Two games into the season and we’ve learned that the Toronto Raptors are, as they should be, in a class above the East’s bottom-feeders. In their season opener against the talent-deficient Chicago Bulls a powerful performance from the Raps second-unit, among the most complete in the NBA through one week of the season, helped propel them to an easy double-digit victory.
On Saturday against a Philadelphia 76ers team missing Joel Embiid and appearing very much still in the process of learning how to win, the Raptors again made easy work of their opponent, thanks in part to another strong bench outing and an efficient 30 points from DeMar DeRozan.
The team looked spectacular. They moved the ball with purpose, hoisted— and made— a ton of three-pointers, and got killer performances virtually across the board. There has been plenty to like about Toronto’s 2-0 start. But can it mean much of anything against such inferior opponents, except confirming that, at the very least, the Raptors don’t suck?
Don’t get me wrong, there has been a lot to like through the first two games, in which the team’s net rating of 24.1 stands second in the NBA and first in the conference. The team appears to be on the same page and are getting production everywhere they need, including confident starts from a young group that faced questions as to whether or not they were ready to handle the important,consistent role they’d been given coming out of training camp.
It’s way early, but Delon Wright has looked like one of the better backup guards in the league, Jakob Poeltl has thrived in the significant minutes he’s earned, and rookie OG Anunoby has been a very pleasant surprised appearing NBA-ready ahead of schedule. Couple that with the steady and reliable hand of the team’s veterans DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, and Serge Ibaka, and there’s a reason the Raptors legitimately seem like a team poised to challenge for the first seed in the East.
On Monday night we’ll learn a lot more about who the 2017-18 Raptors could be as they play their first away game against the first winning team they’ve faced thus far, the 2-0 San Antonio Spurs. Embarking on a six-game road trip that will also feature stops in Oakland, Portland, Denver, and Utah, it’s the first real test of the season, and one that could leave the Raptors’ fan base pumping the brakes a bit, or legitimizing their optimism through Week 1.
Injury report:
While he travelled with the team, Jonas Valanciunas is expected to sit out Monday after spraining his ankle during Saturday’s game. Expect Lucas Nogueira, who filled in nicely in his absence, to get the starting nod, which also allows Poeltl to remain in the reserve role that’s served him well so far.
For San Antonio, the Raptors catch a big break with Kawhi Leonard out. The All-NBA superstar has yet to suit up this season as he nurses a quad injury. Despite the drop-off in talent after him, the Spurs are still a bona fide threat and undefeated through two games without him in the lineup.
Projected starting fives
Raptors:
Kyle Lowry
DeMar DeRozan
Norman Powell
Serge Ibaka
Lucas Noguiera
Spurs:
Dejounte Murray
Danny Green
Kyle Anderson
LaMarcus Aldridge
Pau Gasol
Key sub-plot:
As mentioned, the Raptors’ second unit has looked great this season and given the team a legitimate edge over the lacking depth of their opponents. That advantage will be gone against a Spurs team which has started younger players like Anderson in order maintain a veteran-laden bench unit that includes the likes of San Antonio mainstays Manu Ginobili and Patty Mills, as well as free-agent acquisition Rudy Gay.
It’s one thing for “bench dad” C.J. Miles and the Raps reserves to carve up rookies and players who wouldn’t crack the rotation on most any other team, which was the case vs. both Philadelphia and Chicago, but they’ll face easily their biggest challenge yet on Monday night.
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Raptors player to watch:
With the Spurs no doubt focusing on slowing Lowry and DeRozan, the opportunity will be there for Norm Powell to bounce back from an off-night scoring the ball on Saturday. The Raps didn’t need his offence and he did finish plus-14 in 17 minutes of action, but the third-year swingman scored just two points and was 0-for-3 from the field.
He should get a fair share of nice looks beyond the arc as the defence collapses on DeRozan or Lowry driving to the basket, and could help get the Spurs’ relatively thin frontcourt into foul trouble if he attacks the paint like he’s capable of.
Apart from Powell, Nogueira will have an interesting matchup vs. Gasol, Wright’s defence will be put to the test guarding Mills, and Miles could, again, break a game open with his three-point shooting — he’s attempting a career-high 7.5 threes per game so far, and hitting just over 46 per cent of them.
Spurs player to watch:
Dejounte Murray, to almost nobody’s surprise, is doing extremely well so far in his new role as San Antonio’s starting point guard, a job he’ll likely keep even when Tony Parker returns from a torn quad tendon that’s expected to sideline him for a while longer. At six-foot-five with a 37-foot wingspan (rough estimate), Murray is a disruptive defender and, like the Raptors’ Wright, a creative ball-handler who gets to the rim in a variety of ways. Most importantly, he’s already a favourite of Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich:
In just his second NBA season, Murray already looks the part of a budding Spurs staple, and is averaging 12 points (on 61.1 per cent shooting), 7.5 boards, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game thus far.
The Stat:
2.0: That’s how many assists Lowry averaged in two games versus the Spurs last season. With their length and activity on defence, they do a great job of cutting off passing lanes and limited the point guard’s options offensively.
The Raptors are generating more assists so far this season by swinging the ball around more and taking some of the playmaking responsibilities off of Lowry alone, but he’ll need to facilitate the offenCe and find open teammates Monday like he has this season in order to give the Raps a chance to walk out of San Antonio 3-0.
The Raptors and Spurs tip-off at 8:30 p.m. ET with live coverage on Sportsnet 590 the FAN.
