Morning Coffee - Jan. 28, 2025
Raps are on đ„đ„đ„âïž | Won 6 of their last 7 | Barnes is so special
Scottie Barnes and the Raptors know themselves - Raptors Republic
Darko Rajakovic has found something of a spine for the bench units: combining Poeltl and Barrett. The two have a poor net rating together on the season (negative-5.35), but that number misses the structure the two provide. There is always passing, cutting, driving on the offensive end. There is always something to which the Raptors can turn that isnât isolation play, that doesnât shift away from the system.
And the two combined for solidity against New Orleans. Barrett scored. Poeltl hit the offensive glass like a coal miner. They ran a give-and-go starting approximately six feet from the rim. Or Barrett cut from the corner for a lob dunk coming from Poeltl. In the third after New Orleans put together a miniature run and forced a Raptorsâ timeout, Poeltl found Barrett cutting for a layup out of delay action. In the fourth Poeltl passed Barrett backdoor for an uncontested dunk. The duo kept the boat afloat. The port in the storm. Good teams find those safe havens. So, too, did the Raptors.
And the knockout punch of the first half came back when the starting group did. Gradey Dick came back into the game to drill a triple. Barnes drove for free throws. Davion Mitchell shouldered CJ McCollum out of the way for an uncontested layup. (To be fair, too many possessions were funneling to Mitchell early, and he wasnât creating much with them, but he was still able to treat McCollum like a little brother in the driveway.)
Not everything was perfect. Even though Barnesâ passing was exceptional, his scoring punch was lacking. He settled for plenty of triples, which he largely missed. He wasnât able to create for himself in the half-court, lofting his floaters akimbo over thickets of arms. His mid-range jumper abandoned him. Despite those limitations, Barnes pitched a gem of a game. There were other limitations: After a disastrous outing in his last game, Dick remained limp. Torontoâs shooting, as has become tradition, vanished. Offence from Torontoâs point guard spot was similarly void.
None of those downsides really mattered.
When all else failed, the Raptors set their watch to Bruce Brown Time. His floaters tolled the bells, and he even forced a travel on the defensive end with immense pressure. Mitchell hit a pull-up triple when he was furious with Jose Alvarado for trying his patented steal on an inbounds pass. Barnes snuck some points into the rim in the fourth, and picked up Williamson full court to force a slap-the-floor stop, and Poeltl chipped in for another stop on Williamson, too.
Few of us at Raptors Republic thought the Raptors would be as bad as they have been to start the season. Stop me if youâve heard this one before, but the operative phrase has largely been âtoo good to tank.â Not good enough for the playoffs or anything like that. But the gap between the Raptors and, say, the Wizards was a yawning chasm entering the season. Or, it was supposed to be.
But then for months the gap between the Raptors and Wizards was more theoretical than anything else. At first, injuries were largely responsible. But then the Raptors got healthy and still just kept on losing. Then, slowly but surely, it all turned around. Not all at once. But bad, uncompetitive losses turned into ethical losses, turned into wins. The Raptors have all of a sudden found themselves in the midst of a nice little winning streak. Torontoâs defence has grown teeth. Real teeth. Scary ones that bite.
Quick Reaction: Raptors 113, Pelicans 104 - Raptors Republic
S. Barnes - A-
37 MIN, 21 PTS, 11 REB, 8 AST, 3 STL, 6-21 FG, 1-7 3FG, 8-9 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, -3 +/-
Although he air-balled a three he still led the team with his playmaking and physical defence, guarding the other teamâs physical specimen Zion Williamson. However, he struggled to do so as Zion was able to finish at the rim fairly easily. Scottie was able to get to his spots and had absolutely no hesitation when pulling up for threes. The no hesitation is great as a star player but when you go 2/8 in the first quarter, I think it would be better to find other ways to affect the game. Perhaps try scoring easy baskets first. He did still make his defensive presence felt, using his build to protect the rim and getting in lanes while being one step ahead of the Pelsâ offence.
Scottie Barnes was a winner long before the Raptors started winning - The Athletic
Usually, when we think of great crunch-time players, the scorers who can get off their preferred, high-percentage shots come to mind. As advertised coming into the 2021 NBA Draft, that isnât truly Barnesâ game, which doesnât mean he canât do it. In the first Atlanta game last week, Barnes rejected a screen from teammate Jakob Poeltl and hit a jumper from the elbow, calling for a foul as he sank the shot.
A year after shooting just 29.7 percent on 74 field-goal attempts from between 10 and 16 feet from the rim, he is at 54.4 percent on 90 of those attempts. His percentages from further out have sunk from last year, and a half seasonâs worth of shooting isnât definitive. If Barnes continues to show that confidence from the midrange, and slowly expands his range, that is the ultimate late-game fail-safe when the rest of the offence stagnates.
It is unlikely that Barnes is going to be a closer to that degree, though. For now, his handle is too loose and he isnât quick enough to create frequent confusion between defenders in the pick-and-roll. Barnesâ two best half-court offensive roles are as a roller, particularly when he uses his momentum to distribute, and in the post.
The latter has been particularly successful during this stretch, with his raw strength and excellent vision marrying with his increasing experience. Against the Hawks, he could have rushed to make a play with the shot clock winding down in the fourth quarter. Instead, he passed the ball back out to the perimeter, worked to get a slightly better position on Hawks reserve wing Daequon Plowden, got the ball back, allowed the help defence to gravitate toward him, and dumped the ball off to a cutting Chris Boucher. Barnesâ longest-serving teammate still had time for a dribble and a layup after collecting himself.
âThe first year (our chemistry) was already working and then three years in, now I think itâs just better,â Boucher said. âMaybe (he can make) faster reads. Maybe (it is) a lot easier for me to see what he can do and be at the right place in the right time.â
Barnesâ defensive contributions have been more obvious than that, shifting as the team has required of him. The Raptors have had the second-best defensive rating over the six recent wins; before that, they were 28th in the league. Before Monday nightâs game, RajakoviÄ made the case that Barnes deserves consideration for an All-Defense team spot. That is unlikely to happen this year, but he could be a perennial candidate whenever the Raptors become competitive.
In contrast to Zion's struggles, Barnes' steady rise fuels Raptors' optimism - Sportsnet
On this night, objectively, Williamson was the better of the duelling stars, reminding everyone watching that at anything close to full strength, heâs elite. Even with Barnes matching up with him for most of his 28 minutes â Williamson remains on a playing time restriction after missing three months with yet another hamstring strain â the Pels star was able to put up 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting, getting to the rim over and over again even with the Raptors' entire defence locked in on him.
But Barnes was excellent as well, especially after he backed away from his penchant for taking threes early in the clock â he was 1-of-6 from deep in the first half â and began doing what Williamson does best: using his overwhelming physical gifts to put defences on their heels, giving Barnes opportunities to score or find teammates that most players can never create. Barnes finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and a blocked shot. And if the 6-of-21 line from the field (and 1-of-7 from deep) wasnât flattering, that he went 8-of-9 from the free-throw line helped make up for it.
In all, it was a nice follow-up to Barnesâ recognition earlier Monday as the Eastern Conference player of the week, and maybe more evidence that the Raptors' unshakable confidence in Barnes as the foundation piece of an elite team â with the Raptors at 14-32 on the season, you have to squint hard to see it â is more than just wishful thinking.
âWhen you see how much he puts into it every single day, his attention to detail, preparation for scouts, knowing personnel around the league, the way he's invested in every single game, how he's trying to improve his game and his team, it just shows me that he wants to be great,â said Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic, who never hesitates to sing Barnes praises. âThere's a lot of talented players in this league. Scottie has all the talent in the world, but also he has a desire to be the best.â
Rajakovic raised eyebrows when, during a moment of anger last season, and as part of his epic rant about the calls that Barnes wasnât getting, he called Barnes âthe future face of the league.â
But a year later, in the calm of the Raptors' best stretch of basketball in two seasons, he doubled down.
âI think he is who he is. I want Scottie Barnes to be the best version of himself. I don't want him to be and to compare himself with anybody else. He has such a unique presence in [his] force, the way he's passing the ball, the way he sees the court, the way he sees the game. I think he has a very, very high basketball IQ,â Rajakovic said. ââŠThere is so much that he can offer. So I do think that he is unique, and I stand by my statement that he's going to be the face of the league.â
The lockdown Raptors are too busy winning to think about tanking - Toronto Star
â(The) whole world would love to believe that overnight success exists, but it does not,â coach Darko Rajakovic said before the game. âItâs part of the process, itâs part of something that we are building, and we knew going into this season that we were going to have ups and downs.â
Sometimes both in the same game.
The Raptors held New Orleans to 40 points and just 15 field goals in the first half, then got scorched for 35 points on 14-for-21 Pelicans shooting in the third quarter. It turned a 16-point Toronto halftime lead into a one-point Pelicans advantage heading into the fourth.
âI thought that we did a very poor job in the third quarter,â Rajakovic said after the game. âI thought that turnovers and shot selection led to problems that we had with transition defence, and them scoring quite a bit. And that was exactly the message that I delivered to our guys, that weâve got to get back to defending on a high level, and that we need to move the ball and play for each other, which ended up with us scoring 39 points and keeping them to 29 in the fourth quarter.â
The Raptors were good enough down the stretch â another major shift from earlier this season â to register the victory. They have won six of seven in by far their most productive stretch.
Takeaways for Toronto as Raptors Winning Streak Continues vs. Pelicans - Sports Illustrated
Itâs all part of the process.
Thatâs the message coming out of Toronto as the Raptors begin to turn the page on a brutal, injury-plagued start to the season. No one expected a quick fix. With nearly the entire roster turned over in the past year, growing pains were inevitable.
So why does this team suddenly look better defensively?
â[The] whole world would love to believe that overnight success exists, but it does not,â Raptors coach Darko RajakoviÄ said pre-game. âItâs part of something that we are building.â
At the heart of it: Scottie Barnes is taking his game to new heights.
âHeâs unique because he can guard ball-handlers, pick-and-roll actions, post-ups, he does so much,â RajakoviÄ added. âAnd now more and more players are rubbing off his habits and what heâs doing defensively, and itâs helping our team in general.â
Barnes set the tone early Monday night, single-handedly shutting down a Pelicans fast break by stripping Trey Murphy in transition. Moments later, RJ Barrett forced Murphy to step out of bounds with tough on-ball defense. Across the board, Toronto played with poise and discipline. The only difficulty came against Zion Williamson who feasted on Torontoâs bigs most of the night, scoring 31 points on 12-for-17 shooting.
"Right now, we have all the guys locked in," RajakoviÄ said post-game. "RJ is taking a lot of pride on defensive end. ... And he's very capable when he puts his mind into it and desire. He's very capable of guarding on a high, high level."
The problem was Torontoâs offense. A quiet third quarter allowed the Pelicans to erase a 17-point Raptors lead, coming all the way back thanks to a pair of threes from Trey Murphy.
But when Toronto needed stops in the fourth quarter, Barnes took on the toughest assignment, sliding over to stop Williamson who had feasted on Torontoâs bigs. His defense in crunch time snuffed out New Orleans' second-half run as the Raptors pulled away in the fourth.
Scottie Barnes continues to set the standard for the Raptors as their franchise face - Toronto Sun
Barnes did get matched up against Williamson, whose teammate at Duke was RJ Barrett, who was drafted third overall.
Around the rim, Williamson has this explosiveness that canât be stopped.
Barnes does not have that elite athleticism.
What he does have involves versatility, especially on the defensive end.
âScottie Barnes is playing at such a level defensively that I think definitely he needs to be considered to the all-defensive team,â added Rajakovic.
In his regard, Rajakovic does make a point.
Barnes has been at the centre of Torontoâs inspired play, showing a leadership quality and an ability to rebound, block and record steals.
Offensively, he hasnât been as three-point happy, preferring to do his damage in the mid-post where he abuses smaller defenders or punishes defences when they send an extra man given his high-level passing.
Heâs been setting the tone and instrumental in helping to build a culture.
The same could be said about Rajakovic, who has never hung his head in times of distress when games got so out of hand.
His communication is direct and his affection for his players is authentic.
When it comes to tireless workers, thereâs no one who works harder than Rajakovic.
The memories of last season have faded with the roster being turned over.
No one is certain what moves will get engineered in the days leading up to the NBAâs trade deadline on Feb. 6.
Barnes will certainly not get moved, perhaps one of a handful of players who are viewed as untradeable.
But letâs face it.
The Raptors need to upgrade their talent and any move that fetches an upgrade over the current collection of players must be explored.
Getting silly before the real silly season - Raptors in 7
The Portland Trail Blazers have won four of five games. The Charlotte Hornets have won four of their last six games, as have the New Orleans Pelicans. Now, the Raptors have won five of their last six.
Talk about putting up a united front. Itâs easier to go into full compete mode when you know youâre not losing much ground in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. The Raptors have the fifth-worst record in the league now but are still within two games of second-worst. Having this stretch is really good for morale and keeping overall spirits up the rest of the way.
Now I know some of you will be starting to get back on the, âHey, maybe theyâre too good to tank!â wagon again. Having the weakest strength of schedule the rest of the way will only further boost those claims.
I acknowledge the math on the schedule, Iâd just be mindful of how and when these âeasyâ games are played. New Orleans, Washington, and Chicago are next, all winnable games. After that, hereâs what youâre looking at sandwiched around the All-Star break:
How many winnable games do you see there? Two? Three? Four? For me, this is the stretch of the season that will cement the tank. For those of you who have followed along from the beginning of the season, I had predicted Toronto to be around 15-35 at the 50-game mark.
Even if the Raptors win all three remaining games in January to close out the month, that puts them at 16-32. If they, optimistically, go 5-9 over the stretch of games above, youâre back to 20 games below .500 in what would be considered a best case scenario.
Considering the quality of the draft class, it would be malpractice to try and win in the final 20 games sitting that far below .500. Compete often like you did for so many of the âethical lossesâ weâve seen, but be strategic about the final result.
