Should the Toronto Raptors Casey shorten the rotating during the playoffs?

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 22: Tim Hardaway Jr.
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 22: Tim Hardaway Jr.

Adhering to playoff standards Dwane Casey would need to shorten his rotation, but should Casey be following normal protocol?

Wake up NBA fans the playoffs are near. As a fan of the game, the feeling can only be described as seeing your Christmas gifts on Christmas eve. Adding to that, having a team to cheer for in the playoffs is even better. After a long and hard-fought season, the Toronto Raptors are finally ready to put it all on the line.

With the playoffs comes a change of pace in the games being played. The pace slows, defenses tighten, and perhaps most notably rotations shorten. Teams will cut down from a possible 11-10 man rotation to a consistent eight or even seven-man group. (Except for Tom Thibodeau, who cuts from a seven-man to six-man rotation) It’s understandable, teams no longer are focused on long-term rest and aim to play their best players as much as possible.

But should all teams limit their rotations come playoffs? Just because it is the accepted practice, doesn’t mean it is correct for every team. With Raptors’ depth and success the bench has had this season, everyone is left questioning if they will shrink their rotation or not.

Should they shrink the rotation to an 8-man squad?

The answer should be a ringing no. That’s not to say the rotation won’t shrink. Fringe rotation pieces like Norman Powell and Lucas Nogeuira will be reduced to emergency situations. However, the Raptors don’t need to go away from their efficient 10-man group. 

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The Raptors’ bench has been excellent this season. The combination of Fred VanVleet, Delon Wright, Pascal Siakam, C.J. Miles and Jakob Poeltl have played a total of 315 minutes together this year, posting an offensive rating of 117.7 and a defensive rating of 98.8 during that time. These ratings are respectively 3.9 and 4.0 better than the starters.

Part of what has made the Raptors’ bench unit so good, is their chemistry. The ball flies around the court whenever the bench mob plays, and currently the five-man bench unit has an assist-percentage at 68.1 and an assist ratio of 21.9. Playing different rotations might negatively impact those numbers.

Not only can the bench play together but playing a deep bench also provides Coach Casey with a bevy lineup choices. One of the potential lineup choices is the three-guard hydra that is Kyle Lowry, VanVleet and DeMar DeRozan. When the Raptors play this three guard lineup they’ve absolutely dominated scoring with an offensive rating of 128.4. Paired with big-men Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas their defensive rating is a very respectable 103.8.

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There are obvious cuts that will be made to the rotation. Fringe players cannot be afforded minutes during with the season on the line. That being said the Raptors shouldn’t look to shorten the rotation any further. Each bench member, Siakam, Miles, Poeltl, VanVleet and Wright, all bring their own specialties and strengths. Together they offer the Raptors two ‘starting’ cores able to go toe-to-toe with just about any group in the league.