Toronto Raptors: Danny Green earns player of the week
Every Sunday we bring you the Toronto Raptors player of the week. This week belongs to Danny Green, who has been impressive during the last four games.
The week ended as it had begun for the Toronto Raptors with a disheartening defeat to a playoff team. The last few weeks have been a trying one for this Raptors squad, a plethora of injuries and defeats have formed a barrier that the Raptors must now surmount. But, if this isn’t what playoffs are all about then I don’t know what is.
Although, it should be noted that the Raptors did, in fact, manage to keep competitive without the guidance of franchise point guard Kyle Lowry going 2-2 on the week. With Lowry out, other players were asked to step-up and Danny Green did so in a big way.
The three-and-D specialist has been on a torrid pace from beyond-the-arc this season, Green leads all Raptors in three-point percentage clocking in at 44.5-percentage. But the shooting guard had himself a week, averaging 15.3 points, 4.8 rebounds all whilst going 18 for 32 from beyond the three. Green’s play on both sides of the ball earned him the player of the week nod for the first time this season.
Danny Green’s Week
Sunday night in Detroit was a situation that the Raptors have started to get a little too accustomed to. For the second time in as many years, Dwane Casey and his Detroit Pistons have swept the seasons series against the Raptors. The addition of Blake Griffin has done wonders for the Pistons as he led their team with a 25 point performance, only matched by Kawhi Leonard’s 33.
Green had himself a decent night scoring 12 while dishing four assists, but he was most felt on the defensive end as he limited Wayne Ellington to 1-6 shooting from three.
Monday night against the New York Knicks was a quick bounce back for the Raptors as they steamrolled their way through one of the worst teams in the league. With both Leonard and Lowry out of the lineup, other players were given the chance to shine, Jeremy Lin, leading the way with his 20 points off the bench. Green was once again solid contributing 13 points on an extremely efficient 4-6 field goals.
The Raptors started off on the right foot Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder as they commenced the first game of an away/home series against the Thunder. The game ended in a victory for the Raptors but it was certainly hard-fought, going all the way down to overtime.
The Raptors’ three-point shooting was a big factor in the win, Green did a lot of work hitting 5-9 from deep for 17 points. Green’s ball movement was also on point as he kicked out six assists. It should be noted that Terrance Ferguson had an off-game thanks to Green who limited him to 3-10 shooting.
As good as the win felt on Wednesday the loss felt double that on Friday. After having beaten the Thunder in Oklahoma, the Raptors were confident they’d get a win for the home fans. Lead by Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Dennis Schroder with the Thunder making a second-half push things started to seem eerily similar to the previous game. But, unlike on Wednesday, the Raptors were able to hold pace with the Thunder, ultimately resulting in a regulation loss.
Green, who played his best game of the week, was fire from downtown, scoring 19 points on 6-11 shooting while also grabbing seven boards. Green helped limit the damage defensively but it wasn’t enough as there were too many holes to fill against the Thunder.
Green truly impressed during the last two games, if not for his stellar shooting but for his workhorse minutes, as the veteran played 35 minutes in both Thunder contests. It’s good to see him performing so well with so many minutes.
Who missed the cut?
This week’s most obvious pick would have been Leonard. With Lowry out, Leonard found himself with the ball in his hands more often than normal and decided he’d do something with it. Most notably during the second game against the Thunder as he duked it out with George, putting up 37 points.
Asides from Leonard the most noticeable players were Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam who each had very solid weeks, especially FVV who was returning from injury.
Make sure to check out the Raptors Player of the Week every Sunday at RaptorsRapture.com