Takeaways from Toronto Raptors devastating loss to San Antonio Spurs

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 12: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots the ball against the Toronto Raptors on January 12, 2020 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2020 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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Toronto Raptors – Serge Ibaka (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

Consistency on the glass from Serge Ibaka

In recent games, the Toronto Raptors have fended off their fears on the glass. Rebounding has been an on-and-off issue for the Raptors all season long, and the numbers back it up. The Raptors are in the bottom-five for opponent’s offensive rebounding percentage and a lot of their struggles can be linked to their inability to protect the glass consistently.

The anchor of the Raptors improved rebounding numbers recently has been Serge Ibaka. In fact, Ibaka is on a career-best run of eight games in a row with a double-double after the Spurs game and was one of the few bright spots even in defeat.

Ibaka finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds — tying his season-high in the process — on 9-of-16 shooting from the field, including, what could have been, a game-changing three-pointer late in the fourth quarter.

His energy and commitment to attacking the glass are infectious on both ends of the court and he remains the best rebounder on the Raptors roster right now. While double-digit rebounding numbers don’t necessarily correlate to winning plays, rebounding is often the last phase of a defensive possession, and if the Raptors can clean that up, then they might just perform even better on that end of the court.

As of now, Ibaka is making sure it’s a possibility.

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