C.J Miles took questions at Media Day on Monday, answering them with his usual eloquence and grace, leaving listeners yearning for more. All but one, though. The newly minted $18-million man Fred VanVleet was off to the side and eagerly awaiting his turn in the spotlight.
“Yo C, short version,” the third-place finisher for Sixth Man of the Year jokingly interjected after one of Miles’ elaborate answers.
“You all right? You good? Short like you?” the sharpshooting forward quipped back, eliciting laughter all around.
It’s exactly this type of chemistry that was the hallmark of VanVleet, Miles, Delon Wright, Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl’s play together a season ago. It wasn’t long before they became known league-wide as the Bench Mob, a unit that ran other secondary lineups ragged to the tune of a plus-14.9 net rating per Cleaning the Glass (min. 200 minutes played) a stats site that excludes garbage time and end-of-quarter heaves.
Wright and Siakam had an uncanny knack of getting in passing lanes and leading fast breaks, VanVleet and Poeltl thrived on consistently doing the right things and being in the right spots on both ends of the floor, while Miles was the back-breaking three-point sniper.
Things are a bit different this year, though, with Poeltl having been included along with DeMar DeRozan and a 2019 first-round pick in the trade that brought back Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Who will play centre? Will they have a target on their backs now that they’ve built up a bit of a reputation? Will Norman Powell squeeze back into the rotation? Here’s a deeper look at the Bench Mob for the 2018-19 season:
Backup centre
While there’s no official word on who it will be, the recently added Greg Monroe — by way of a one-year, veteran’s minimum — shed some light on the role at Media Day.
“Just coming in with the second group, being the backup centre, that’s really it,” Monroe said when asked about discussions on what his role on the team would be. “I knew what I was coming into, that’s what I was expecting, so … wasn’t really much to talk about in that sense. It was more just about what we do as a team and, obviously, I’ll get more clarification on my role once training camp is done and we start playing.
“I think I fit in perfectly with them. The ball’s always moving, they play together, play hard and no ego. That’s all you ask for when you play with anybody, just unselfish, that’s how I’ve always played and making the right play.”
For now, it sounds as though the role is his to lose. There’s been some speculation that Serge Ibaka may be made a reserve given the Raptors’ much improved depth on the wings and the balance that move would give the rotations if he were to do so, but perhaps that’s a scenario that needs to develop over time. Despite the questionable eye-test fit of Jonas Valanciunas and Ibaka together in the starting lineup, they did manage a strong plus-9.1 net rating together last year.
While Poeltl is certainly a different player, Monroe doesn’t think that necessarily implies he won’t be able to help the Raptors in some similar ways.
“I know people like to pigeonhole players just because they might be used in a certain position more, but everyone basically has to do everything. Them asking me to run is the same as any other team I’ve played with. That’s where the game is going anyway.”
Sophomore woes?
Sure, none of the players in the second unit — unless OG Anunoby joins them — is actually entering their second year in the league. Last year, though, was the first time teams got a look at this unit playing together and saw elevated roles for virtually everyone barring Miles. As you might remember, Kyle Lowry had a significant load in carrying Raptors’ bench units of the past, but with Wright and VanVleet both equally adept at handling the rock, Lowry was able to play five less minutes a game last year and preserve his body for better playoff performances.
With a bit of a reputation now and the cat out of the bag, there is no doubt teams will scheme for how best to attack this second unit. Heck, when Toronto played the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs, LeBron James thought they were so vital to the Raptors’ success he ensured he was starting second and fourth quarters to neutralize their impact.
In fact, there is evidence to suggest that teams were already catching up to the second unit as the season wore on last year. After the all-star break in February, the Bench Mob only managed a plus-2.3 net rating over 168 minutes per stats.nba.com, with more teams throwing size at them and bullying them on the glass. Monroe’s bulk could certainly help in that regard, but it’s the continued development of the holdovers that will ultimately determine the overall success of this group. Some of that was also due to a brutal stretch at the end of February and into March that saw the Raptors play 17 games in 30 days.
Siakam has garnered plenty of attention for his improvement over the summer, continuing a trend since he first came into the league. Thrown into the deep end with the starting job as a rookie, Siakam didn’t offer much beyond his motor. Now, though, he looks ready to elevate the playmaking chops he showed last year, sustain his defensive versatility, and perhaps even make a few more jump shots.
“His confidence is really up, he’s been shooting it really well,” Wright said about Siakam’s game during the off-season. “I feel like seeing him from his rookie year to now, the form on his shot looks really well, there’s no hitch, he’s shooting it with confidence. He’s pulling up on threes now, I don’t know how much he’ll do that in a game or whatever but this summer he’s been looking really nice.”
The Cameroonian shot just 22 per cent on threes last year that included a brutal stretch between the middle of November and January in which he shot just 4-for-58 from beyond the arc. If the talk is real, that could be a major bonus for the second unit this season.
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Will Powell join the gang?
While the backup centre position does seem to be most open to debate, Powell could provide an interesting wrinkle on the wings. Once a vital cog in keeping the Raptors alive in playoff series, the San Diego native never got going last season. Rewarded as the starting small forward at the start of the 2017-18 campaign, an injury in Boston in November forced him out of action and opened the door for Anunoby to take the job.
Once the second unit found a rhythm, Powell was left out in the cold. “I don’t think it was a skill thing, I think it was a fit thing,” Powell said at training camp Tuesday. “After I got hurt, I didn’t really fit in with any group.”
In some ways, the 25-year-old is back in a comfort zone, having to fight for minutes just as he did when he was acquired via trade and spending the majority of his time with the Raptors 905. If he can rediscover the form that made him a valuable two-way piece, he may even put some pressure on Miles for minutes.
Powell shot just 30 per cent from the three-point corners last season, down from 37 per cent a year ago and a staggering 51 per cent the year before that. Miles has made a living from the same spots, making at least 45 per cent of his corner threes in four of the last five seasons. If Powell can find that outside stroke again, he presents the better defensive option with his 6-foot-11 wingspan and strong lower body.
With the Raptors facing serious tax implications this season and Powell now earning in excess of $9 million, he may well need to force his way into the Bench Mob to remain north of the border.
