Morning Coffee - Nov. 28, 2024

You wanted more 3s? Check! You wanted a road win? Check! You wanted Barrett to wake up, Agbaji to shine, and Walter to snap? TRIPLE CHECK!

What is going well for the Raptors? - Raptors Republic
A big one to get out of the way early? The sheer amount of losing. For some fans it’s exactly what they want. It’s not just the Raptors fans either, but NBA fans who have caught games echo the sentiment of: “most ethical tank in history”. Largely because of the amount of close games the Raptors play in, but also because the Raptors are team that hustles all over the court and moves the ball on offense. Enjoyable, losing basketball. Now, if you don’t like tanking and you have concerns about how it taints culture or a million other things, that’s just as well. So, this can swing heavily one way or another, depending on who is perceiving it.

If you ignore the losing, there are some fun and maybe even good markers that lead to the Raptors being a fairly good watch. The buy-in that Darko Rajakovic has been able to get from his guys to send them sprinting out into every hustle stat has been pretty great. NBA stats has the Raptors at 4th in deflections, 10th in charges drawn, they have run the 2nd most miles in the whole league and they run that heavy dose of mileage at the third fastest average speed. The Raptors also pressure the ball higher up in the court (and the backcourt) than most teams in the NBA. And while the Raptors lack of shot-making has not been good, no team has been better at corralling their own misses than them.

Gumption, hustle, and effort are great building blocks and especially when they’re paired with high level NBA talent. This season, maybe most importantly, is about finding out which players are able to pair those things together – of course, basically all the coverage of the Raptors revolves around this premise.

To harp on the rebounding a little bit more, the Raptors are trying some unique things now, just as they were over Nick Nurse’s tenure. With Nurse, the Raptors abandoned some conventional spacing in how they aligned their offense in order to pursue ORBS more aggressively. Rajakovic’s Raptors also choose the dunker spot instead of the corner on occasion, but more importantly they participate in the en vogue offensive rebounding/transition defending approach – tagging up, on occasion.

Quick Reaction: Raptors 119, Pelicans 93 - Raptors Republic
O. Agbaji - A+

28 MIN, 24 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 9-10 FG, 6-7 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 33 +/-

Every time he has a shift that isn’t as effective as has been his custom this season, I keep expecting it to be the start of a downturn. He has just been so damn good this year, after being so damn bad last year. But no, he remained amazing. It took him most of the first quarter, but he got on the board in a big way with a triple then a block from behind that sparked a transition dunk for Barnes the other way. The he went crazy, hitting everything, layups, triples (more triples). Everything. Really strong defence, too, with a fancy steal on the ball.

https://raptorsinseven.substack.com/p/raptors-pelicans-nov-27-takeaways - Raptors in 7
Walter’s first start

This was the surprise of the night. Having arrived in Detroit too late to be involved in proceedings after spending time with the Raptors 905, Ja’Kobe Walter was handed his first NBA start in place of Mitchell.

You can’t argue the kid doesn’t have stage presence as Walter knocked down a 3-pointer to open proceedings for the Raptors before finishing the night with 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and two steals. He missed all but one of his eight 3-point attempts after his opening triple, but that was the only blemish on an otherwise strong performance.

The highlight of the night was his second bucket, running the floor in transition to catch a Barnes no-look lob from the left side of the basket and finish with an up-and-under while getting fouled. Half Michael Jordan, half Kobe Bryant indeed.

While the game was already a blowout in the fourth quarter, it was good to see Rajakovic have Walter in the game and give him an opportunity to make some plays. Walter was able to finish a couple opportunities for himself but also created some good looks for teammates, showing his ability to make the right read.

It remains to be seen how much time Dick will miss with what the Raptors have listed as a calf contusion, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Walter get another start against Miami on Friday to close out the road trip.

Raptors finally show they can get up 3s at a modern rate in win over Pelicans - The Athletic
Without their best shooters, the Raptors’ less-acclaimed shooters find themselves in difficult spots. Quickley and Dick can take the most difficult types of 3s, thus creating more driving lanes for Scottie Barnes and Barrett. Other than offensive rebounds and transition, those drives usually produce the best 3s. Without those threats, the Raptors’ playmakers have less space to work with and thus less space to begin those drives, making the creation of those looks even more difficult.

Against New Orleans, Rajaković inserted rookie Ja’Kobe Walter into the starting lineup for Mitchell, trying to make up for those absences. Walter has a nice shooting stroke, but he is a speculative threat instead of a proven one, playing in just his fifth NBA game. The Raptors’ first three looks were 3s, including two in the half court that found Walter in the corner. Walter hit the first. Seven of the Raptors’ first 11 shots before the first television timeout came from deep, but the Walter make was the only one. They were largely wide-open. Toronto took a Boston Celtics-esque 17 3s in the opening quarter, making just four.

Mercifully, Jamison Battle knocked some down as the game progressed, with Ochai Agbaji joining him. The Raptors positively regressed in real time, making eight of their 12 3s in the second. Battle and Agbaji both had 24 points, a career high for the former and a season high for the latter. By the end, Battle, a rookie on a two-way deal, was taking a heat check. (“I thought it was going (in),” Battle said, smiling.)

The Raptors took 52 3s to the Pelicans’ 35, making 21 to New Orleans’ 11. The Raptors have often been on the wrong side of that math this year. It was the first time all season they attempted more 3s than 2s, taking 54.7 percent of their looks from deep. Their previous high was 42.4 percent.

They should be happy they were creating the looks. Without Dick and Quickley, the Raptors’ other shooters have to get used to taking more difficult shots than they might otherwise, just to keep the opposition honest. It’s not a comfortable way to get comfortable from deep. Shooters were connecting on 35.8 percent of 3s across the league before Wednesday’s action; only Battle (43.3 percent on 3.3 attempts per game) and Agbaji (46.2 percent on 4.1 attempts) are above that threshold among regular Raptors rotation players. Two of the five Raptors to take the most total 3s this year (Mitchell and Chris Boucher) are more than 3 percentage points below the average; Barrett snuck up to 33.3 percent Wednesday.

Raptors Takeaways: Contributions from entire lineup lead to first road win - Sportsnet
The NBA’s three-point frenzy this season seemed to have left the Raptors in the slow lane. The Boston Celtics are on pace to set a new NBA record for attempts as they are averaging 50.2 attempts from three per game, which would blow past 45.4 threes per game the Houston Rockets hoisted in 2018-19, the previous league mark.

The Houston Rockets and James Harden were the first team to put up more than 40 threes a game back in 2016-17. So quaint. So far this season there are nine teams averaging 40 or more threes.

The Raptors are not one of them. They came into Wednesday’s game attempting just 31.2 attempts per game, which was last in the league. However, it is the same number as the Golden State Warriors put up during their record 73-9 season in 2015-16 which led the NBA way back when.

The game is changing quickly, obviously, and the Raptors have been struggling to keep up. They made up for it in a big way against the Pelicans as Toronto put up 52 attempts from behind the arc — their previous season high was 39 which they have hit twice. What made it all look so good is that the Raptors knocked down 21 of their triples and had 38 assists, a season-high and a season-tying mark, respectively. It took Toronto a while to get going from deep – the team was just 4-of-17 from deep in the first quarter – but Battle hit both his attempts in the second quarter as the Raptors went 8-of-12 as a group and Toronto was off to the races.

The Raptors clinch their first road win of the season with 119-93 win against Pelicans - Raptors HQ
In the first quarter, Ja’Kobe tried to make his presence known. He logged the first basket of the game: a corner 3-pointer. In the next possession, he closely face-guarded Murray who bricked a long range shot with Walter draped over him. Despite a bad pass that led to a turnover, he stayed in the play, deflected the ball back to himself and completed a highlight-reel behind-the-back pass to Agbaji for the layup.

Despite the entertainment of the first few moments of the game, and the excitement of finally watching Walter shine after returning from injury, the first quarter was true rebuilding basketball. They finished 4/17 from beyond the arc with most of the shots being left on the front of the rim, allowing New Orleans to shift to a zone defence for a time, conserving their energy as they dealt with their own struggles with shooting and passing throughout the first. By the end of the quarter, a 21-20 score favouring Toronto was a strong indicator that the teams needed some time to talk things over.

In the second, they both began to find rhythm. It felt like the lid was taken off the basket, as CJ McCollum started drilling shots for the Pelicans, giving them an advantage. Jamison Battle and Ochai Agbaji answered for the Raptors, making their own corner 3-pointers consecutively at times, allowing a 14-0 run that gave them back the lead. Ja’Kobe Walter continued to be a bright spot as well, with a circus shot that gave him an and-1 opportunity.

Toronto looked to capitalize on their opponents’ overly aggressive help defence and prioritized driving the ball and kicking it out to open shooters. The plan paid off, giving the Raps a 10 point advantage heading into the locker room. What was likely even more satisfying for them was the successful block of the Pelicans’ last attempt before heading off the court.

It didn’t take long in the second half for the Raptors to take control of the game. Strong offensive contributions from RJ helped lead Toronto to a healthy 20+ point lead around the halfway point of the third quarter. The Pelicans struggled to generate their offence and respond.

Raptors cruise to first road win of the season against hapless Pelicans - Toronto Star
Someone had to win. Or perhaps more aptly, someone had to not lose.

The Raptors, backed by a three-point explosion from Ochai Agbaji and Jamison Battle and a free-flowing offence that exposed a bad New Orleans team, routed the Pelicans 119-93 for Toronto’s most comfortable win of the season.

Breaking from form, the Raptors unleashed a barrage of three-pointers, which is an interesting strategy for a team that’s one of the least efficient long-distance shooting groups in the league.

They were 30th among 30 teams in attempts from beyond the arc — 31.2 tries per game — and took 52, including 29 in the first half.

They were 24th in the league in percentage — 33.3 per cent — and shot 40 per cent in New Orleans.

Agbaji hit six three-pointers to equal his single-game career high and finished with 24 points. The rookie Battle made his first four threes and finished six-for-eight from beyond the arc.

Scottie Barnes had 17 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists while RJ Barrett scored 22 to go with eight rebounds and 11 assists.

The dominance allowed the Raptors to amass a 30-point lead in the third quarter and allowed Toronto to coast rather than have to claw out a last-minute win.

It was hardly a matchup of giants.

Takeaways For Toronto as Raptors Clinch 1st Road Win vs. Pelicans - Sports Illustrated
Raptors coach Darko Rajaković was pretty blunt in his assessment of Ochai Agbaji's zero-point, one-rebnound performance on Monday night. Put simply, Agbaji had to be better and Rajaković let that be known.

So how did he respond?

With a season's best 24 points to go with four rebounds in 28 minutes. It was exactly the kind of showing the Raptors needed from Agbaji who connected on 6-for-7 from three-point range including three in the second quarter as Toronto mounted a 14-0 run to put the Pelicans in a deep hole early.

Agbaji had gone two straight games without a three-pointer made and while he doesn't need to be an elite three-point shooter to be effective, he does need to be a threat. Wednesday showed again he's taken big steps this season to be the kind of two-way player Toronto had hoped he'd become.

Agbaji bounces back, Barrett keeps plugging away and Poeltl vanishes - Toronto Sun
Ochai Agbaji has struggled of late and his head coach, Darko Rajakovic didn’t mince any words when sizing up the situation.

To his credit, Agbaji stepped up in New Orleans, scoring 25 points, which tied Jamison Battle for team-high.

He’s undersized, but Agbaji always plays with heart and is more than willing to punch above his weight.

Corner threes have become his calling card and there were plenty of opportunities on a night when New Orleans had no interest in defending the three-point arc.

With Gradey Dick missing his second straight game (calf contusion), shots are available to more players. Agbaji took advantage of his opportunities as did Battle, who made all four of his three-pointers through three quarters that saw the Raptors lead 87-63.

Battle missed his first shot on a clean look on Toronto’s first possession in the fourth quarter but buried his next look.

About one minute later, Poeltl recorded his only basket of the night.

Raptors finally win their first road game as rookie Ja'Kobe Walter makes first start - Toronto Sun
Whether it was the addition of Walter to the starting lineup or the simple fact the Pelicans are pathetic, all that mattered was the 119-93 shellacking, Toronto’s first road win this season following 10 straight losses in a battle of four-win teams.

The night began with Walter, the Raptors’ first-round pick, drilling his first look from distance on the game’s opening possession. Walter, who has dealt with a shoulder issue first suffered in the days leading up to training camp, wasn’t shy in launching shots on looks that were much cleaner than the actual game. Two more wayward three-balls were heaved, one turnover committed and one behind-the-back pass leading to a goaltending violation against Pelicans.

With 6:47 left in the opening quarter, Walter was subbed back in for Davion Mitchell, who has filled the void at point guard following Immanuel Quickley’s injury setbacks.