Morning Coffee - Nov. 21, 2024
Player's making right kind of progress | Barnes coming back | 905 drop fourth in a row but Chomche is fire
What will make season one of the Raptors’ rebuild a success? - Raptors Republic
Marked growth from the young players could be the most important aspect when it comes to this season being a success. And so far it’s going remarkably well.
Gradey Dick has taken a mammoth leap, both in the amount he scores and how he does it. Last season he was a marksman from the corners, shooting 46.8 percent, second among all rookies (minimum 50 attempts). This year, he has taken fewer corner 3s and more shots everywhere else. Dick’s percentage of shots at the rim, from the mid-range, and from above-the-break have all increased. His efficiency from the mid-range and above-the-break have both increased as well. Truly exceptional stuff. Further, Dick’s new multifaceted offensive profile, constant movement, and difficult shot diet have opened up the floor for his teammates. Even on possessions he doesn’t touch the ball, his cutting often makes sure the low man isn’t present to contest someone else’s drive.
Fellow Kansas product Ochai Agbaji has also seemingly turned a corner. There must be something special about that room. After joining the Raptors at the trade deadline last season, he struggled. The six-foot-five wing was a 38th percentile finisher at the rim (61 percent) and seventh percentile shooter from the corners (26 percent). Agbaji averaged 6.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists and had a 45.3 true shooting percentage. This season, the former lottery pick is averaging 13 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and has a 63.4 true shooting percentage! Sure, small sample size, whatever. But Agbaji’s finishing at the rim has looked tremendously authoritative. And while his 91st percentile corner 3-point shooting (56 percent) may not be sustainable, he will likely fall somewhere closer to his previous career norms in the mid-40s rather than the abysmal numbers we saw during the doldrums of last season. Combine this with his stalwart on-ball defence and you get a bonafide NBA rotation player. A big-time development for the Raptors.
Second rounders Jonathan Mogbo and Jamal Shead have played more minutes than was originally intended, due to the Raptors injury ravaged roster. For rookies thrust into unexpectedly large roles, both have performed admirably and shown some promising glimpses of what may come.
Mogbo rules. He has a massive seven-foot-two wingspan and a great feel for the game on defence. The San Francisco product has used these attributes to lead all rookies in deflections and come up with the third most total steals. Before Mogbo grew to have the wingspan, he played his high school days as a guard. This has caused him to have an acute awareness as a playmaker that is unique when considering the rest of his skillset.
For Shead, it didn’t take long to become a fan favourite. In his first play of the preseason, he immediately burst in front of a cutter and stole a pass. He went on to create three more turnovers, drawing two offensive fouls – a moving screen and a push off – and grabbing another steal. The Sheadhead movement as we know it was born. While the Houston product’s play has been up and down once the regular season started, he did draw the possibly the greatest compliment a Raptor can get earlier this season. A comparison to Kyle Lowry.
Both Mogbo and Shead should see time with the Raptors 905 once the team is fully healthy (fingers crossed). Right now, their greatest deficiency is that neither of them can shoot the ball. The Raptors have developed shooters before, namely Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell. This doesn’t mean they’ll do it again, for every player the Raptors have taught to shoot there’s one who they haven’t been able to. Mogbo is trying though. He hit his first three of the season, topping his career total in college.
Siakam and Powell were also drafted in similar positions to Mogbo and Shead, and in Powell and Shead’s case, came to the Raptors in a nearly identical fashion (Powell: drafted 46th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks, traded to the Raptors, Shead: drafted 45 overall by the Sacramento Kings, also acquired via trade). This doesn’t mean that they are going to be homeruns like Siakam and Powell were, it’s very unlikely. But we have seen the difference that later picks popping can have. If either of these new Raptors is able to have a development story a fraction as successful as those two champions, that will be a MASSIVE win for the organization.
Jakob Poeltl’s scoring binge is new for Raptors, but his productivity is a constant - The Athletic
His demand could be high again this year. Since 2022, the collective bargaining agreement has changed to the point where it is harder for many teams to complete trades. Several of the teams that can deal with those restraints are either lacking in matching salaries or future picks to offer the Raptors. Injuries will impact his market, which is hard to read.
That the Raptors might want to avoid winning too often in the final two months of the season is the other factor pointing to a trade. (Just with a single win on Monday, the Raptors leaped from first to third in the reverse standings. Panic!) However, there are ways to not play a contributor without trading him if a team is creative enough.
The Raptors, then, can afford to set a high (if not unmatchable) price for him. Poeltl is 29 and in the second year of a fair three-year deal, which features a player option for 2026-27. If a team bites, great — the Raptors can add players or picks to their future outlook. If not, he can find another way to fit in.
He can go back to being a handoff hub to help free up the likes of Barrett, Gradey Dick and Quickley. He can be a secondary playmaker, zipping passes out of the high post. This scoring binge will hopefully have a lasting impact, though, even if the Raptors get dramatically healthier.
Raptors prepare for Scottie Barnes’ return - Raptors Republic
“It’s hard to limit it to one thing.” Rajakovic said of what he’s looking forward to with Barnes’ return. “I think Scottie’s defensive intensity, protecting the rim. Scottie’s rebounding ability and the way he pushes the ball in transition – all of those things are something that our team needs at this point. Obviously we’re gonna be conscientious with his minutes, and once he starts playing, how much he’s going to be contributing at the beginning, but all of those things are things we’re missing from Scottie.”
Obviously there will be a bit of role change for RJ Barrett once Barnes comes back. In Barnes’ stead, Barrett has averaged 23.2 points/6.4 rebounds/6.5 assists while being one of the NBA’s best pick n’ roll playmakers (94th percentile).
“With Scottie coming back, when RJ’s playing off the ball, that’s something that’s really good for us.” Rajakovic said. “But also, the development that he had the last couple of weeks with his on ball decision making and scoring with the ball, running pick and rolls, I think it’s been really good.”
Everyone is really excited! The Raptors have been without their star for some time, and whether it’s tomorrow or this weekend, his return looms large for the franchise. Especially since the players, the coaches, basically everyone around the team has a belief that they’re better than their record and that they have a chance to find a winning gear once guys return with their health.
Raptors eye Thursday return for Scottie Barnes, who says he ‘feels great’ after suffering fractured orbital bone - Toronto Star
Barnes’s return will likely cut into the minutes of rookies Jamison Battle and Jonathan Mogbo, which is a tradeoff the Raptors will gladly make every day.
It’s how, and how quickly, Barnes gets back in sync with Barrett, Poeltl and Gradey Dick that matters.
“It should be pretty easy for us, because that’s our style of play,” coach Darko Rajakovic said. “We move the ball quite a bit, we were playing off of each other.
“If one team decides on a certain night to put more emphasis on Scottie, that should open up more room for RJ, and vice versa, and that should help Gradey with his spacing.
“But always when you’re incorporating players back in a starting role position, that always affects some chemistry and things that guys developed in (the) last period. The best thing is there that you can have is to maintain good things and to enhance with new players, all the good things that you can break.”
The Raptors went 2-9 without Barnes and are still missing injured regulars Immanuel Quickley, Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk from the rotation. But they’ve been in almost every game down to the final minutes and having a versatile star like Barnes has to help and gives Rajakovic another key option.
Scottie Barnes closing in on return to Toronto Raptors from fractured orbital - Toronto Sun
Barnes liked what he saw from his teammates while he was out, even if it didn’t translate to many wins.
“We’re some fighters. We’ve got some dogs on our team. We want to win and we’ll just keep, every day, striving to get better,” Barnes said.
“These guys, they’re working their ass off every single day. I’m just ready to get back in there whenever that time is and just work my ass off with ’em, try to get wins.”
RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl and Gradey Dick thrived in the absence of Barnes, but nobody seems worried about how things will work once he returns. They don’t see any ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ types of scenarios.
“We all know how to play with each other. We had some reps at it, but we couldn’t get that many due to some injuries,” Barnes said. “But now we all know how to fit in with each other, play with each other, get each other going, and we know what we all like. We’ve been at it for a little while. We’ll get things going with time.”
Rajakovic and veteran Garrett Temple agreed, saying Toronto’s system makes it less of a challenge for a star, high-usage player to fit back in.
Raptors 905 fizzle out against Go-Go to lose fourth straight - Raptors Republic
Despite leading by as many as 16 points in the first half, Raptors 905 (1-4) failed to hold on as they lost 119-109 to the Capital City Go-Go (4-2) on Tuesday.
The 905 led by four points entering the final, and decisive, frame but were outscored by 14 points as they fell for a fourth game in a row. It was Ruben Nembhard Jr. who did most of the damage as the lead guard scored 16 of his 22 points during the Go-Go’s 40-point fourth-quarter outburst.
Even in the loss, however, the 905 did get a pair of standout performances. Charlie Brown Jr. finished with a game-high 28 points while also setting a new franchise record with his nine steals. He finished one shy of setting a new G League record as well.
Meanwhile, Ulrich Chomche had his best game as a pro in his second consecutive start. The Cameroonian big man logged a G League career-high 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go with seven rebounds, six blocks and a steal.
Cooper Flagg. Ace Bailey. Looking at four of the top prospects available in the 2025 NBA draft - Toronto Star
The 6-9 forward has been projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft for more than a year, and he’s been playing like it. In the first four games of the season, Flagg leads the Blue Devils in every major statistical category — averaging 16.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in just under 29 minutes.
ESPN had ranked Flagg as No. 1 on its top 100 college players list even before he played a single college game, and the hype seems justified. He may not be as highly touted as Victor Wembanyama in 2023, but Flagg has played at a level that leaves little doubt whichever team ends up with the top pick will select him in June.
The 17-year-old (he turns 18 in December and will be the second youngest to ever be drafted next summer) won the national high school player of the year award in 2024. He secured a shoe deal with New Balance even before starting his college career, and is the first men’s college basketball player with a Gatorade sponsorship.
