Toronto Hoops Talk

11/11/2024

The New Era Needs New Answers: Raptors' Struggles Continue

While the team keeps dropping games and TSN commentators keep spinning tales about how things are just fine, it's a good time to break down the start of a season that the franchise itself branded as a New Era. Spoiler: the old issues are still around.

Playing well and actually winning are two very different things. Toronto's lost 9 out of 11, and you can’t just chalk it up to the players’ youth, as the commentators would have us believe. Last season’s playoffs proved that this league belongs to the young, and there are plenty of examples of competitive teams driven by young players.

Toronto’s improved on spacing and ball movement, and the guys are working hard, showing drive, and seem more connected. But that’s mostly about offence. At the same time, the Raptors still have one of the weakest defences in the league and commit the most fouls (over 25 per game), which just highlights the problem. They struggle to keep up with opponents, rotate too slowly, lose their marks, and have trouble with one-on-ones.

The defensive strategy isn’t cutting it. Will having injured players back help? Maybe, but the team struggled on defence last season too.

In my opinion, the Raptors are missing solid coaching. If you ever feel like you’re doing something pointless, just take a look at Darko’s timeouts in clutch moments. Toronto has 0 set plays for these situations – they just toss the ball to Barrett, and hope for the best. No clear instructions, no ex*****on. That’s why we gave away two games to Denver, lost the second game to Sacramento, and barely held onto the first.

As I said, tanking with this lineup in a crisis-stricken Eastern Conference feels off, especially without any guarantee of the first pick. Do we need some moves? Yeah, but it feels like, even with this roster, Toronto could be a whole lot more competitive.

10/22/2024

Raptors: A New Era with Old Problems

The new season, where the Toronto Raptors will celebrate their 30th anniversary, is just around the corner. Marketing departments and media are in full swing: commercials shout about the start of a new era, TSN commentators talk up the roster's depth, and rave about the team’s preseason games. But is there really a reason for optimism?

In reality, it seems like the old problems haven’t gone anywhere. The Raptors' roster is still vulnerable at the center and power forward positions, and the team simply lacks big fellas and more players who can play quality defense. Last season, Toronto had one of the worst 3-point shooting percentages and a shameful rate from the free-throw line.

The Raptors didn’t make any serious moves over the summer, so any changes will have to come from significant progress by the team (in defense, ball movement, and shooting) and individual players. Much of this will depend on the coach and the goals set by management. And here’s the big question: what’s the Raptors' objective this season?

In the East, many teams are either in a rebuild or about to enter one. Toronto, on the other hand, has avoided deep changes (trading a pick for Poeltl, for example), but flushed last season down the drain. Tanking in a weak Eastern Conference? That would be strange since the Raptors' roster has enough talent to compete for the play-in. However, to be truly competitive, Toronto needs moves.

It seems like the franchise is in a half-position right now, figuring things out on the fly as the season unfolds. So buckle up, there could be turbulence ahead - let’s go!

08/06/2024

Canada out of Olympics: France crushes our Team

Canada breezed through the group stage with a confident 3-0, aiming for the final, but their run ended in the quarter-finals. It was a painful exit as France used their significant size advantage to overpower Fernandez's team.

The game started disastrously. The Canadians were completely unprepared for the highly physical FIBA play, which allows much more contact than the NBA. France dismantled Canada’s defense, but the bigger problem was on offense – the Canadians looked like they were playing together for the first time: no ball movement, poor decisions, and constant turnovers.

In the third quarter, SGA's efforts brought Canada back into the game, but he had little support – only Barrett stepped up occasionally. A crucial moment was SGA's missed free throws in the fourth quarter when Canada was down by 6: he missed both, and moments later it was -10.

After that, the team forgot about ball movement again and resorted to hero ball, with SGA (27 points) trying to carry Canada alone. Guess what? It didn’t work. France continued to dominate as a team, even with Gobert on the bench. At the same time, Fernandez kept faith in Murray, who was off-target (3/13) and made numerous errors. No surprise, that didn’t work either.

Unfortunately, this potentially successful tournament ends too early for us, with a painful blow from the hosts, who outperformed us in every aspect.

Talking about the Raptors and Canadian basketball

08/02/2024

Canada defeats Spain in a tough battle, Wins the Group

In a do-or-die game, Spain put up a fierce resistance, but Jordi Fernandez's team held strong and passed the test, finishing the group stage with a 3-0 record. Andrew Nembhard had his best game for the team so far, stepping up with 18 points and impressive shooting – 8/10 from the field (2/3 beyond the arc).

Interestingly, the best +/- today wasn’t from defensive dogs Dort or Brooks, but from scorer RJ Barrett (+12). The Raptor added 16 points, including a crucial clutch three-pointer. SGA was once again the cornerstone of the team, spending the most time on the court (27 min) and scoring the most points (20). Murray, from whom we still expect more, dished out assists (6) but finished with a -4 and with only 4 points.

Canada won the group of death and now awaits their opponent in the quarter-finals. Go Canada!

Talking about the Raptors and Canadian basketball

07/30/2024

Canada Edges Out Boomers and Secures Playoff Spot

Waking up at 7 am to watch our guys play, huh? No problem. Especially when the game was more invigorating than any morning coffee, unless you added a splash of rum. Australia proved to be a very competitive team, organized a solid resistance, and even won the first half. However, after the break, Canada turned up their defence and changed the course of the game.

Barrett led the scoring again with 24 points, also contributing with rebounds and assists (7+5). Despite early foul trouble, Shai kept his status as the main chef, almost flawless in ex*****on with 16 points on 8/10 shooting. Additionally, SGA added an impressive 3 steals and 2 blocks. Incredible!

The most valuable player by the +/- indicator was once again Dort (+15), who not only scored well (11 points) but also earned 3 steals. Brooks, in his usual style, made life difficult for the opponent while shooting accurately (16 points). Also noteworthy were Powell’s 9 rebounds. After a -21 in the first game, Jamal was much more effective today (+9), helped with ball handling (5 assists), but missed several shots (2/7).

In the final group stage match, Canada will face Spain, who defeated Giannis and company. We need to finish the group stage with a win and take the top spot in the playoffs. Go Canada!

Talking about the Raptors and Canadian basketball

07/27/2024

SGA cooks, Brooks and Dort challenge unstoppable Giannis: Canada starts with a Win

The Canadian team has qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 2000, but now their ambitions go far beyond just a respectable participation. These guys have already made a splash at the World Cup and are definitely aiming to make noise in France. And what do you need to start? Exactly, a good start. And this task was accomplished.

Canada defeated Greece in a true clash. Yes, the Canadians led from start to finish, but the Greeks kept coming back throughout the game – mainly thanks to ball movement and, of course, Giannis. Considering the lack of big guys, elite but much smaller defenders – Brooks and Dort – were up against the Greek Freak. It's almost impossible to contain Giannis (31 pts), but they made his life very difficult, so the two-time MVP finished with a -7 differential. Meanwhile, Dillon (+24) and Luguentz (+26) had the best differentials on the team.

Canada's top scorer was Barrett (23 pts), but the best on the court was SGA (21P + 7A + 5R), who handled the most crucial moments and remained an unsolvable problem for all Greek defenders.

We can still expect potentially great help for the team from Murray. Jamal scored 8 points with a -21 differential (the worst on the team), but this was his first game for the national team. Of course, he needs time to improve connections and interactions with his teammates and to define his role in this team – for this, every game is very important. Canada's next opponent is Australia, who handled Spain in their first game

Talking about the Raptors and Canadian basketball

05/03/2024

🤯 Our boy OG is ruthless!

04/16/2024

Raptors: Season 23/24 Recap

Summing up, it's fair to say it's been a tough season. Toronto wasted a lot of time by not starting the rebuild last summer. We looked bad before trades and even worse after, but tanking was a factor to consider.

Even with OG and Pascal in the lineup, our defense was lacking, and overall, our d-system raised a lot of questions. Offensively, spacing was an issue, leading to players often being unsure what to do with the ball. Plus, a low 3PT and FT shooting percentage.

After the trades, our offense improved with Quickley adding movement and together with Barrett enhancing scoring. But the center and power forward positions became even more critical. We lack size and players who can defend effectively.

On the bright side, Barnes adapted well to his new role as a key player. It's a crucial experience for his progression, as he's becoming fundamental to the team. Additionally, Toronto acquired some young players with the potential to grow. Dick had a decent end to the season. While Gradey struggled throughout, he showed his shooting abilities towards the end when given more trust and playing time.

Finally, it's positive that we've finally begun the rebuild. It was overdue, and despite being a painful process, it's necessary to become competitive again. But for sure, moving forward, we need to keep working on building the roster.

Talking about the Raptors and Canadian basketball

04/11/2024

At the end of the season, Gradey Dick received more playing time, finally feeling confident and significantly improving his statistical performance.

Gradey still lacks in assists and is very limited defensively, but he handles the shooter role quite well. Gradey not only hypes up the crowd with some playful jersey photos after games but also shoots decently: averaging 15 points per game at 37.5% from beyond the arc.

For most of the season, Gradey didn't look promising, especially compared to other rookies in the League, but his recent performances give hope that he can make a significant contribution and be more valuable in the upcoming season. Do you believe Gradey can truly become a key player for the Raptors?

04/03/2024

The potential lineup for Raptors doesn't look optimal

Considering the current roster, the potential lineup for Toronto might look like this: IQ and Gary in the backcourt, RJ and Scottie at the problematic forward positions, and Jacob, of course, at center.

This lineup doesn't look too bad, but it's unlikely to compete for anything more than play-in spots. Right now, the team critically lacks size and players who can excel defensively. In fact, only Barnes can truly defend well; occasionally, he even played as the five-number guy due to the absence of true big fellas.

Raptors need roster changes to add versatility and depth, especially in positions like power forward and center, where they seem too vulnerable. Who would you like to see in Toronto from players that could realistically be obtained through trades or free agency?

03/24/2024

Raptors tanking: seeking the silver linings

Toronto continues to face losses game after game, and we're striving to find some silver lining to maintain optimism and interest in the team's rebuilding process. The Raptors' roster lately has been far from optimal, but it's providing rotation players and the younger ones more playing time to showcase their abilities. So, what are we seeing?

Trent Jr is trying to emerge as a leader on this roster. He's not shying away from responsibility and is taking many shots, but Gary's shooting percentage is far from ideal.

Dick isn't just taking hype photos after games; he's gaining confidence. Gradey doesn't always make the right decisions, but these mistakes are necessary for growth. However, more is still expected from him.

Brown even looks lackluster in this roster. At times, it seems like Bruce's motivation got left behind in Denver at the championship parade. Is tanking just not interesting enough for him?

Agbaji and Nwora are trying, and at times, fairly successfully, but there are still questions about their ability to contribute significantly to the Raptors next season. It will take more time to asset.

Overall, what's most concerning is the lack of anyone on this roster who can help Toronto with its main problems – defense and size. Darko with the current lineup hasn't been reinventing the wheel and significantly improving the defensive system yet.

03/16/2024

Who should leave the Raptors during the rebuilding process?

The season of suffering continues, but Toronto needs to start thinking about the summer and further roster changes right now. The current player lineup doesn't look optimal even considering the team's rebuilding phase. The Raptors must free up cap space and leverage their assets for trades. But who should depart from the team?

Brown and McDaniels. It's obvious. Brown was a great addition to the championship-winning Denver team, but in Toronto (and previously in Indiana), he hasn't had much impact. With $23M and a team option, he's probably not needed. Jalen has been given plenty of chances by Darko, but significant progress isn't evident yet.

Trent Jr. Gary is a solid player, but his fairly large contract ($18.5M) limits Toronto. Should they re-sign him?

Poeltl. Quality center Jakob is limited in today's NBA realities, and his contract doesn't seem maximally effective ($19.5M). Would you consider trading him if the opportunity arose to sign a more versatile center?

Boucher. Chris still has a year left on his contract ($11.7M). He's a good role player, but Darko uses him very limited. Plus, Toronto has already re-signed Olynyk for a significant sum.

What changes would you make? Share in the comments!