Raptors’ bench production leading to playoff wins

The Raptors’ depth has been critical to their taking a 3-2 lead against Indiana, as several of the rotation players have come up big.

After an incredible fourth quarter comeback, the Toronto Raptors regained the lead in their first round series against the Indiana Pacers.

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DeMar DeRozen led the Raptors in scoring with his best game of the 2016 playoffs, and while his contribution loomed large, Toronto’s bench also played a huge role in their game 5 victory as it has throughout the series.

Down the stretch of game 5, head coach Dwane Casey chose a lineup comprised primarily by bench players to close out the game. Bismack Biyombo played the entire fourth quarter at center instead of Jonas Valanciunas, Norman Powell, whose contributions as rookie continue to impress, served ostensibly as the four, and Cory Joseph played well as a second point guard in a small lineup.

These three role players have ranked among the Raptors most successful players in the playoffs. Using on/off court stats from NBA.com, we can see that when Kyle Lowry and these three sit, the Raptors have fallen behind on the scoreboard.

Especially when Powell sits, the Raptors have been falling behind Indiana. Because the rookie is only averaging 6 points per game, it’s likely safe to surmise that he most impacts games defensively. In fact, Powell has the second best defensive efficiency rating of any Raptor during the playoffs, allowing 87.1 points per 100 possessions.

Bismack Biyombo similarly brings tenacious defense and rebounding off the bench for Toronto. Tuesday night, Biyombo grabbed a 34% rebound percentage, a rate that was twice as good as Indiana’s leader, Ian Mahinmi, who grabbed 17% of possible rebounds. Bismack also has defended at a high level, in the playoffs and throughout this season. According to NBA.com’s defense player tracking stats, he has forced opponents to shoot 10.9% worse than their normal field goal percentage.

As Biyombo and Powell defend well off the bench, Cory Joseph has brought an offensive spark to the reserve unit. The former San Antonio Spur has averaged more points per game with more efficient shooting in the playoffs compared to his regular season. Particularly in the first two games of the series, Joseph ranked among the Raptors leading scorers. After struggling and failing to score in game 4, Joseph played the entire fourth quarter of game 5 and contributed to the Raptors victory with a plus/minus score of plus 12.

Conversely, the Indiana Pacers’ role players have largely failed them in the playoffs. Paul George leads the entire NBA in points per playoff game, yet his teammates have largely failed to match their regular season production. C.J. Miles, for instance, has seen his scoring decline from almost 12 points per game in the regular season to 4 points per game in the playoffs.

Backup guards Ty Lawson and Rodney Stuckey have struggled to score from both efficiency and quantitative standpoints, as both average 30% or worse from the field and combined they’re scoring less than 8 points per game.

When the Pacers leading scorers, Paul George and George Hill, rest, the game starts to get away from them. Credit Toronto’s bench, but also recognize that the Pacers can’t trust their role players to score.

While the Raptors won’t reach their full potential unless their two All-Stars regain their regular season form, Toronto’s role players have outplayed Indiana’s through five games. Without this advantage, the Raptors may not be poised to advance to the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Regardless of their second round opponent, the bench must continue their important contributions on both ends of the floor.