Pelicans 90 – Raptors 77: Summer League Game 1 wasn’t pretty
By Brian Boake
The Raptors started well in their first game in Las Vegas, but went frosty for most of Q2 & 3. A Q4 comeback wasn’t nearly enough to catch the consistent Pelicans.
The Toronto Raptors tipped off their Summer League season with a loss. The New Orleans Pelicans were slow to get rolling but once they took the lead, the Raptors folded. The final score flattered Toronto, which managed a Q4 comeback long after the issue was decided.
Winning and losing is not so important in these games. We were hoping to see:
- one or more (dream on) of the swingmen triumvirate separate himself
- an unknown big man surprise us, either offensively or defensively
- OG Anunoby show himself to be a considerable cut above the competition
Let’s consider OG first. He looks like he’s lost a chunk of weight from his midsection, which is certainly a happy development. I was also impressed with his improved handle. However, he made his first long ball, which opened the scoring, then missed his next five. A minus_19 isn’t a result to brag about either.
Raptors coach Nick Nurse kept his big men on the bench most of the night. The only two to receive meaningful burn were Augusto Lima and Shevon Thompson. Lima offered little reason to consider him as more than a warm body, while Thompson was a pleasant surprise. He showed a decent touch around the hoop, and brought it at the other rim too, blocking three shots.
Time to shine, guys, not throw up bricks
Thompson isn’t the second coming of Maurice Lucas, or even Reggie Evans, but he may have a future. I can’t say the same for the Triplets (Malachi Richardson, Malcolm Miller, Alfonzo McKinnie). If they want to grab a roster spot, or even a training camp invitation, they need to make some shots. Both Richardson and Miller took six 3-balls; Malachi made one, which was one more than Miller. McKinnie hit two of seven – yippee.
The unheralded, undrafted Rawle Alkins was the most impressive Raptors hopeful. In 14 minutes, he scored 12 points, which included 2 of 3 from deep. P.J. Carlesimo (a former NBA coach, now a commentator) offered the valid thought that Alkins is more of an athlete than a basketball player at the moment. I like athletes – put Alkins on the 905 buses for a year and we might be most surprised with his improvement. Alkins was a plus_14 for the game, the only Raptor not to register a minus.
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I’d like to say something about the Raptors defense. I’d like to, but I can’t. It was bad. The Pelicans’ Trevon Bluiett (yes, that Trevon Bluiett) made six of eight long balls.
Our squad was outrebounded 44-33, and out-assisted 22-12. The assist total should have been much higher, as many of the missed 3-balls were open looks set up by decent passes.
OK, guys, you’ve shaken off the rust. It’s time to get rolling. There aren’t many jobs open in Toronto, and this bunch won’t be filling any of them if they continue like this.