Ten Thoughts Through Ten Games: Part Two of Two
Here is the second part of my ten thoughts through ten games. Part One was yesterday, in case you missed it.
Nov 7, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) dribbles past Washington Wizards forward Rasual Butler (8) in the fourth period. Toronto won 103-84. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports
Raps Not Hitting the Boards
Last year the Raptors were 18th in the league in rebounds per game. This year they have fallen to 24th.
What’s worse, in the Raptors only two losses against Miami and Chicago, the Raptors were outrebounded by a margin of 15 and 10, respectively.
This is an issue the Raptors will have to address if they want to be an elite team this season.
Dwane Casey Needs to Loosen the Leash on Valanciunas
Although Valanciunas has another NBA season under his belt, as well as being a key player for Lithuania this summer, his minutes have dropped.
There have been multiple times this season where Valanciunas has made a mistake or given up on a play, to which Coach Casey has responded with a quick pull and a seat on the bench. I have no problem with Casey holding Valanciunas accountable, but when you’re going to do that, you must use the same principle for every player. Gregg Popovich has never been afraid to chew out Tim Duncan or Tony Parker, whereas I’m not sure if Casey has benched DeMar for not boxing out his man.
The last game against Utah Jonas showed what he is capable of when given enough minutes. He played 34 minutes in that game, scoring 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting, while also grabbing 14 rebounds and blocking two shots.
DeMar Needs to Show Improvement on His Overall Game
I don’t think anyone can dispute the fact that DeMar is a scorer. We all know that; but so do other teams. Other teams have started to game plan against DeRozan, which means he’s going to have to start impacting the game in other ways.
Last year DeMar averaged 4 assists a game, so we know he’s capable of finding his teammates. He can also be a solid rebounder. DeMar grabbed 11 and 8 rebounds in the first two games, respectively.
DeMar is capable of impacting the game in much more ways than simply scoring, but he needs to make a consistent effort to do so. If he does, both he and the Raptors will be much more dangerous this year.
Terrence Ross Good, But Not Great
Ross has looked good from beyond the arc this season, shooting almost 42%. However, Ross will have to add more to his game other than making catch and shoot threes and slamming home alley-oops. Ross needs to take a big step this year, on both sides of the ball, if the Raptors want to be successful. He’s going to have to diversify his offensive game and get to the line more (he only averages 1.1 attempts a game) and will also have to give a more consistent effort on defense.
We Need More of the Throwback Jerseys
It’s only ten games into the season. The Raptors have not played many significant games and although there have been a lot of things to note—both good and bad—it’s still too early in the season to pass any meaningful judgment.
With that being said, there has been one thing that despite being so early in the season cannot be argued. The throwback jerseys are absolutely awesome. The nostalgia that comes with them is overwhelming, not to mention that they look much better than the regular jerseys.
All in all, the start to the season has been promising. The Raptors have looked good to this point and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the season has in store for Toronto.