Three Up, Three Down: Raptors Rapture Weekly Player Grades
Welcome Raptors Rapture readers to our first edition of the “Weekly Player Grades blog post.” The purpose of this weekly blog is to grade, engage and discuss the performances of the Toronto Raptors players over the course of the past seven days. With the 2015-2016 season finally underway and the first week under our belts, it’s time to evaluate!
The grading system is pretty straight forward. Performances will be graded using the classic school grade letter system. An A+ grade meaning an excellent weekly performance (I don’t hand those out very easily) all the way down to an F grade, meaning a total failure.
Players roles within the team are different from each other so take in account that a bench player shooting effectively on their time on the court, can be graded higher then a starter scoring the same amount of points but at a less effective rate. What I look for when evaluating a player is their performance on both sides of the court, offensively and defensively. Other factors that are included in the grades are the player’s attitude, hustle, basic basketball fundamentals and shoot quality.
So without further a due, here are this week’s player grades for the week of October 28th through November 1st.
A-. Kyle Lowry, through the first three games of the season brought an aspect to the game that will be valued this season more than most, that aspect is consistency. Throughout the week, the Raptors’ premier point guard was able to post 23, 14 and 15 points in his three games this season. During those games, Lowry was a consistent shooter, neither hot or cold when shooting from the field, becoming once again a dependent part of the offence. Also to add, Lowry leads the league in steals per game with 3.<br />. PG. Toronto Raptors. KYLE LOWRY
B-. Cory Joseph coming to this ball club, like many of the other off-season signings this summer, were signed primarily to do one thing, that’s play defence. Cory in his first week of action in a Raptors uniform did just that. Watch the film tape and you’ll recognize the hustle and grit Cory provides on the defensive side of the court. Though with time and practice he’ll begin to become a more potent weapon on the offensive side of the ball.. PG. Toronto Raptors. CORY JOSEPH
Toronto Raptors. TERRENCE ROSS. B-. Non-existent in the first game of the season, Terrence Ross decided to show up on Friday night against the Boston Celtics. 21 points in 21 minutes of play from Terrence Ross on Friday was a sight Raptors’ fans were happy to see. On Sunday Terrence Ross was able to hit some big threes when the game was close. Finishing 3 for 5 beyond the arc against Milwaukee. . G/F
G. Toronto Raptors. DEMAR DEROZAN. B. Sort of a up-and-down shooting week for DeMar DeRozan. 41/33 and 53% from the field in three games. DeMar was able to get to the line at will for the first two games against Indiana and Boston, making 30 trips in 2 games. We all want a efficient shooting DeMar DeRozan but for this week will settle with what we got.
Mentions: Rookies, Norman Powell and Delon Wright were able to make their NBA debuts this week in garbage time against the Milwaukee Bucks. With just a little over 5 minutes of play between the two, a grade for their performance this week isn’t needed.
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C. When it came to the defensive side of the court, there were times where I liked what I saw from Bismack Biyombo. On the offensive side of the court it was cringe worthy. Missing lay ups and shots from 5 feet from the net was hard to watch, let’s hope those simple shots can go in easily this time around. Rebounding was a plus in his evaluation this week, with a little lucky on the offensive side of the court, Bismack can easily pump his grade up. . F. Toronto Raptors. BISMACK BIYOMBO
A-. The man is as tough as nails. After failing hard on his hand/wrist on Wednesday night against the Pacers, the newly signed small forward managed to play the rest of the game, logging 41 quality minutes. Finding ways to score with the new ball club will be something he’ll have to get familiar with but for now an average of 16.3 points this week is very solid. . F. Toronto Raptors. DEMARRE CARROLL
PATRICK PATTERSON. C+. Though his 2.3 rebs in three games this week is fairly low, the 10.7 points and clutch threes were enough to give Patrick Patterson a C+ this week. Sharing minutes in the crowded power forward spot, Patrick Patterson continues to be the “stretch four” we need on this team and this week he showed again why. I expect Patrick to play maybe a little more next week, boosting his rebounding numbers and his grade. . F. Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors. LUIS SCOLA. C+/B-. Second to Jonas Valanciunas as the team leader in rebounds, Luis Scola was able to grab 24 boards this week. With the Raptors roster missing a true rebounder at the power forward position, Luis Scola was able to fill his role quiet well. Had he had a better start to the week against his former team the Indiana Pacers, Luis Scola’s grade would have been a clear B- instead of me grading him on the fence with a C+ . F
Averaging a double-double this week with 15.3 points and 11 rebounds per game, a B+ grade this week seems fair. Had Jonas played better against the Boston Celtics on Friday an easy A would have been given. His performance against the Indiana Pacers in the home opener was much needed. As the Raptors struggled to find their offence that game, Valanciunas was there to keep the Raptors in it. . C. Toronto Raptors. JONAS VALANCIUNAS. B+
Mentions: James Johnson with 13 minutes played only recorded a single rebound this week, no points. 5 points and 5 rebounds for the newly signed Anthony Bennett.
That’s the end of our weekly player grades. Do you agree, disagree? Who warranted a better grade, who deserved a lower one? Let us know in the comment section below or you can head over to our twitter account @raptorsrapture to discuss more about this week’s players performances.