Adjustments Raptors Can Make Ahead of Game Two
The Raptors’ offensive tactics failed them on Saturday, so change is required if they going to avoid dropping Game Two of the playoffs.
Game one clearly did not go according to plan for the Toronto Raptors as they lost their third consecutive playoff opener. The offense struggled for forty-eight minutes and after a great start to the game on defense, that too crumbled as Paul George was able to impose his will. In the second half, the Indiana Pacers scored 1.21 points per possession, for reference: the Warriors lead the league this season scoring 1.13 points per possession.
Coach Dwane Casey will no doubt look to make some adjustments heading into what is now a must-win game two. The Raptors cannot afford to come into the game without tinkering with their rotations and play calling.
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Indiana won the match-up between All-Star wings DeMar DeRozan and Paul George resoundingly in game one. George was able to shadow DeRozan defensively and force him into tough, contested shots all game. Per player tracking data on Nba.com/stats show fourteen of Demar’s nineteen shot attempts were contested. Casey can make some changes on Monday to tilt the balance of power in this duel back towards his team. It is no surprise that George ended the game with a plus/minus of +16 with DeRozan finishing -13.
To begin with, Toronto must look to have anyone except Paul George defending DeRozan. The easiest way to achieve this will be having DeMar play the entire time George spends on the bench. Paul George sat for 11.4 minutes on Saturday and DeRozan played in only fifty-two seconds during those minutes. Having Toronto’s number one offensive option play a quarter of his minutes matched up against someone other than Indiana’s best wing defender should make it easier for DeRozan to score and find a rhythm offensively.
When both of them share the court, coach Casey will need to diversify his offensive play calls that get DeRozan his shots. The starting shooting guard took nine shots after running either a 2/5 or 2/4 pick and roll above the three-point arc and made only one such attempt. The lack of range on his jump shots allows the defending big man to sag back and wall off the paint. Toronto would be better served involving Monta Ellis or another small guard in pick and rolls with DeRozan either setting the screen or being the ball handler. This could lead to the Pacers switching the action and DeMar ending up against a defender he can bully in the post. If the Pacers chose not to switch it will leave a guard to try and corral DeRozan as he comes off the screen and looks to drive into the paint, something that will still work in the Raptors favour.
While DeRozan was hampered in the game by George’s defense, having to guard the Pacers All-Star took a toll on DeMar as well. He was visibly fatigued in the fourth quarter in which he only attempted two field goals and zero free throws. Norman Powell, despite being a rookie has shown enough to garner the chance to defend Paul George for stretches in the game. This should allow DeRozan to conserve some energy on defense and be effective as the work horse on the other end of the floor.
Patrick Patterson, one of the Raptors most important players, played only 27.8 minutes in the game. The coaching staff will need play Toronto’s leader in plus/minus (+403 with him on, -34 with him off) more minutes. The most effective way to do this would be to insert him into the starting lineup. Patterson can play up to thirty-five minutes coming off the bench but this would require him to play long continuous stretches of over 12 minutes in the second and fourth quarters. He clearly looked weary towards the tail end of the second quarter after playing sixteen straight minutes. Starting him and playing him in eight- to ten-minute stints in each quarter would optimize his time on the court.
Dwane Casey already made a change in game one by adjusting his lineup that started the fourth quarter compared to the one that started the second. The Toronto Raptors this year they are a much better team than their opponent and will only need a few strategic tweaks to prove it.
[All data courtesy of Nba.com/Stats]