Each week we bring you the most important play, stat, or moment from every Toronto Raptors game. This week’s highlights include Terence Davis showing his skills, Pascal Siakam 3s, and more.
A lot happens over the course of a Toronto Raptors game. There are 48 minutes, 200ish possessions, and more than a million “little things” that happen every night. To see everything, particularly if you’re watching casually, is impossible.
And besides, not everything that happens each game is particularly memorable. One Kyle Lowry make/miss isn’t changing your perception of him as a player. A Serge Ibaka rebound on a free-throw probably doesn’t matter.
But in every game, there is at least one thing that stands out. Whether it’s an unbelievable stat, a noteworthy play (not even necessarily a highlight), or a moment which is not only cool to see but teaches us about the Toronto Raptors. Which is why Sunday of each week, we’ll bring you “One thing” from every Raptors game. This week’s “things” include why Terence Davis should be in the rotation, Pascal Siakam triples, and Serge Ibaka mistakes.
Pelicans game – Terence Davis should be in the rotation
It’s only one game, and you don’t want to overreact, but sometimes when you know, you know. Watching Terence Davis compete against NBA players, you can tell he belongs.
To say he’s the next Fred VanVleet this early is ludicrous. To say he’s already an impactful player is probably a step too far. However, Terence Davis can play and should be in the rotation to start the year.
Check out this sequence from game one against the Pelicans:
In this play, Davis grabs a defensive rebound in traffic, beats Brandon Ingram off the dribble with a nice hesitation, and then drops a dime to Ibaka. This is the play after he airballed a 3-point shot; yet, he keeps his composure throughout the play, looking like a multi-year veteran more than a rookie.
He plays incredibly hard, can defend, and looks to be a good enough shooter to keep defenses honest. Davis should be in the rotation until further notice.
Celtics game – Pascal Siakam’s jumpshot is much improved
Last season, Pascal Siakam ATTEMPTED eight off-the-dribble 3-point shots all year, making just one. Less than 30-percent of his 3s came above the break. He was technically a 37-percent shooter from distance, but in practice, he wasn’t quality of a threat.
So to see him bust out this shot against the Boston Celtics was surprising:
Remember the scene in Happy Gilmore when Happy learns to put? Well, that might have just happened to Pascal Siakam, but instead, he’s developed a competent 3-point shot.
Through three games, Pascal Siakam has more off-the-dribble 3-point makes than he did all of last year (3). He’s 7-12 on above-the-break attempts, after shooting just 27-percent on those looks last season. You don’t want to take anything meaningful off of so few attempts, but the fact he’s so willing to take them shows his confidence.
Bulls game – 22 turnovers is not okay
The Raptors picked up a win against the Chicago Bulls on the road on the second night of a back-to-back. It was an impressive win.
Still, not everything went smoothly. Toronto turned the ball over 22 times, highlighting an issue that has been a problem so far this season. Toronto is averaging 21.3 turnovers per game, second to last in the NBA. Only the dreadful New York Knicks have been worse. Dennis Smith Jr. and 45 power forwards are the only thing from stopping the Raptors from ranking dead last.
With Kawhi Leonard gone, players like Pascal Siakam — who is averaging 4.3 turnovers per game thus far — are being asked to up their usage. There was always going to be an adjustment period, but this has been more drastic than expected. It didn’t cost Toronto this game, but it cost them against Boston and will continue to hurt them if not fixed.