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Raptors “new look” defense – better, or just different? Part 2 of 2

By Brian Boake

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In Part 1 of this mini-series, I attempted to frame some concepts about basketball defense. Now let’s consider whether the Toronto Raptors are a better defensive team following the astonishing degree of churn in the team’s roster since season’s end.

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Mar 27, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jabari Brown (15) looks to play a ball as Toronto Raptors forward James Johnson (3) tries to defend during the fourth quarter in a game at Air Canada Centre. The Toronto Raptors won 94-83. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

There are many subtle clues which inform whether a defense is functional. Lots of chatter, active hands (grab that errant pass!), making the right decisions against the high pick-&-roll, big men mobile enough to harass the ball handlers – the Raptors will need to be above-average in all these non-statistical phases of the game.

The key to successful defense in the small-ball era lies in limiting high-percentage 3-point attempts. One of the many things I’ll be watching for in pre-season will be how well the Raptors defend against corner-3s, the most important shot in today’s basketball. Am I dreaming to hope for a game in which the Raptors allow no open corner-3s?

In particular, can the Raps compete when facing ball-movement teams, like San Antonio, Atlanta, or Golden State? To beat those top-drawer squads requires contesting every shot, and limiting second-chance opportunities. Players who don’t “get a body on” their man when a shot goes up are going to play much less than they would like. TRoss is vulnerable in this department, but can’t afford to be.

Of course, we need to take careful note of which players are on the floor at the end of close games. Who does coach have confidence in? Jonas Valanciunas spent way too much time on the bench in fourth quarters last year, and the presence of defensive-minded Bismack Biyombo means that trend will continue. DeMar DeRozan may find himself watching a lot more than he’d like as well.

I can see a lead-protecting fivesome of Biyombo, Carroll, James Johnson, Delon Wright (or Cory Joseph), and Kyle Lowry being quite successful at closing out victories. Note that there’s a delicate balance to be maintained. We’re not playing football – we can’t just “take a knee” three times and watch the time tick down to zero. That group will need to successfully inbound the ball, make some buckets, and hit free throws under pressure.

Speaking of pressure, that’s what I want to see the Raptors opponents under. I love 24-second shot clock violations, and crazy desperation shots with a second to go are almost as much fun. Take note of both of those.

Team defense suffers when there are too many fouls. Some are inevitable, and a few are just bad calls. But JV has suffered mightily from picking up silly fouls, often reach-ins. If he can keep his hands to himself, and his feet moving (and on the ground!), our rim protection will remain strong. Defenders beaten off the bounce can call for help, and won’t feel compelled to foul the man they lost. Small-ball era or not, without rim protection, most NBA teams will slap you silly.

The Raps will struggle without Amir Johnson, particularly against teams with mobile big men. I can’t see major minutes for Biyombo, and Patrick Patterson is too valuable harassing ball-handlers on the perimeter to hang around inside. Individuals with special skills (Kyle Lowry is wonderful at drawing charging fouls; James Johnson blocks a ton of shots outside the arc) certainly impact our team’s D in a positive way.

Ultimately we’ll know how our team is defending when we look at the opponent’s 3-point shooting percentage, and their number of attempts. If we’re allowing fewer shots, and with a lower success rate, than last year, we’ll know this team has genuinely improved.

This post, like the Raptors defense, is a work in progress. For now I’ll stop, and encourage comments.

Next: Raptors Defense - Part 1

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