Morning Coffee - Jan. 7, 2025
What the Buck? | Mic'd up Shead is life | Got the whole gang together finally
The paradoxes of Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors - Raptors Republic
The Raptors need Barnes to touch the ball. But they are at their best when they don’t need Barnes to touch the ball. It is a razor-thin that the Raptors must walk in order to find balance, one that is created both by Barnes’ (few) limitations as a self-creator and 3-point shooter, and by the (more numerous) limitations of the team built around him.
The Bucks kept drilling triples to start the second half, while the Raptors inexplicably continued to turn over the ball. And miss. Barnes touched the ball, but mostly just in passing, dribbling into a handoff for Dick, or pitching the ball back to him for a triple. (Dick missed both shots. Outside of a great outing against the Brooklyn Nets (and garbage time against Milwaukee), he is in the midst of a ferocious cold streak, and his defence and rebounding are not helping his cause.)
Perhaps Barnes is at his best when he’s lifting an already good team. It’s hard when all the shooters are cold. (After a brilliant first game back from injury, Quickley has not been able to find his way in the offence.) To be fair, Barnes hasn’t perfected his off-ball game. He is not a very good screener (which even Darko Rajakovic admitted, calling that skill a “work in progress” when I asked about it); however, he’s such a brilliant passer in tight spaces, making such immediate choices, that he can turn silver into gold with consistency.
Toronto’s problem is that it wasn’t creating very much silver. Barnes is an alchemist, not a miner. But the starting group wasn’t giving Barnes much to work with, so he turned to the mines himself in the transitional groups. At least in this one, that’s where he was at his best — hitting mid-rangers.
But that’s not where Barnes is supposed to be at his best. If the Raptors want a post isolation wizard, Tobias Harris is probably available. Barnes is much, much more than that. But the Raptors are not currently able to let him spread those wings. That, too, is a paradox of Scottie Barnes.
Barnes is also a steamroller in transition. But with the starting group playing Quickley, Dick, and Barrett, there are simply not enough perimeter defenders for Toronto to consistently get stops and reach the open court. Then when Barnes plays alongside the bench, Kelly Olynyk’s limited mobility offers the same problem.
Ultimately, this is not looking like a team built to maximize Barnes, to lift up his talent, rather than be lifted by it.
Quick Reaction: Bucks 128, Raptors 104 - Raptors Republic
R. Barrett - A
32 MIN, 25 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 11-18 FG, 2-5 3FG, 1-4 FT, 1 TO, -19 +/-
Rusty start for Barrett, as he missed a late shot clock three badly and was 0/2 from the free throw line a few minutes later. He was subbed out rather quickly for Ochai Agbaji after a 0/3 start from the field. Barrett did however check back in late first quarter and was able to get on the scoring board with his fourth shot of the night. We’ll chalk it up to rust as RJ missed a couple of games recently and was able to get back to his usual relentless paint attacks. RJ went from 0/100 so quickly, as the 0/3 start turned into 6/9 from the field at the end of the first half. Star J took a fearless charge on Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was coming into the paint with a head of steam but he stood his ground early in the third quarter. Barrett kept his momentum going and finished the night with a consistent performance as he was the only Raptor who was reliable all night long.
Raptors' lifeless effort against Bucks sours team's return to health - Sportsnet
No, the Raptors were undone by their lack of second effort. Time and time again Antetokounmpo would lope into traffic, pitch the ball to an open three-point shooter — which was ostensibly the Raptors' plan — and count the assist as his teammates made one open look after another. Antetokounmpo finished with 12 rebounds and 13 assists for his fourth triple-double. It happened six times in the first half alone. The Bucks didn’t even have to make a second pass or pump fake.
“I think that Scottie did a decent job on him, guarding him one-on-one,” said Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic who admitted that his team didn’t bring enough fight. “But our closeouts were not good. Every time we were supposed to rotate and close out to the three-point line to break the rhythm and to take away threes we did not do a good enough job of that … that's something that we're working on, and we're going to continue pounding the rock with that.”
Speaking of rocks: while the Bucks shot 22-of-44 from deep, the Raptors shot just 9-of-35 — and 4-of-26 in the first three quarters before garbage time commenced.
So, in sum: the Raptors aren’t trying very hard, they don’t defend very well, and they can’t shoot. It can make for a tough night at the office.
But even as recently as two weeks ago, this was a team that could lose without having themselves and everyone else question their effort. But the rope has been slipping through their fingers and it’s up to them collectively to grab on it and pull a little harder.
There are 46 games left.
Cooked BBQ: A running diary of Toronto’s 128-104 loss to Milwaukee - Raptors HQ
The game started as you’d expect from a group that hadn’t played together in a competitive game in over 10(!) months........very clunky. The offensive flow was non-existent. Floor spacing was a term more suitable for the Property Brothers. Defensive miscues were bailed out by wayward field goal attempts. Yet, Toronto entered the first timeout with a 9-7 lead.
Scottie Barnes was absolutely electric in the first quarter. While guarding Giannis one-on-one beyond the three-point line, Scottie perfectly timed a swipe, getting a steal and jamming a breakaway windmill dunk. A few possessions later, Giannis had deep post position on Scottie. As Giannis went up for the dunk, he was met at the rim by Scottie.
Immanuel Quickley, all 6’3 of him, sets a pick on Gary Trent Jr. AND Bobby Portis, freeing Scottie for a driving dunk.
Oh right. Gary’s back for his first game in Toronto as a Buck! GTJ hits an open three to give the Bucks a 14-point lead. The crowd gives a Participation Badge-like applause.
Rapid Recap: Bucks 128, Raptors 104 - Brew Hoop
Both teams got off to a slow start, with Milwaukee starting 3/10 from the field. But an 8-0 run by the Bucks forced a Toronto timeout a few minutes later with the Bucks up 16-13. Out of that stoppage, they extended that run to 17-0 behind consecutive Bobby Portis threes. Toronto was unable to get that close in the period, primarily due to them going 1/9 from three in the period. However, some sloppy live-ball turnovers from the Bucks did allow the Raps to get the game back to single digits at the quarter’s end, Bucks up 28-19.
Brook Lopez got the Bucks off the mark to begin the second with a catch-and-shoot three, but then Milwaukee went on a bit of a scoring drought. Both teams turned the ball over a few times before AJ Green and Brook Lopez got them out of their funk with consecutive threes to get the lead back out to 13. Some really nice connections from the team—namely, a pick-and-roll from Dame and Giannis—allowed them to keep the scoreboard moving. A scary moment from Giannis contesting a fast-break layup had myself, Van, and Morgan worried on the Playback stream, but it turned out to just be a cut, thankfully. The Bucks were up 66-47 at half behind a 32-2 advantage in bench points, spearheaded by a game-high 13 from Bobby Portis.
The Bucks came out firing from three, with two triples from Dame and a nice connection from AJax off the short roll to hit Prince for another. Then the team started to have some fun. Lillard went crazy for another few threes, including a four-point play making the 2,700th of his career. The Bucks then allowed a 7-0 run behind some more live-ball turnovers, calling a timeout. The Bucks came out of the TO with a well-executed ATO for a Giannis dunk and a swing to Gary Trent for his third bomb of the night. Milwaukee ended the quarter up 99-75.
Ryan Rollins opened the fourth with a few drives to the hoop, and a Portis transition triple had the Bucks up 31 early in the final term. Some more buckets from Portis kept the lead around 30 until about halfway through, and then the deep reserves checked in. From there, it was pretty ugly for both teams, but the Bucks ran away with the win.
The Raptors have a starting point and a road map after crashing against the Bucks - Toronto Star
“We’ll need time for those guys to start clicking.”
The three put up pretty good numbers for their first game together, and there is certainly something to work with.
Barrett had 25 points and nine rebounds; Barnes had 21 points and five assists; Quickley chipped in with 11 points and three assists.
It was, as expected, a spotty outing with just enough promise to generate some optimism for the future.
“Tonight I don’t think was about us getting used to each other; we just didn’t play hard enough,” Barrett said. “That’s top to bottom.”
But the overall team performance marked another display of lax defence that needs to be addressed.
Toronto was crushed from beyond the three-point line — outscored 66-27 — and gave up far too many easy baskets in transition.
It was a combination of scheme and effort and personnel and gives Rajakovic all kinds of fodder to work with.
“Every time we were supposed to rotate and close out to the three-point line, to break the rhythm and to take away threes, we did not do a good enough job of that,” the coach said. “So that’s something that’s an emphasis for us. That’s something that we’re working on.”
Key Takeaways as Raptors Fall to Bucks in Debut of Fully Healthy Lineup - Sports Illustrated
Barnes took some time to find his rhythm Monday night as he adjusted to playing alongside Barrett and Quickley for the first time in 10 months. Early on, he was a spectator offensively, deferring to Barrett and not getting his first paint touch in the paint until the 7:30 mark of the first quarter.
He eventually found his groove playing alongside Toronto’s second unit. Barnes took advantage of a switch onto Brook Lopez early in the second quarter, draining a step-back 14-footer. Moments later, he added a turnaround 13-footer over Lopez and hit another 14-footer before halftime. The mid-range jumper has quickly become Barnes’ go-to shot in the half-court, and he’s converting it at a respectable clip this season.
Defensively, Toronto made an adjustment with its new starting lineup and tasked Barnes with taking on the Giannis Antetokounmpo assignment. It was a departure from the preseason plan, which envisioned Barnes as more of an off-ball defender, leveraging his high basketball IQ as a help defender.
So, how did it work out?
Barnes made an immediate impact, stripping Antetokounmpo in the first quarter and taking it coast-to-coast for a windmill slam reminiscent of Vince Carter. Minutes later, he denied the two-time MVP at the rim with a strong block, holding his ground against Antetokounmpo’s signature drive.
Toronto did a good job of forcing Antetokounmpo to be a playmaker most of the night limiting the Bucks’ superstar to just 11 points in 29 minutes, but Antetokounmpo cashed in with 13 assists and 12 rebounds as Milwaukee buried Toronto from behind the arc.
Barnes, meanwhile, finished with 21 points on 10-for-18 shooting with five assists and five turnovers before being pulled midway through the fourth.
Full strength Raptors crushed at home - Toronto Sun
Barrett had said a day earlier “we’re going to go out there and see what we got,” but had cautioned, along with Rajakovic, that there likely would be some rust. While that was true, Dick was scoreless in the first half (finishing 3-for-12) and there were turnovers a plenty, the group still won its early minutes. Trouble was the new-look bench only scored two points in the half (and was eventually outscored 63-24).
Afterward, Barrett said a lack of cohesion wasn’t to blame. “Tonight I don’t think was about us getting used to each other. I think we just didn’t play hard enough, top to bottom,” Barrett said. “I feel like we didn’t have our fight tonight so that’s disappointing
“It’s OK if you lose a game that you fight and you played hard and you gave all that you could,” Barrett continued, “but I don’t think we did that tonight, so I think that’s the disappointing part about it.”
Meanwhile, Milwaukee, winner of the recent NBA Cup, had its superstars Antetokounmpo and Lillard in the lineup, but missed former all-star Khris Middleton, who is being eased back into action after missing all but the previous month of this season. Barnes did a decent job on Antetokounmpo and Lillard, who was averaging the fifth-most points at Toronto of any player ever, had a quiet half, but it didn’t matter since Milwaukee hit 12 three-points through two quarters to one by Toronto. That the game only saw the Bucks ahead by 19 to that point seemed like a small win for the Raptors, considering the three-point differential.
Things went downhill from there for the home side. The difference was 24 points after three as the Raptors played another non-competitive game in front of the home fans. Some growing pains are to be expected, but the last few weeks have been an ugly stretch and even the return of the full first group couldn’t change that on Monday.
Raptors need to find creative ways to unleash Gradey Dick's offence - Toronto Sun
When he was draining shots from beyond the three-point line, Dick used his dribble as the Bucks tried to run him off the line.
When he attacked the basket, Dick would routinely be fouled.
In total, 16 trips to the charity stripe would be made, and 14 free throws converted.
The Raptors managed to score 43 points by halftime.
Dick accounted for 22.
With Scottie Barnes back, with Immanuel back and about to play in his third game since his elbow setback, it was inevitable Dick would get fewer touches.
The fact remains Dick has not posted a 30-point game since that loss in Milwaukee and nor has he attempted double-digit free throws in any game since the Bucks defeat.
In Toronto’s discouraging home loss to Orlando, Dick went 2-for-11 from the field, both of his makes from beyond the three-point line.
In two of his past three games, Dick has gone a combined 5-for-23, including 2-for-10 from distance.
His movement off the ball is quite good and even when the ball is in his hands Dick’s decision-making has shown signs of growth.
At the same time, it does beg the question whether the Raptors should be integrating Dick more into the offence.
