The Bench Mops: Raptors Bench is Being Exposed
By Go Paolo
One critical factor to pinpoint when assessing the latest playoff meltdown for the Toronto Raptors is the egregious deterioration of the team’s once-vaunted bench.
The Raptors “Bench Mob” came into the postseason leading the NBA in efficiency recap difference (DEFF) at 10.4. They were third in assists with 9.6 and fifth in scoring at 41.8 points.
And for most of the regular season, the bench carried the team as star players DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry had off nights.
But on Tuesday night, the Raptors bench wasn’t just outplayed but failed to make an impact when they were needed most.
This has been a trend so far this playoffs.
Cavaliers Flipped the Script on Toronto
While Toronto was considered one of the deepest teams in the league, Cleveland had the opposite narrative. The Cavs were considered so bad, LeBron had to put up gaudy numbers every night for them to stand a chance.
Yet last Tuesday night, the Cavs bench outplayed the Bench Mob. Jeff Green scored 16 points going 4-for-4 from the field.
Toronto-born Tristan Thompson dropped a double-double: 14 points and 12 boards, nine offensive, and a bunch coming in the clutch.
The Raptors bench was led by Pascal Siakam who scored 11 points and shot 4-of-5 but the rest only shot 6-for-22.
Fred VanVleet, who was playing like a Sixth Man of the Year contender late in the season, is clearly not 100 per cent yet scoring nine points with two assists.
He missed four of his five three-point attempts with two of them being wide-open during the clutch moments of the game.
It was Toronto’s “big three” of Lowry, DeRozan, and Jonas Valanciunas who carried the team combining for 63 points.
The King himself, LeBron James, only shot 12-for-30 and 1-for-8 downtown for 26 points.
He regularly averages 30 points at 60.1 per cent shooting against Toronto in the playoffs.
But it was the bench, and other role players like J.R. Smith (20 points, 5-for-6 from three) and Kyle Korver (19 points, five threes) who carried the scoring.
Even Cleveland’s second-best scorer, Kevin Love, was a non-factor with just seven points on 3-for-13 shooting while racking up five fouls.
Bench Mops: Raptors Bench Missing During the Playoffs
When push came to shove, the Raptors bench shrunk and became mediocre. It wasn’t just evident against Cleveland but during the Washington series, Toronto’s reserves struggled.
Delon Wright was astounding for Toronto in their three home victories averaging 15.7 points but in their three road games, this dropped to 5.7.
Wizards’ forward Kelly Oubre Jr. was correct when he said Wright only played well in Toronto.
Against Cleveland, Wright only scored five points and was a non-factor.
Since averaging 15 points in his first two games in the playoffs, shooting guard C.J. Miles has been nonexistent averaging 6.4 points on 32.3 per cent shooting including just six versus Cleveland.
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As a unit, the Bench Mob has gone from 10.4 DEFF to 1.4, 10.4 assists to 6.1, and 41.8 points to 35.1.
Although teams like the Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers have significantly worse bench ratings, these were teams who didn’t depend on their bench as much as the Raptors.
When the Raptors restructured their offence to focus on more ball movement, more three-point shooting, and scoring-by-committee, the result was wonderful.
The team registered top-five ratings in both offence and defence and the third-best record in the NBA.
But the Raptors slowly reverted to their “old selves” during the critical moments of the playoffs with the slower tempo, increased physicality, and iso ball possessions.
Coming Back: Raptors Bench Must Respond
Putting up the same gaudy numbers in the regular season shouldn’t be the goal and the Bench Mob doesn’t need to play like superstars to save the Raptors.
Not all of them even need to play well.
But as the final possessions of game 1 showed, a few of them will need to make that open three-pointer or fight for the rebound or make a possession-saving hustle play.
It takes superstars and a bench to win an NBA Championship. The 2011 Mavericks had J.J. Barea. The 2015 Warriors had Andre Iguodala.
The Raptors need someone from the Bench Mob, if not all of them, putting in that marquee performance.