Toronto Raptors Scorecard: So far so good.
Nov 11, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward James Johnson (3) dribbles the ball up the court against the Orlando Magic at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Magic 104-100. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson (15) guard Kyle Lowry (7) and guard Louis Williams (23) celebrate after their game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Raptors won 126-115. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
The Toronto Raptors, like every other NBA team, have played more than 10% of their season. The Raptors are currently first in their Division and first in the Eastern Conference and in the entire league (13-2). They’re having the best start of their history, and they are continuing the great last season they’ve had.
What we’ve seen so far from our team, and how much did they improve since the last successful season?
Good Signs
Team bench is the best of all time. When you acquire two new bench players as James Johnson and Louis “Lou” Williams and they play so good coming from the bench, the signs are positive. Add on that the already successful bench roster that remained almost the same, and you have the fundamentals of another successful season. I’m so impressed by these two players. JJ stats may not be shining at a first glance (7.9 points per game, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists) but if you read carefully, his stats are quite impressive: Just before his ankle injury, he was the second best player in Player Efficiency Rating (PER) with 20.8 and the best player in blocks per game (1.44), playing for 20 minutes per game. Currently, the most efficient player in this team is…Sweet Lou (24.8), playing for 20 minutes per game too. Louis is also second in steals (1.47), and third in scoring (14.6).
This bench depth is giving the Raptors the ability to score 108 points per game, the 2th best record currently in the whole league. Apart from the statistics, a strong bench gives the chance of resting the starting group more than usual.
Overall defense is quite good (7th in opponents FG%), but there is a specific aspect that needs improvement (described below)
Bad Signs – Need improvement
The team is showing signs of selfishness. The ball movement, one of the strongest part of the Raptors last season, is something that is missing during the first 10 games of the season. That’s why they are currently the 25th team in assists. They are improving lately, so hopefully the stats will look nicer after a couple of months.
Rebounding is an issue. 39.7 rebounds per game means that this team is one of the worst in the league (25th), even if coach Dwane Casey is always saying that this stat has to improve. They need to play with more aggressiveness in order to show improvement.
3pt percentages are lower than last season (36% from 37%). Basketball nowadays is changed a lot. 3 point shots is the main weapon for many teams, so this is another important aspect to improve.
Team (and individual) defense, especially beyond the arc needs to improve too. During the first 10 games, the majority of opponent 3 point shots made were open shots.
Jonas Valanciunas mid-range game. His pump fakes (everybody knows he rarely tries to shoot the ball) have to become jump shoots. If he wants to become a double-double machine that everybody believe he can be, he needs to improve this part, that is currently nonexistent. Why a mid-range game helps a player having a double double night? First of all, jump shots are easier shots than post up ones (the player doesn’t have to fight with an opponent for a basket), and more effortless than the pick-and-roll ones too (he doesn’t have to run continuously to score a basket). Less fight and run on the offence, better chances to have the power and stamina to jump more efficient for a rebound, and of course defend more efficiently. And, of course, he needs to play stronger defense. This is the reason, in my opinion, that he’s playing only 24 minutes per game. He shows signs of improvement lately, especially on the offensive end. Keep up the good work JV!
Conclusion
The team has a very good stretch of games, but the difficult are yet to come. They have to keep this winning mentality they are building on right now, but also they must start adding some essential elements in their game like ball movement , rebounding and perimeter defense, elements that are currently hiding somewhere in the locker room. I believe that this team has the fundamentals to become one of the best Eastern teams not only for one or two seasons. Keep winning Raptors, and don’t stop improving.