4 Who popped and 2 who flopped in Raptors' bounceback win over the 76ers
Jakob Poeltl popped
Another player who was truly awful in the opening-night loss was Jakob Poeltl, and he certainly wasn't perfect in this second game. He fumbled a few passes, his presence at the rim is inconsistent, and one time he tried to dribble the ball around in the paint and turned the ball over.
With that being said, Poeltl was significantly improved in this game, especially as a finisher in the paint. Poeltl scored 19 points on 5-for-8 shooting, with the 76ers fouling him multiple times and Poeltl responding by hitting 9-for-11 from the stripe. He also had nine rebounds and an encouraging three assists. What's more, he blocked four shots and deterred a handful of others, bringing some of that presence at the rim that was entirely nonexistent in the first game.
The Raptors at times looked better with a more mobile big on the court, and Tyrese Maxey's tiny amount of success in the game came when Poeltl was defending in a drop coverage. However, literally no one else on the roster can protect the paint, so Poeltl's presence there is valuable, and it's why he was +7 in an eight-point victory.
Ochai Agbaji popped
Ochai Agbaji was fine in the season opener in a low-usage role, and he didn't necessarily change his role in the halfcourt in this game. What did happen was that the Raptors were able to get out and run in transition a lot more in this game, parlaying steals and blocks into fastbreaks. In the open court, Ochai Agbaji dominated. Again and again he ran the court and was able to score at the rim, with teammates hitting him in stride or one time following a teammate's miss and putting back the shot.
His 3-pointer wasn't present again, as it wasn't for most of the roster; the Raptors shot just 6-for-23 from long-range, an abysmal 26.1 percent. Agbaji was 0-for-2 from deep. Yet in the other areas where he is being asked to contribute he excelled, pulling down eight rebounds, playing solid defense and running the floor. He is making a strong case for his fourth-year option to be picked up.