Three impressive trends from the Toronto Raptors’ 15-game win streak
Starting lineups
Once again, this is going to be an appraisal of the Raptors’ depth.
If it weren’t for the success the Raps have had, the defining part of this season would be their injuries. According to Spotrac, they’ve missed the fifth-most games of any team due to injuries and are the only half-decent team to miss so much time.
Although they didn’t exactly face a heap of injuries from January 15 through February 10 (the length of the streak), Nick Nurse threw out five different starting lineups.
Out of the 15 games, they only started six with their most-used lineup of Marc Gasol, OG Anunoby, Lowry, VanVleet and Siakam.
Some games they went with their super big lineup pairing Gasol, Ibaka, Siakam, and OG all out at the same time. In one game, they even went super small, playing Rondae-Hollis Jefferson at the five.
Considering the fact they won all of these games despite not sending out the same cookie-cutter lineup night after night is a testament to the player’s versatility. Guys like Hollis-Jefferson and OG not only showed their ability to play various positions but also their willingness to do what it takes and buy into whatever crazy thing comes into Nurse’s head next.
Going down the stretch, and into the playoffs, the ability to do all three of these throws just about everything in the Raptors favour any given night.
The defense is always going to be there, so showing the elite offense can bring them right to the edge of that club of contenders. And, when you can attack a team in so many different ways, with so many different players, a coach like Nurse can exploit numerous things against pretty much any team.
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As you’d expect, the 15 game win streak was very encouraging. However, it’s more than just the wins. It was how they were able to do it in so many different ways.