The Toronto Raptors went 3-0 over the past week and will head into the All-Star break winners of seven straight. Here are this week’s key takeaways.
Outscoring you
The Toronto Raptors have a record of 22-11 when opponents score above 100 points. While that is slightly worse than their overall win percentage of 71.9-percent, it is among the best in the league and far better than anyone in the East.
The only other team in the Eastern Conference with a record above .500 in such games, is the Cleveland Cavaliers, with a record of 22-20, five full games worse than the Raptors. As a whole the NBA only has four teams with the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets joining from the Western Conference. The Raptors are in good company with this group, perhaps the four largest contenders in the entire NBA.
This statistic bolds particularly well as the Raptors get ready for the playoffs. 28 of 30 NBA teams average at least 100 points per game, and no matter how good a teams’ defense is, they won’t be able to keep most playoff squads under 100 consistently. That means you need to be able to outscore opponents, which the Raptors have been able to do.
This week the Raptors went 2-0 when opponents scored greater than 100, only improving on their impressive record.
Three headed monster
With three talented point guards on the roster and only so many minutes to go around, often times two guards will share time on the court together. An amplified version of this lineup is when all three share the court together.
So far this season, the three point guard lineup of Fred VanVleet, Delon Wright, and Kyle Lowry has shared the court for 42 minutes. During that time the lineup has a +/- of -8, nothing conclusive in such small sample sizes.
As the season advances, look for Coach Casey to try this lineup more often. Wright’s length and athleticism allows him to matchup with smaller forwards, while VanVleet and Lowry’s toughness and strength allow them to switch into the post in a pinch.
Three starting caliber point guards is a great problem to have. Hopefully Casey will continue to experiment with all of their capabilities.
JV and four guards
One iteration of the three-point guard lineup is the one Coach Casey played against the Miami Heat during crunch time. The lineup featured three-point guards, DeMar DeRozan, and Jonas Valanciunas.
The lineup did not fare particularly well. The Raptors had a large lead late in the game, only to almost squander it late.
The largest problems this unit has is on the defensive end. The lineup is too simply too small. DeRozan is not a particularly good defender and when forced to bang with the bullies down-low he is even less effective.
Another problem defensively, is that with Jonas Valanciunas on the court, the lineup is not able to switch across multiple positions. Being able to switch across positions is key for any team playing small. If a team is not able to switch positions help must occur at the rim. With Valanciunas and DeRozan in the front-court the rim protection is not great.
Trying different lineups is important. Coach Casey is smart to experiment, although this one appears to be short-lived.
Time to start C.J.?
OG Anunoby has had a rough month. Since January 15th, Anunoby is averaging just 4.5 points per game, shooting just 25.6-percent from three-point range and below 40-percent from the field. He is also averaging just 3.1 rebounds and under one assists.
C.J. Miles on the other hand, is playing his best basketball of the season. During that same period, Miles is averaging greater than 11 points per game, while shooting above 40-percent from beyond the arc.
With a production difference this large, Miles has earned consideration to supplant OG as the team’s starting small-forward. Over the past month Miles is already averaging the same amount of minutes per contest, and a move to the starting lineup would only help him earn him more time. Anunoby was not expected to start at the beginning of the season, and this season feels like found money.
Maybe Coach Casey doesn’t believe a change is necessary. The Raptors have won seven straight and if a change in the starting lineup will damage team chemistry, it is best not to make one. Still, with Miles play of late he has at least earned the consideration of a move.
DeRozan toeing the line
This season, DeMar DeRozan has expanded his range beyond the three-point line. The additional range has allowed DeRozan to increase his EFG% by more than 1.5-percent, an important efficiency jump for a high volume scorer.
However, old habits die-hard and DeMar DeRozan still finds himself making mistakes like below:
All toe on the line threes are not created equal. Sometimes a player stops on the line in order to help get his shot off. This play is not one of those situations, during this play DeRozan had every opportunity to step behind the arc.
Settling for long-twos instead of threes can add up. As great as DeRozan’s footwork is inside the arc, he can stand to improve his outside footwork, making sure he has both beyond.
Next: Last Week's Five Takeaways
The difference between two and three-points might not seem like much. In the playoffs, as cliché as it might sound, every point matters. Hopefully, this is a small matter, DeRozan can clean up prior to the playoffs.