The first half of the NBA season just wrapped up and the second half of the season has recently been released for the Toronto Raptors.
It was quite the up and down first half of the season for the Raptors as they went 17-19 during the stretch, and ended it with the league’s health and safety protocols hitting the team in a big way which made things worse.
Despite the Raptors’ crazy first half of the season, there were some players that were consistent with their play and gave it everything they got every time they stepped onto the court, as Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell have had breakout seasons.
However, there were also some players that weren’t the greatest, and I’m more than certain they are looking to bounce back in the second half to help lead this team to secure a playoff spot by the end of the season as they currently hold the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
These 3 Raptors need to step their game up
No. 3: PF Stanley Johnson
2020-21 stats – 32 GP – 2.9 PPG – 2.2 RPG – 1.3 APG – .392 FG% – .400 3P% – .786 FT%
Although Johnson really doesn’t have to improve on the defensive side of the ball in the second half of the season, he could definitely improve on the offensive side of the ball if he’s going to get more of these looks off the bench in games in the second half.
While he’s more of a defensive player rather than an offensive player, he’s shooting somewhat nicely from the field for someone who doesn’t really score a lot, especially from 3-point range.
Johnson is currently shooting 40% from three, which is amazing to say the least. He has to be taking more shots in some scenarios if he wants to help out the Raptors’ bench production. He may be shooting 40% from deep, but he’s only averaging 1.6 attempts from outside per game.
Stanley Johnson could give the Raptors’ bench a boost
Through the first half of the season, Johnson has averaged a pretty boring offensive stat line thus far as he has put up 2.9 points per game, 2.2 rebounds per game, and 1.3 assists per game.
He has been good defensively for this team, so it’s not like he’s been invisible on both ends of the ball this season. He currently averages 0.8 steals per game which ranks him 6th on the team, but 1st off the bench.
If he can generate more offence from his defence that has been good already, then I can see him putting up more shots and scoring more off the bench whenever Nick Nurse looks to him to help contribute.
No. 2: SG Terence Davis
2020-21 stats – 33 GP – 7.1 PPG – 1.9 RPG – 1.1 APG – .422 FG% – .364 3P% – .889 FT%
Davis is a very interesting player because when he made his NBA debut last season, it looked like there was a lot of potential for this man. While he is just in his second year, he just looks completely lost when he’s out there sometimes.
We’ve heard it from Nurse before that his defence needs a lot more work, and it’s true. He could still provide a little more offence to this Raptors bench unit. He currently averages just under 15 minutes a night, which is basically two whole minutes less of what he averaged last season, and he’s averaging fewer points, rebounds, and assists per game from his rookie season.
His shooting splits are fine, but the only thing he could do more of is to become a better scorer and help contribute to the other aspects of the game of basketball. This season he is currently only averaging 7.1 points per game, 1.9 rebounds per game, and 1.1 assists per game, which is all down from the year prior.
Will Terence Davis solidify the Raptors’ bench?
He’s only averaging six shot attempts per game and half of them are from beyond the arc. If Davis is going to continue to be looked at as one of the options off the bench on a nightly basis, he’s going to have to score more and try and help out in other ways in the game.
The bench unit that we consistently see right now on a nightly basis is basically Chris Boucher, D’Andre Bembry, Davis, and Aron Baynes. Out of these four players, Boucher is the best scorer so far this season, and that’s got to change.
The Raptors need more contribution from everyone on the bench because Powell has been starting of late. If Nurse continues with the small ball lineup, then we could potentially see Powell as a full-time starter for the remainder of the season, and if that’s the case, the bench unit just took a huge hit in production.
No. 1: C Aron Baynes
2020-21 stats – 33 GP – 6.3 PPG – 5.4 RPG – 1.1 APG – .440 FG% – .243 3P% – .750 FT%
It feels like we’ve been frustrated at Baynes since the very first game of the season, but he has played a handful of really good games down the stretch of the first half of the season. Here’s to hoping he continues that, because it seems like he can be very inconsistent in a Raptors uniform.
When Baynes was signed in the off-season, some people didn’t know what they were expecting when this giant bearded Aussie signed with the Raptors. Fast forward to March 2021, and you’re likely missing Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol.
Baynes, who isn’t the greatest rim protector, was brought in to mainly fill a hole at the centre position. He actually brings some good attributes to a player, as he can hit the three and rebound somewhat decently at times, but that has done little to mask his poor start.
His start to the 2020-21 campaign was horrendous, to say the least, as he only had four games in the first 20 where he scored in double digits and had six games where he grabbed seven rebounds or more. His shot tendency was just as bad and it felt like he couldn’t hit the simplest shot at points in the first half of the season.
How can Aron Baynes turn his Raptors career around?
He had some good games down the stretch closer to the end of the first half. As of the All-Star break, Baynes is averaging a much better stat line of 6.3 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, and 1.1 assists per game. Obviously, that isn’t anywhere near the numbers Serge Ibaka was averaging last season, but it is much improved from how Baynes started the year.
It looks like he plays better when he comes off the bench, and I also think it suits him better as he isn’t forced to play those heavy minutes. Instead of starting games as he did in the beginning, he should remain coming off the bench as much as possible because it looks like it benefits him and the team at the same time.