Dalano Banton gives beat-up Raptors life in victory vs. Pistons

Dalano Banton and the Toronto Raptors were faced with a serious lack of depth that they needed to overcome against old coach Dwane Casey and the Detroit Pistons. With Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and Gary Trent Jr. all inactive, names like Banton and Malachi Flynn needed to star.

Banton was forced into the starting lineup thanks to all of the injured players, which was a pretty big gamble for Nick Nurse to take. Considering how inconsistent the playing time has been split between him and Flynn, it seems like Nurse has some issues giving them more offensive responsibility.

Banton finished the 115-111 win with a team-high 27 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Making his presence felt on the defensive end, Rexdale’s native son had three steals and two blocks. Playing a Pistons team without Cade Cunningham helped, but Banton was still on fire all game long.

While the rotation remains thin and the Raptors oftentimes remain incapable of being a consistent offensive team, Banton showed that he could impact the game on both ends without compromising the switchable defense Nurse wants to implement. This was easily the best game of his young career.

Dalano Banton led the Toronto Raptors to a win against the Pistons.

Banton’s athleticism and defensive potential were never in question, but his ability to score the basketball is the main reason he fell as much as he did in the draft. He was dominant as a scorer in the G League last year, but looked weirdly passive whenever he came up to the NBA.

Banton has shown tangible improvement as a scorer this year. He came into this game making 43% of his shots and 33% of his 3-pointers with just under two attempts per game. When everything comes together in this way, Banton looks like a player that will be a valuable backup point guard for years to come.

The Raptors tried out three backup point guards in this game, and all of them had moments where they individually played well. Flynn finished the game with 12 points and four assists, while two-way ball-handler Jeff Dowtin managed to put together four points, two assists, and multiple defensive stops.

https://twitter.com/Raptors/status/1592330512735272960

The Raptors have continuously resisted the opportunity to dump Banton and replace him with a veteran, showing they still have a very rosy long-term outlook for him. The Detroit game showed that he is just a few slight tweaks away from being an impact player for this team.