Toronto Raptors Roundup: Stories and Highlights From Week Three
Toronto Raptors Roundup is a weekly segment where we fill you in on all the games, highlights, and stories from last week. Here’s what you missed from the third week of the season.
Week three was one that saw the Toronto Raptors lose their first game of the year to an impressive Milwaukee Bucks team, a team that needs to be considered amongst the top-tier of teams in the East.
It was a week that started with concerns about bench production and a week that ended with the understanding that Fred VanVleet is going to need to be healthy for the bench to resemble anything like it did last year.
Several players showed their worth over the course of the four games this week. Serge Ibaka had some monster games for the good guys, including a 30 point showing in the loss to the Bucks. Pascal Siakam continues his breakout season playing energetic ball on both sides of the floor earning POTW from Raptors Rapture this week.
Jonas Valanciunas continues to prove the Raptors have a strength at the centre position (with Ibaka and he sharing the role nicely) having a nice bounce back after a tough game against Milwaukee.
Raptor News
Kawhi Leonard will be on a rest schedule for the foreseeable future.
After the Raptors had their best regular season last year, setting a new franchise record for total wins in a season with 57 wins, and clinching the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time, fans were excited about a different result in the playoffs.
Dreams of a long, fruitful spring, however, did not come true as the Raps were swept once again by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a result, the team went in a new direction. Blah, blah, blah, biggest trade in franchise history, and here we are.
Another realization hit Masai and company: the regular season matters not. Health going into the playoffs does. Hence, Kawhi Leonard will be on, at least for the time being, a regimented playing schedule, avoiding back-to-backs and some travel games.
The strategy is employed with the reasoning, getting him to the playoffs healthy, despite the risk of losing a game here and there, is paramount.
Leonard seems to be on board saying, “I feel healthy now and they just don’t want to rush things. I don’t either. It’s a long season, so we’re thinking about the long road.”
Nick Nurse agrees, adding he doesn’t know how long the strategy might be in effect. “I don’t think we’ve decided how long it’s gonna be yet. We’re going game by game.”
Fans, still feeling the disappointment of playoffs past, would most certainly also be in agreement. Get us there, make sure we’re healthy and let the rest come as it may.
Former Raptor, DeMar DeRozan, might be having the best season of his career.
You might be forgiven if you had said, prior to the season, that we might see some drop-off from DeMar as he tried to adjust and adapt to his new team following the messy divorce with the Raptors.
But then again, if you consider the size of the chip that must be on his shoulder and the coach he is playing under, you should’ve very quickly abandoned that thought.
While it’s still early, DeRozan’s numbers are catching the attention of the league. After seven games played, he is averaging nearly 28 points per game and 7.3 assists per game, both currently fifth in the Association.
He’s also averaging a career high in FG% at 52-percent while playing at a league-high 37 minutes per game. His PER is 26.2, 17th in the league, trailing 13th place Kawhi Leonard who is at 26.6.
Coach Popovich has found a clever way for DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge to play a two-man game with the other three guys spacing the floor, allowing DeMar to drive the lane getting high percentage looks at the rim.
At 5-3, the Spurs are playing good basketball despite a few injuries which must please Raptors fans, seeing one of their own succeeding after leaving after nine dedicated, great seasons.
Raptors decline the option on wingman Malachi Richardson.
Taken with the 22nd pick of the 2016 draft, the Syracuse product showed great promise entering the NBA. The Sacramento Kings saw a promising talent who might fit in nicely with their program. The dynamic wing, unfortunately, suffered a torn hamstring early on and a re-tweaking of that hamstring, along with the ascent of Buddy Hield, spelled the end of days for Richardson. He was shipped out of Sacramento to Toronto in the Bruno Caboclo trade.
He has been an intriguing thought for the Toronto front office, yet with a team as deep as the Raptors, playing time has been tough to find. Seeing some time this week, with injuries to VanVleet and Wright, might have been the opportunity Richardson was waiting for to show his promise and potential.