The Toronto Raptors and perfecting the art of defense
High IQ Defensive Plays
The picture above is no surprise. It’s Kyle Lowry on the deck after taking yet another charge in Game 1.
Lowry leads the playoffs in charges taken with 15, almost double the amount of Damian Lillard who’s second on the list. Lowry has proven himself time and time again to be one of the smartest players in the game and has no problem putting his body on the line in order to win.
Kyle was back at it again in Game 1, racking up another two charges against the Warriors. In the clip above, Draymond Green only has eyes for the rim once again, getting a handoff from Curry at the top of the key and driving into the open space. Lowry trusts his instincts, knowing that Green – a considerably poor jump shooter – isn’t going to pull-up from midrange, stays at home in the paint and slides in front of Green as he bounds wilfully into the paint.
Having five players on the court who can make smart reads and defensive plays at all times is not something many teams can brag about. The Raptors have that luxury, though, and only made themselves better at the trade deadline when they picked up another former Defensive Player of the Year.
Gasol has been an anchor for the Raptors defense from the moment he stepped in the door, and now, 45 games into his Raptors career, his impact is more pronounced than ever before.
The Raptors have athletic guys who can provide a lot of defense while being able to recover onto the player they are initially guarding, and while Gasol isn’t the most athletic player in the world, he still possesses the ability to get where he needs to be. Using his high IQ to position himself in the best way possible at all times.
He provides the initial help defense on Klay early on in this clip, forcing him to pass out of the post to Draymond Green at the three-point line. Rather than pull-up for a three, Green forces, what looks like a pass to a wide-open Jordan Bell in the paint.
Gasol, like the elite defender he is, reads the pass immediately and steps back into the paint on his recovery, palming the ball out of the air and turning the Warriors over. The Raptors forced the Warriors into 17 turnovers in Game 1, and defensive plays like these are exactly why they were able to do it.
High IQ players make high IQ plays. Simple.