New Year’s Resolutions For The Raptors

Dec 28, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Louis Williams (23) dunks the ball against Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov (25) in the second quarter at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Happy New Year Raptors fans! With the start of 2015, I’m sure many of us have made resolutions to eat better and exercise more. On top of these resolutions, I’ve came up with a couple of New Year’s resolutions for the Raptors which, if they actually accomplish, will benefit the team greatly.

No more hero ball at the end of games

Seemingly the only play in Dwane Casey’s end of game playbook: a variant of hero ball. Give the ball to Lowry and have everyone else get out of the way. There are some variations to this play… sometimes Lou Williams will get the shot and sometimes it’s DeMar. Regardless of who has the ball at the end, the shot is almost always the same: a long two—which is contested more often than not. The play has failed more often than it has worked. 2015 should be a year of experimentation; go ahead Dwane Casey, try out some new plays. Go wild! Trust me, most fans would rather see some creativity at the end of games instead of Lowry taking (and usually missing) that contested jumper. Whether it be running Terrence Ross off a couple of screens to get an open three or even something as simple as a double screen for Lowry; as long as there are no more isolation plays, most fans will be happy.

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Getting Jonas Valanciunas consistent touches

Jonas has been growing as a basketball player (13.1 points per game in December—an increase over his 11.4 average in November) and as a result, the team’s trust in him has grown. However, it is far too often the case that Jonas will absolutely dominate for a quarter of the game, only to go MIA for the other three quarters. I understand the Raptors are a perimeter oriented team; I also understand Jonas is not yet strong enough offensively to be to be our first option at the end of games. But getting the ball to Jonas in the post for a couple of plays is a great way to settle down the offense. Jonas cannot continue to have games like he has had in Phoenix, Cleveland, or Los Angeles, where has scored 27 points, 18 points, and 22 points, respectively, but only had one, zero, and one shot attempt in the fourth quarter. The Raptors need to at least give Jonas a chance to prove his worth, if they wish to take the next step.

Have some faith

This final resolution is for the fans. As Raptors’ fans, most of us have a tendency not to trust the team, which is completely understandable. We have been hurt in the past; we believed the team was ready to take the next step, only to find ourselves stuck in mediocrity once again. But this Raptors team really has changed for the better. We no longer have second-rate players that are being cast as stars (read: Andrea Bargnani); we no longer have a coach who thinks defense is another word for more offense (read: Jay Triano). The Raptors are 24-8. It’s time for the fans to let down their guard and enjoy the new year. This team is the real deal.

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