jefferson was instrumental in the 30-point comeback against Dallas, and stood up Karl-Anthony Towns as a smallball center during the 15-game win streak. That’s not insignificant, especially for a team that lacks size from top to bottom.

The cumulative effect of their offseason losses will set the Raptors back, the question is by how much. The only teams that are definitely better on defense are the Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks, who both have too much size and experience to fail. If Baynes’ health and rim protection holds up, the Raptors will be in that next tier with the Celtics, Clippers, and Sixers.

Raptors’ backcourt logjam, new situations at home and away – The Athletic

One of the brighter spots: newcomer DeAndre’ Bembry. After playing nine minutes in the opener, mostly with players thought to be deep on the bench, he jumped up to 16 on Monday, even getting a look in the second quarter in OG Anunoby’s place with the rest of the starters. The Raptors looked good during that stretch and Bembry finished with nine points, two assists and a steal. He fluently controlled the ball in transition, helping Fred VanVleet get going off the ball.

“He was kind of in the Pat McCaw role today,” VanVleet said on Monday, “just taking the pressure off. Those guys were picking up full court and (it helped to) have an extra ball handler. And he was a scorer in college. I remember him coming out (in the) class and DeAndre has some great ball skills. He can put on the floor, he can shoot and he can playmake. So there’s a rhythm. I think I’ve been studying his game. I think he knows my game. And so we just had a natural rhythm out there.”

“This is the perfect system for him,” Alex Len, Bembry’s teammate in Atlanta and now Toronto/Tampa, said of Bembry’s fit within the Raptors’ more aggressive defensive schemes. “He’s going to be flying around on defence getting stops, getting hands on the ball. I think it’s a perfect fit for him.”

Beyond Bembry’s poor career 3-point shooting, there is just one problem: The Raptors have a ton of guards. After OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, the Raptors quickly become short on players who might crack the rotation who can be classified as bigger wings. This is a guard-heavy team, and that is even after considering the two-point-guard starting unit.

In fact, Nurse said that Norman Powell might be playing small forward instead of shooting guard. While positions are pretty much interchangeable at this point, Nurse is speaking about positions in terms of size — that Powell will be on the floor more often with two players who are smaller than him rather than just one. With Stanley Johnson looking to be an afterthought in terms of rotation minutes, the Raptors are going to have to play on the small end more often than not.

The Raptors have rarely suffered because of this defensively, but they have sometimes struggled to score against bigger, longer teams such as Philadelphia and Boston because their scorers lack size or the requisite athleticism to make up for it.

We’ll see how much that impacts the Raptors. In the short term, it is immediately clear there are not enough minutes to go around. Even if you pencilled in Flynn for just 10 minutes per game and assumed three of the Raptors’ guards will be playing at all times, which is faulty because they will be starting with only two of them, the rotation players’ averages from last year would already have them nearly 40 minutes above the 144 total minutes available across three positions.

Why smaller lineups could become Raptors’ go-to this season – Sportsnet

Toronto boasts a flexible roster, particularly among some of its core guards. So while it may look like this is a team that’s giving up size, from Nurse’s perspective, they won’t be in practice all that much.

“…I never really feel small,” Nurse said. “We don’t feel small because Fred and Kyle play so big, so that’s one thing. And I would imagine one of those guys probably shifts to part of the second unit. So, again, I think either Fred or Kyle can guard most twos in this league — and even threes — so I’m not overly concerned.”

The same can be said of a player like Powell, who can defend shooting guards and small forwards, and Anunoby, who we’ve seen play centre before and we know can guard all five positions on the court.

The Raptors can go small — and may have no choice but to do so with some of the standouts we’ve seen in the pre-season so far.

Nurse has been particularly impressed with newcomers Malachi Flynn and DeAndre’ Bembry so far and sounds like he wants to find a spot in the rotation for them. This means the team will likely have to play smaller than it has in the past to make room for them in Nurse’s rotation and, as he said, that not everyone on the roster will benefit from as much burn as, perhaps, promised.

“I’m not going to be able to for all those guys, that’s for sure,” Nurse said of finding minutes for all his guards and wing players. “I think that I’m continuing to evaluate it and I probably have to tinker around a little bit.

“You know, I would say that two guys we didn’t know at all have played very well in Flynn and Bembry. They’ve knocked on the door here for sure just because they’ve played so well. And it’s just one of those situations where you can’t play everybody.”

This is an interesting wrinkle coming Nurse’s way with Toronto’s regular season beginning in exactly one week as he was indicating before that he wanted more certainty about the No. 8 or 9 spot of the rotation and Matt Thomas looking like the front-runner. Could Flynn and Bembry’s strong play be making Nurse think twice about Thomas in the spot now? Could it possibly return to a platoon spot in the rotation again?

With just one more pre-season game to play, chances are Nurse will continue to experiment even when the games become real.

Toronto Temperature: The preseason is underway and the Toronto Raptors are already hot – Raptors HQ

When the photo of the Raptors new red jersey hanging on a clearance hanger in a department store leaked, there was, understandably, some rancor. Twitter gathered in hordes to call the jersey lazy, uninspired, and downright unnecessary. Well, the echo chamber eventually calmed down and now we’re seeing the Raptors finally playing in the jerseys rather than merely viewing them under flourescent tube lighting.

Will the white jerseys look as good? Time will surely tell.

Giannis Antetokounmpo extension could impact Toronto Raptors’ decision on OG Anunoby – TSN.ca

There are several valid reasons to extend Anunoby ahead of the December 21 deadline – cost certainty, and buying goodwill with the player and his representation, are chief among them – but in spite of them all, it seemed unlikely that anything would get done, until Antetokounmpo made his commitment to the Bucks.

The primary benefit to waiting until the off-season, allowing Anunoby to become a restricted free agent, and signing him – or matching an offer sheet – then is to maximize cap space for next summer, which has been a top priority for Toronto. As a free agent, Anunoby would remain on the books for his cap hold of $11.6 million, as opposed to the first-year salary of his new deal if they were to extend him, which would probably be in the neighbourhood of $15-to-20 million.

With only , VanVleet and Malachi Flynn under guaranteed contract past this season, the Raptors have given themselves the flexibility to open up enough room to sign a max player on the open market. In this scenario, they could theoretically use their space on a big-name free agent, then exceed the cap – and likely go into the luxury tax – to retain Anunoby using his Bird Rights.

Given the recent emphasis on keeping their books as clean as possible following 2020-21 – it’s the reason why was only given a one-year extension last fall, it’s why VanVleet’s new deal was negotiated with a dip in salary for his second season, and it’s why they weren’t more aggressive in pursuing or in free agency – that appeared to be the Raptors’ plan.

“I think there are talks to be had,” team president Masai Ujiri said earlier this month, when he was asked about the possibility of extending Anunoby. “They know of the abilities that we [have], so we’ll keep having those conversations.”

The implication there was that unless Anunoby and his reps are willing to take a significant discount to get a deal done now – likely something close to that cap hold of $11.6 million, which is far lower than what they’re asking for – it will have to wait until the summer.

However, things have changed. With Antetokounmpo – Toronto’s presumed top target in free agency – off the board, would Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster be more inclined to eat into their coveted cap space in order to secure Anunoby’s future with the team? The answer, most likely, is that it will depend on the cost.

Anunoby’s camp is believed to be seeking something in the ballpark of the four-year, $85 million deal that VanVleet got last month. The team will likely come back with an annual figure closer to $15 million. Would both parties be agreeable to a compromise in the range of $17-to-18 million annually?

At that price, the path to opening up a max slot next summer would become far more complicated, verging on impossible, and would probably take the Raptors out of the running for top tiered free agents like or . On the other hand, those guys don’t move the needle in the same way Antetokounmpo would have. Toronto would have its young core of Siakam, VanVleet and Anunoby under contract for the foreseeable future, and would still have enough cap space to chase a lower tiered free agent or two, and perhaps bring Lowry back.

DeAndre’ Bembry’s role with the Raptors remains unclear, but he’s used to being under the radar | The Star

The most impressive character trait of DeAndre’ Bembry is that he fully knows what he could be but also realizes what he needs to be. That difference may unlock a role for him with the Raptors this season.

Bembry could be a scorer. He has been one in the past and the skills are there to be developed. It would be great if the 26-year-old morphed into a slasher and a shooter and a 15-point-a-night kind of guy.

But to fit with Toronto, to earn minutes and as defined a role as any backup on the roster will have, Bembry knows that defending and helping, doing the unglamorous work is the key.

It’s a mature mindset, one appreciated by his teammates and his coaches, the men who will ultimately determine how much he plays.

“People enjoy my defence so much they might overlook that … I can play with the ball, I’m a real good cutter, but I don’t mind being under the radar,” Bembry said after Toronto’s pre-season win over Charlotte on Monday. “I’ve been under the radar a long time in my life, so I think I’ve just always tried to find a way and it just always seems to work out for me.”

It will work out for Bembry with the Raptors if he can consistently fill a role that’s probably best described as “the other guy.” The team has enough scoring, it needs versatility from its backups, a willingness to defend first and take what comes on offence. Bembry seems self-aware enough to understand that.

“He makes a lot of good plays and he might be a fit,” coach Nick Nurse said after Bembry got his first extended run with a group of starters on Monday.

“He looked like he was a good fit out there with the kind of majority of the first group. So, (we’re) still learning him and he’s learning us, I like what I’ve seen so far.”

What next for NBA teams waiting on Giannis Antetokounmpo? – Yahoo!

Toronto’s concerns are less pressing and possibly less consequential. The Raptors have also not been a popular free-agent destination. President of basketball operations Masai Ujiri had developed close ties to Antetokounmpo, which made Toronto a possibility. Ujiri’s history with Leonard leaves open the possibility of a reunion, but beyond that unlikely scenario pitching Toronto over Miami is a tough sell to NBA players.

Pascal Siakam is an All-NBA performer but not one who can be the best player on a championship team. Only he and Fred VanVleet are signed beyond 2021 for less than half the projected salary cap. OG Anunoby will warrant a healthy raise, but not one so hefty that it will break the bank, barring the positive development of a breakout season that commands one. Toronto should be able to maintain cap flexibility going forward, although that could mean the loss of quality players like Norman Powell and franchise mainstay Kyle Lowry.

Re-signing Powell and Lowry or trading their expiring contracts for longer-term assets are also possibilities now that the allure of Antetokounmpo is gone. It might even be likely without a superstar awaiting in 2021. That would keep Toronto a star away from contention, with plenty of tradable assets to make a move. Heck, the Raptors could enter the fray for Harden right now with a package that might have to include Siakam.

Ujiri is as sound a decision-maker as there is in the NBA, and that means the Raptors will be fine. They may not be great without Antetokounmpo in the picture, but they will be ready when an opportunity rises again.

Siakam becoming a better player knowing he’ll draw added attention from foes | Toronto Sun

There’s no rim protector like Serge Ibaka, no big capable of making solid entry passes or swinging the ball the way Marc Gasol did, no alpha dog in Leonard.

Kyle Lowry might be the heart and soul of the franchise, but he’s in the final year of his deal, while Fred VanVleet is entering the first year of a new four-year contract.

To say the Raptors are championship contenders would be wrong.

To say Siakam is about to enter a big season would be to state the obvious.

What’s required from Siakam is to show that he is mentally and physically capable of assuming that go-to role.

And then it’s up to the Raptors to surround him with the necessary pieces.

As of today, it would seem a reach to suggest the team can or will acquire a piece that is better than Siakam.

Even in the pre-season, which wraps up Friday when the Raptors play a “home’’ game in Tampa against Miami, extra defenders have been sent Siakam’s way.

Coach Nick Nurse noticed the extra attention Charlotte gave Siakam in Monday’s tip.

Teams load up on players such as Siakam, who in turn need to make the right read and pass when the ball gets forced out of his hands.

During his Zoom call, Nurse spoke of adjustment the Hornets made when Siakam wanted to initiate drives.

“I give him credit for passing out of those (double teams) so willingly and doing it well,’’ Nurse said. “That’s kind of the scenario you find yourself a little more lately in this league when you’re a scorer. Teams are going to say: ‘OK, let’s hold down the other guys. This guy is going to get his anyway.’ Or some teams are saying: ‘This guy is not beating us tonight.’ On those nights you have to become a facilitator because there’s just no way to fight the game.

“It’s part of a development for him. We’ve been practising a lot with him. And it’s just not him because it’s the other guys’ spacing, the other guys’ cutting into areas where we can hurt them. And we should. If you put two or three (defenders) on the ball you’ve done your job as a scorer.”

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Canucks place goalie Thatcher Demko on long-term injured list

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The Vancouver Canucks have placed all-star goalie Thatcher Demko on the long-term injured reserve list retroactively.

“It’s just cap related,” coach Rick Tocchet said after practice Wednesday. “We get some cap relief, that’s all it is.”

The 28-year-old netminder has been considered week to week since being sidelined with a lower-body injury midway through Vancouver’s 5-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on March 9.

That injury designation hasn’t changed, Tocchet said.

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Demko boasts a 34-18-2 record this season, with a .917 save percentage, a 2.47 goals-against average and five shutouts.

Casey DeSmith has taken over the starting job for Vancouver, going 3-2-1 since Demko’s injury. He has a .899 save percentage on the season with a 2.73 goals-against average and one shutout.

The earliest Demko could be back in the Canucks’ lineup is April 6 against the Kings in Los Angeles.

He’s expected to be a key piece as Vancouver (45-19-8) prepares for its first playoff appearance since the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign.

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin also announced Wednesday that the club has called up forward Arshdeep Bains from the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League.

“I’d like to see where [Bains is] at,” Tocchet said, noting he isn’t sure whether the 23-year-old winger will slot into the lineup when the Canucks host the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

WATCH | Bains makes NHL debut

 

Surrey, B.C.’s Arshdeep Bains makes Canucks debut

1 month ago

Duration 2:20

Arshdeep Bains from Surrey, B.C., has made his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. As CBC’s Joel Ballard reports, it’s been a hard-fought journey for the hometown kid to the big leagues.

Bains played five games for the NHL team in February before being sent back to Abbotsford.

“He went down, he’s done a couple of things that we like, and he’s got some speed,” Tocchet said.

Vancouver may get another forward back in the lineup Thursday.

Dakota Joshua practised in a full-contact jersey on Wednesday for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury in Vancouver’s 4-2 win over the Blackhawks in Chicago on Feb. 13.

The physical winger, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has a career-high 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) this season.

Sitting out injured “hasn’t been fun,” Joshua said.

“It feels like forever,” he said. “But at this point, that’s behind me and I’m moving forward.”

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Senators score 5 in 1st, cruise past Sabres

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“I thought that we were ready to go,” Ottawa coach Jacques Martin said. “We got some pucks at the net, we got people at the net. Took advantage of our opportunities and, I think, built a nice lead. And then I thought, in the third period, we continued again. Our goaltending was good. Made some key saves. But I thought we shut them down in the third period good.”

Shane Pinto had a goal and three assists, and Brady Tkachuk, Boris Katchouk, Jakob Chychrun and Drake Batherson each had a goal and an assist for the Senators (31-36-4), who have won three in a row. Korpisalo made 34 saves.

“If you want to win, you need balance,” Pinto said. “And we had that tonight and it’s going to be big for the back-to-back tomorrow (against the Chicago Blackhawks) to have that same thing. So, going to need all the guys on board.”

JJ Peterka and Connor Clifton scored for the Sabres (34-34-5), who have lost four of six. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed four goals on nine shots before he was replaced by Devon Levi, who made 31 saves in relief.

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“We wanted, I guess, to play as individuals,” Clifton said. “I’m disappointed we let ‘Upie’ down, he’s the heart and soul of this team. He’s kept us in so many games, and just to not show up and play that careless style, give them freebies all over the place. … Yeah, obviously, the first 20 really dictated the rest of the game.”

Artem Zub gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead at 2:37 of the first period. He stuffed in a loose puck on the goal line after Katchouk’s shot was redirected by Mark Kastelic between Luukkonen’s pads.

Katchouk made it 2-0 at 4:56, tipping Parker Kelly’s shot from the top of the right face-off circle past Luukkonen.

“It’s keeping the consistency with good effort, right habits,” Katchouk said. “The small things matter so much in this game. And obviously, it worked out tonight with the tip. But kudos to my linemates. ‘Kels’ and ‘Kassy,’ they worked hard to get the puck as well. Those two battle hard every night as well. We feed off each other, and it’s good to play with them.”

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Vasilevskiy stops 23 as surging Lightning beat Bruins – Sportsnet.ca

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