The Raptors were blown out by the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night in one of their most important games of the season.
Amid the concerns during the 105-96 loss, a score that doesn’t do the drubbing justice, none stand out more than the club’s paltry 11 total assists (for context: the Wizards posted 32). The Raptors had just three dimes at halftime, a worrisome trend after posting just two assists by the half in their previous contest vs. the New York Knicks on Monday.
While much of that has to do with Kyle Lowry’s absence— the Raptors’ all-star point guard was averaging 6.9 assists per game, the second-highest total of his career, before he was sidelined with a wrist injury that will keep him out of the lineup likely until the playoffs— head coach Dwane Casey says it’s also a result of the personnel on the roster and playing through the NBA’s fifth-highest scorer, DeMar DeRozan.
“We’re never going to be a high-assist team”, Casey said Thursday morning during an appearance on on SN590 The Fan’s Starting Lineup, “The way DeMar plays, he gets his points off the dribble and in one-on-one situations, and it takes away from that high-assist number. But we have to get the ball moving— and knock down shots once it is.”
The Raptors did move the ball decently at times last night, but struggled mightily to sink shots and finish around the basket and wound up shooting just 36.7 per cent from the floor, compared to the Wizards’ 47.6.
While DeRozan has performed extremely well since Lowry’s been relegated to the sidelines, Casey knows how important the point guard’s presence on the floor can be during those stretches of cold-shooting.
“Some of those tough situations where nothing is going, Kyle has the ability to pop up and make a shot,” he said, adding that “there’s no excuse, because this is the NBA and it’s our job. We have to fill those shoes by committee.”
DeRozan, Delon Wright, and Norm Powell tied for team-high in assists with two apiece.
While some teams can look for opportunities to rest their stars this time of year, Casey also acknowledged that while it’s something he’d like to be able to provide for his leading scorer, it may not happen anytime soon.
“It’s important that every one behind him give us some offensive punch that allows us to sit down DeMar,” said Casey. “Last night when we had him off the court [the Wizards] went on a 26-3 run. We just couldn’t generate the offense, because a lot of it goes through him. But we have to find ways to keep his usage down. I don’t know if we can sit him out of games with Kyle out, but that being said everyone has to pull their weight to make it a lot easier to leave DeMar out of the game and give him some much-needed rest.”
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The Raptors will get the opportunity to bounce back from Wednesday’s drubbing with a rematch vs. the Wizards in Washington on Friday night. With their season series currently tied 1-1, it’s a crucial matchup that could go a long way to determine final playoff seeding. The two team’s sit 3rd and 4th in the East and a win for either on Friday could help determine home court advantage, and provide the luxury of avoiding LeBron James and the Cavaliers until the third round.
As Casey put it, “We’re in a tight race. It’s going to be nip and tuck all the way.”
