Morning Coffee - Feb. 5, 2025
Solid loss to the Knicks | It was a good run | T-1 day till trade deadline
Quick Reaction: Knicks 121, Raptors 115 - Raptors Republic
J. Shead - A+
23 MIN, 16 PTS, 3 REB, 9 AST, 0 STL, 7-12 FG, 1-4 3FG, 1-1 FT, 2 TO, 10 +/-
Shead and Brown got the first call from Darko to enter the game and Jamal provided instant impact on his first possession, making his first shot of the night. After that, he was very quiet in the first quarter and in the second quarter, he committed a horrible foul on Cameron Payne for three foul shots. In the following possession, he dribbled the ball out of bounds off his feet following the free throw shots. He responded with three makes at the rim, one that led to an and one, which he was able to convert. After a few possessions of head-scratching plays, Shead responded amazingly and it wasn’t his shot-making that was the most impressive part of his game (which was great,) it was his playmaking that came alive late tonight.
Raptors' youth movement, 'ethical tank' back on in loss to Knicks - Sportsnet
The Raptors could get used to things looking the way they did Tuesday. After Thursday, they may have no choice.
For the bulk of the end of a 121-115 loss to the New York Knicks at Scotiabank Arena, the Raptors leaned heavily on their youth. Scottie Barnes, their 23-year-old star, was flanked by sophomore Gradey Dick and a trio of the team’s rookies: Ja’Kobe Walter, earning the start; Jamal Shead, guarding cold-blooded Jalen Brunson in the game's closing minutes; and Jonathan Mogbo, fresh from an extended assignment to the G League.
That lineup, with some stretches that included Kelly Olynyk, made the Knicks sweat on the second night of a back-to-back. Foot on the gas in transition, where the Knicks just could not be bothered to defend, Toronto used its youth, speed, and energy to make up for a lack of size and the absence of a few key regulars. A huge deficit in second-chance points in the first half was mostly neutralized later. Karl-Anthony Towns slowed down at least a little after a monster first half. Enough threes dropped to cut a 23-point lead to three at one point late.
“I’m really proud how we kept our composure during the whole game,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said. “I do think that our aggressiveness on the ball kept wearing down on them. In the fourth quarter, we kept them to 23 points. It really came down to the wire, big-time play by Brunson in front of our bench. I’m really proud of our team.”
Rajakovic’s decision to close so young came from a few places. Primarily, the team was thin – RJ Barrett is in league concussion protocol, Chris Boucher was out sick, and Jakob Poeltl left the game at halftime with a right hip pointer he’s been trying to play through for a few games. There are also long-term reasons to favour a youth movement, both in terms of development and short-term results. On this night, though, they were also just the team’s best options.
While the young group came up short in the end, the organization would surely take more nights that look like this from here. Set aside that this type of loss led to the adoption of the term “ethical tank” earlier in the year, but Toronto’s 2024-25 will be measured by the growth of its young players and the quality of its 2024 draft class. Closing with three rookies and five players under the age of 24 against a team which hopes to make, at worst, the Eastern Conference Finals is as fertile a learning opportunity there is; those players looking competitive and growing in those chances is one of the best ways for the team to grow that don’t involve ping-pong balls.
On this night, Shead was the standout. He had arguably the best night of a solid rookie season, scoring 16 points with nine assists in 23 minutes, minutes the Raptors won by 10. His speed has always been a major asset, but 50 games at the NBA level have allowed Shead to understand how his speed fits within the team’s concepts of pace.
“Especially from the start of the season,” Shead said. “They want me to play fast but not be out of control … Just pushing the pace, making a read out of that, and everything that comes with playing fast.”
Raptors are becoming the team Darko Rajaković promised to deliver - The Athletic
It has been hard to know what to make of the Raptors’ recent 8-3 run, during which they have matched their win total from the first 39 games. They have some schedule and injury luck, the same things that worked against them early in the season. Nothing they have done should radically alter the Raptors’ plans before Thursday’s trade deadline.
When trying to figure out what the wins mean, though, it’s best to zoom in, not out. Tuesday’s game started with Dick, not known for his defence, pressing Knicks wing Mikal Bridges full court. After the game, Rajaković said the Raptors wanted to exert pressure on the Knicks, who played Monday, to tire them out throughout the game. The Knicks finished by scoring just 23 points in the fourth quarter, shooting 10-for-26 and earning no trips to the free-throw line.
“Just to see Gradey do it at the beginning,” rookie Ja’Kobe Walter said, “that already gives us life.”
Meanwhile, the game ended with Jonathan Mogbo, whose role has diminished as the Raptors have gotten healthier, guarding Karl-Anthony Towns, who feasted early in the night. Shead was on Brunson.
Brunson made some shots, but Shead made him work. Mogbo and Shead were the 31st and 45th picks in June’s draft.
“It’s really helpful,” Shead said of playing late in close games. “Game experience is second to none. Just being out there, being able to guard people like Jalen Brunson. Those two games in Atlanta versus Trae (Young), I played a lot of minutes in those games. Just playing against that level of competition is going to raise your level.”
So much energy this season has been spent wondering how many wins are too many for the Raptors. There will come a time when it’s wise to shut things down for some of their more useful veterans. Poeltl has been dealing with a hip pointer for a few games, and those injuries can linger. He did not play in the second half. Barrett is in the league’s concussion protocol, which offers only uncertainty.
In their absence, though, the Raptors leaned into any attempts at gathering floor burns. That matches the way they’ve played during their winning stretch — just with a little less proven talent on the floor against the Knicks, which was the difference. It will be the difference in some games in March. If the Raptors continue to play like this, it will be easy to accept.
“To be honest with you,” Rajaković said, “I’m really proud of how we kept our composure during the whole game.”
Knicks 121, Raptors 115: “Jalen dawgs us to a second straight win.” - Poasting and Toasting
In a blink, New York was ahead by 21. KAT continued to scarf up rebounds, Hart finally got on the scoresheet, and Precious Achiuwa eclipsed his season-high for points. Feasting against his former team, Precious finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two blocks in his 36 minutes.
After that high, the Raptors began to methodically chip away at their obstacle, with Barnes, Kelly Olynyk, Bruce Brown, and Ochai Agbaji putting in good work to cut the score to 98-86 heading into the final frame.
New York would beat the Raptors 24-5 for second-chance points tonight, and to lose would be a disheartening collapse. But the game got a tad worrisome in the fourth. Toronto continued to outscore New York, going on a 21-12 run to slice their deficit to three with just over four minutes remaining. All five Knicks starters had returned to the fray, but they missed seven straight field goal attempts. Near the two-minute mark, the Dinos were down by one. Jalen Brunson, so heroic last night, looked tired but rose up to play the savior role again, scoring five points in the final minute to beat back the Raps.
Toronto Raptors nearly knock off New York Knicks, yet fall 121-115 - Raptors HQ
The odd thing about this team is that they definitely aren’t contenders but they keep hanging with contenders. It took nearly the whole first half for the Knicks to gain a sufficient lead on them, and it was mostly because of Karl Anthony-Towns. He had 20 points and 15 rebounds in the first half alone.
The second half started with the team announcing Jakob Poeltl would not be returning to the game, having suffered a hip pointer injury.
It was a little bit of a rampage from the Knicks from that point on, which is fine (if you wanted the Raptors to lose this one). It wasn’t even the fourth quarter before an all-bench lineup was deployed for Toronto. Orlando Robinson was checked in as well, which is a bit of an indication that there was not an extreme effort happening to mount the comeback. Yet, somehow it happened.
Their defence also fell off after the first quarter as well. Which again, Poeltl isn’t playing and Scottie is in and out of the lineup, so yeah.
Yet, this team is always going to give us a scare, because as the 4th quarter rolled on, the Raptors inched closer and closer to the Knicks. Thibs even had to put KAT back in, the audacity. Like, how was it a four point game? It was 20+?
The fact that they were doing it with a lineup of Olynyk, Shead, Walter, Dick and Mogbo is hilarious too. SheadHeads, it was a game for us. Jamal scored a season (and I guess career?) high of 16 points, along with 9 assists and 3 rebounds. He shot 7-12 form the field. Barnes was the only player to score more than Shead with 23 points.
It was a ONE possession game with the clock dwindling, something not great if you’re a tank enthusiast. Again, hanging with contenders.
The Raptors were not able to swing the comeback win though, losing 121-115 in the end to the New York Knicks. Jalen Brunson went on a tear at the end with a few clutch shots to secure the win for the Knicks.
Overall, this team mostly confuses me. I assume some of that confusion will be alleviated after Thursday’s trade deadline, but I guess we will see. The other factor is that the Raptors’ schedule is pretty light heading into the final third of the season, and if you’re looking to lose more games, these ones are the games to lose — against contenders.
Raptors rookies turn a blowout into a nail-biter before falling to the Knicks - Toronto Star
Eventually the Raptors will get the toughness they need. But the heart part they’ve got down pat already.
Down 23 points in the middle of the third quarter and being bullied most of the game, the Raptors found some resolve and turned a laugher into a dramatic finish Tuesday at the Scotiabank Arena.
They fell short — the Knicks just made a couple of bigger plays than Toronto in the final two minutes — but the 121-115 loss did speak to the Raptors’ character. The chance of their best comeback this season was real until a Jalen Brunson three-point dagger with 25.8 seconds left gave the Knicks an insurmountable six-point lead.
“To be honest with you, I’m really proud of how we kept our composure during the whole game,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “We kept them in the fourth quarter down to 23 points, and it really came down to a big-time play by Brunson, making that three in front of our bench.
“Really proud of the whole of my team.”
It was predominantly a young group that got the Raptors back into the game after they were manhandled until about midway through the third quarter.
Rookies Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter and Jonathan Mogbo, along with sophomore Gradey Dick and veteran Scottie Barnes, carried the fourth quarter.
“I think that’s a testament to us,” said Shead, who finished with 16 points and nine assists. “We didn’t shy away from it. I think we accepted the challenge, and we looked forward to it and I think it was really fun and we made it fun.
“We’re young, but that’s how you learn.”
Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 27 points and 20 rebounds in a dominant 38 minutes for the Knicks as they physically dominated long stretches of the game.
Part of the problem was self-induced as Rajakovic decided to sacrifice some experience physically for youth. Shead was the prime backup behind point guard Immanuel Quickley instead of Davion Mitchell, who is one of the most aggressive on-the-ball defenders in the game. And with Orlando Robinson about to run out of his second 10-day contract, the Raptors turned to Mogbo.
Neither of the rookies was bad but neither has the size or strength yet to handle veterans like Brunson or Towns.
Takeaways as Raptors Young Core Nearly Pulls Off Upset vs. Knicks - Sports Illustrated
Down by 23 points to the New York Knicks in the second half, Toronto could have folded. With the trade deadline just days away and uncertainty looming, nobody would have blamed the Raptors for packing it in.
Instead, when they needed a spark Tuesday night, it was the young core that answered the call.
Rookie second-round pick Jamal Shead was electric off the bench, rallying Toronto all the way back and breathing life into the Raptors offense that went stagnant in the first half. He found Gradey Dick with a pinpoint kick-out, trimming what had been a 23-point Knicks lead down to eight early in the fourth quarter. Minutes later, he passed up an open three to find Dick again, pulling Toronto within three with less than five minutes to go.
"What I'm seeing with Jamal is that he's really embracing the moment, and he's learning the pace of the game," Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said of Shead who finished Tuesday with 16 points and nine assists. "He's doing a much better job now than [at the] start of the year of playing with more pace and pushing the ball and trying to touch the paint thoroughly in the shot clock, and he's been doing really, really good job with that."
When the Raptors needed a late bucket, Shead took advantage of a Knicks miscue, slicing inside with speed for an easy layup that brought Toronto within a point.
But that was as close as Toronto would come.
A pair of pull-up jumpers from Brunson in crunch time over Toronto’s rookie point guard allowed New York to sneak out with the victory.
Ja’Kobe Walter, stepping into the starting lineup for RJ Barrett, made his presence felt as well with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting. He drilled a pull-up three over Josh Hart in the first quarter as Toronto built an early lead. When New York surged ahead by 20 in the second half, Walter answered with a 13-foot fadeaway jumper, then cut to the basket for an easy layup off a slick feed from Kelly Olynyk.
No matter what happens at Thursday’s trade deadline, this is where Toronto’s focus lies. Wins and losses are secondary to the growth of the team’s young core.
Against the Knicks, it was the rookies alongside Scottie Barnes and Gradey Dick that proved it’s worth paying attention to.
"I think that's a testament to us," Shead said. "We didn't shy away from it, I think, we accepted the challenge. We look forward to it. I think it was really fun, we made it fun. We're young, but that's how you learn."
Raptors in wait-and-see mode as trade deadline approaches - Sportsnet
As soon as the Doncic trade went down, the Raptors took note of the simple fact that the Lakers — who were already thin at centre — are now desperate for a quality big man.
The Raptors have one in Jakob Poeltl, the 29-year-old Austrian who is having one of his best seasons. The Lakers have inquired about him, but the sense is the Raptors are holding out for an offer that would include a first-round pick (likely with a certain level of protection) and the only one the Lakers have left to offer is a 2031 first they’ve been clutching tightly for years.
“The Lakers know it would be pretty hard — not impossible — to get him,” said one source of Poeltl as a trade possibility.
That’s because the Raptors — who traded what turned out to be the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft to the Spurs to get Poeltl and saw that pick get flipped to Minnesota for an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a top-10 protected 2030 pick swap — see Poeltl as an essential piece to help them transition from their current rebuild.
Not that he’s untouchable, but the Raptors aren’t in fire sale mode when it comes to their key players.
One name that continues to come up in conversations about the Raptors is New Orleans Pelicans wing Brandon Ingram.
The intensity of the discussions is hard to gauge. The Raptors have the cap flexibility, contracts and draft capital to inject themselves into any trade conversation, up or down the scale. There’s a sense that if the opportunity was right, they would like to add a 'significant piece' to pair with Scottie Barnes and shift the program from 'rebuilding' to 'competing' sooner rather than later.
No one I’ve spoken with denies that Ingram has been on Toronto’s radar or that they’ve reached any kind of conclusion, one way or the other. And for all the talk about the Raptors' interest in Ingram, there’s been precious little about what the Pelicans would want from Toronto. However, if the Raptors were to sign the pending free agent (Ingram) to a deal — that would likely begin in the $40 million range this coming summer — they would have to offload some future salary. A deal of RJ Barrett and Davion Mitchell for Ingram is a snug fit, financially. Barrett is having a career season and has two years and $57 million left on his contract, which is less than what Ingram is making now. Meanwhile, Mitchell is a pending free agent. For a Pelicans team that always has to be mindful of the bottom line, that probably helps.
Is Ingram a good fit in Toronto? That’s tough to gauge too. On one hand, Ingram is a former All-Star who is still just 27 years old even though he’s in his ninth season. He’s averaged 23 points, five rebounds and five assists in his six seasons with the Pelicans, and shot 37.2 per cent from three, even if his detractors suggest he spends too much time in the mid-range. And it’s not like free agents of his quality are beating a path to Toronto. Talent is talent and you get it where you can.
But for all the talent the former No. 2 pick has flowing through his willowy six-foot-eight frame, there are not many across the NBA who would argue he’s squeezed every ounce out of it. And then there’s his availability: He’s played just 57 games on average in the past seven seasons and has played more than 64 only once in his career when he suited up 79 times as a rookie with the Lakers. He’s played just 18 games for the Pelicans this season.
The simplest solution for the Raptors might be to hang on to Barrett, hope his development curve continues to trend positively and that there’s a contract in the future that makes sense for both sides.
NBA Power Rankings: Grizzlies rise, Rockets fall and a trade candidate for every team - The Athletic
This week: 25
Last week: 24
In the last week: W at WAS, L vs. CHI, W vs. LAC
Offensive rating: 110.3 (24th)
Defensive rating: 115.3 (25th)
Trade Deadline Photoshop: SF Kenyon Martin Jr.
The Raptors started the season 8-31. Since then, they are 8-2, and their defense has validated their lineups. Martin would fit into how the Raptors want to play and how they have been defending over the last few weeks, if he is healthy. And if the Raptors need to go the other way, then Martin is an expiring contract who has been out since Christmas.