The Toronto Raptors' center rotation is very short. After waiving Trey Jemison III, who was on a two-way contract, the Raptors may be heading into the regular season with their only true center being Jakob Poeltl. When we talk about why Toronto needs more bodies at the five, one of the main reasons is to help close out strong defensive possessions with rebounds. While rim protection is also a factor between the perimeter defenders the Raptors have and Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles ability to protect the basket, rebounds feel like a more pressing part of this issue.
On Tuesday night, the Raptors showed fans what this team finally could look like at nearly full strength, with Kawhi Leonard making his long-awaited return. While New York was shorthanded because they were on a second night of a back-to-back, Toronto’s ability to rebound the ball with Leonard back in the fold was really impressive.
Although Jakob Poeltl still only had five boards himself, the rest of the Raptors' supporting cast pulled in 46 total rebounds and did an excellent job being aggressive on both ends of the glass. While the need for more size off the bench is still real, with Leonard in the rotation, it feels like Toronto may be good enough on the boards.
They do say, “Board Man gets paid.”
The Raptors are rolling with effort over size
In my recent Ja’Kobe Walter article, I mentioned that the NBA website lets you go back and rewatch shot attempts, while it also lets you go back and watch rebounds. After looking at Toronto’s rebounds, particularly on the defensive glass, you can see that Darko Rajakovic had to be emphasizing how crucial a proper box-out is. Any time a shot went up, the two, or sometimes three, players around the hoop immediately sealed their man and maintained an inside presence.
That, paired with the overwhelming amount of hustle from everyone on the glass, was super encouraging. All night, even if a guy didn’t have a clean path to pulling down a board but could tip it to a teammate, they would make that play. Rookie Allen Graves, who saw his first look at preseason action, was a prime example of hustling hard to try and generate rebounds on both ends for Toronto.
Then factor in the length the Raptors have with all their long forwards who are more than capable of stealing or tipping rebounds, and fans should feel even better about the Raptors' rebounding.
CMB deserves a ton of credit, too. He grabbed nine of their 51 total rebounds, and his physicality, strength, skill, and positioning left New York outmatched on the glass whenever he was on the floor.
It’s not a flawless approach to the boards, because while hustle, length, and skill can definitely help Toronto compete on the glass, it won’t translate perfectly to each game. There are going to be nights when the Raptors face teams like the Celtics and Rockets who have a ton of size and an emphasis on the glass and get killed. However, their rebounding on Tuesday night was encouraging and should ease fans’ concerns about how Toronto’s lack of size will affect its ability to win the board battle early in the regular season.
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