No one expected the Toronto Raptors bench to be this dominant, and if you did, you’re simply lying. With the first seven games of the NBA season under wraps, Raptors fans have a pretty good idea of what this unit brings to the table.
When you think of the Raptors bench two things come to mind, maturity and Delon Wright. The twenty-five-year-old guard has proven to be a reliable substitute for Kyle Lowry. While his shooting percentage has been sub-par, Delon makes up for it in other ways. He is a fast-paced player who likes to attack the rim, often drawing fouls or creating space for his teammates. More importantly, the former Utah star seems extremely comfortable in handling the ball. He can play both ends of the floor, set the pace for his teammates, and his pass-first mentality is what gives confidence to the guys he leads.
Chemistry
With the “Big 3” of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and Serge Ibaka leading the starters, you often get the feeling that there is a lack of leadership and team chemistry. At times they seem like a dysfunctional family, forcing up shots and not trusting one another with the ball.
It quite often results in a chain reaction of bad plays and ISO basketball, which seems to rub off on their teammates. The Raptors starters could learn a thing or two from its second unit guys. Players such as Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Delon Wright and C.J. Miles bring great team chemistry to the floor. Every player seems to click. More importantly, they bring a certain type of energy and pace with them, which we saw against the Spurs, Lakers, and Warriors. If the Raptors want to succeed they will have to learn to trust one another and focus on sharing the rock, rather than individual stats.
Dwane Casey
Dwane Casey will have to decide on an efficient lineup, sooner rather than later. Often times it feels as if the Raptors head coach is forced to run his offense through DeRozan or Lowry solely. Jakob Poeltl went from 27 minutes against the Warriors to a mere 12 minutes on Wednesday night’s match against the Nuggets. Jacob still managed to shoot two for three from the field and finished with six rebounds. Ibaka fresh off an injury was given twenty minutes on the court and shot four for ten with only three rebounds.
Casey seems to be conflicted with his rotation. He needs to focus his efforts on distributing his limited number of minutes properly, based solely on who’s performing and who’s not. We’ve seen this year in and year out, forcing the offense through the starters, leading to ISO plays and taking heavily contested shots in key moments of a game. If the Raptors ever expect to make it further, these are the things that Casey will need to figure out.
