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Four interesting stats from the Toronto Raptors’ season so far

By Thomas Valentine

TORONTO, ON - February 10 In the first half, Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) comes across some heavy Raptors defence.The Toronto Raptors took on the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Scotiabank arena in NBA basketball action.February 10, 2020 (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - February 10 In the first half, Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) comes across some heavy Raptors defence.The Toronto Raptors took on the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Scotiabank arena in NBA basketball action.February 10, 2020 (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /
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Hustle Stats

With the Raptors currently on a 15-game winning streak, they’ve routinely asserted themselves as a tough team. They’re defensively imposing and can put up points in a hurry, but they usually go beyond that too. They work their collective butts off.

Kyle Lowry remains the engine for everything this team does. He leads by example and the team follows suit. As usual, Lowry is around the top of the league in charges drawn this season, he’s second only to Montrezl Harrell with 26 charges drawn and leads the league in charges drawn per game.

The standard-bearer is Lowry, but he’s not alone in the hustle stats. Fred VanVleet is currently fourth in the NBA in steals per game and is third in the NBA in deflections per game with four deflections a night. Just like Lowry, he’s often overlooked because of his size, but he’s willing to put his body on the line and works that much harder than most players.

The Raptors are gritty and tough, they’re second only to the Boston Celtics for deflections per game and are eighth in the league when it comes to contesting shots. Oh, and they also recover more loose balls on defense than any other team in the NBA and are fourth in total.

It’s not just the starters doing the business. The roster is filled with energetic and gritty players and one of them is most definitely Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who is tied for third in the NBA in loose balls recovered per 36 minutes. RHJ has his limitations on offense but he’s a solid defender with good IQ. Even in a limited role, he has helped the team.

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Stats aren’t the be-all to end all, but when the team is performing this well – they obviously matter.

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