The Raptors faced a plethora of issues in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They only scored three fastbreak points, barely got any steals, lost the rebounding and paint battles, and they couldn’t slow down Donovan Mitchell.
They also struggled to get Brandon Ingram involved in the offense. He finished with 17 points, seven of which came from the free-throw line, but only took nine shots all game long. He averaged almost 17 shots per game in the regular season. Even Jamal Shead, who only stepped into the starting lineup because of Immanuel Quickley’s injury, took more shots than that.
For the Raptors to win, they need their best scorer—who also has a mismatch in almost any situation against the Cavs—to be involved in the offense. Ingram’s lack of shot attempts was a big topic in the postgame media availability, and the Raptors’ efforts to change that are dominating their preparation for Game 2.
“That won’t happen again,” Jamal Shead said during a media availability Sunday. “BI has to get the ball in his hands, and he’s the number-one option on our team. He has to have more than nine shots.”
Shead also noted that studying how the Cavs defended Ingram and what to do against it was one of the focuses during the team’s film session.
Darko Rajaković said that they were working on schemes to free up Ingram and get him more looks despite the Cavs’ defensive attention on him. He noted that they already had some solutions but didn’t elaborate.
Ingram will be key if the series continues to be played in the halfcourt
The Raptors weren’t able to play with their usual speed and capitalize on fastbreak opportunities. It seems fair to imagine that they will try to change that. But if the series continues to be fought in the halfcourt regardless, the Raptors need to involve Brandon Ingram in pretty much every possession.
With Evan Mobley guarding Scottie Barnes, the Cavs don’t have many other defenders who can match Ingram’s size and versatility. He is a walking mismatch.
Ingram isn’t the only starter who needs to be involved more offensively
Ingram’s nine shot attempts definitely jumped off the page. So did Jakob Poeltl’s two. It’s difficult to win a playoff game if your 7’0” starting center only takes two field-goal attempts and two free throws in 21 minutes on the court—especially if you consider that one of his main backups is a much smaller rookie.
The Cavs, meanwhile, got solid offensive production out of their starting frontcourt. Jarrett Allen went 5-7 from the field for 10 points, and Evan Mobley hit six of his nine shots on his way to 17 points.
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