Raptors’ frontcourt winning battle but may face adjustment in Game 3

Courtesy of NBA TV, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan comment after the Toronto Raptors defeated Washington Wizards in Game 2.

TORONTO — Heading into their first-round series versus the Washington Wizards, the Toronto Raptors knew there were certain areas they could establish a stronghold over their opponent.

It wasn’t necessarily going to be in the backcourt, where Washington’s John Wall and Bradley Beal, on paper, were a near-even matchup for Raptors all-stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. (In reality it hasn’t really been close, with Beal’s eerily quiet 14 points per game a glaring issue for the Wizards).

And it wasn’t necessarily going to be on the wings, where the likes of Otto Porter Jr. have torched the Raptors in the regular season — not to mention when these two teams squared off in the post-season three years ago.

But in the frontcourt the Raptors held a noticeable advantage.

In a matchup with plodding big man Marcin Gortat, Washington’s starting centre, Jonas Valanciunas had an opportunity to thrive — and he has, averaging a double-double (14 points on 70 per cent shooting and 11.5 boards) while helping to hold Gortat to just 12 points and nine rebounds total through two games.

Throw in Serge Ibaka — averaging a double-double himself (16.5 points, 10.5 boards) and tied for third in the NBA with 2.5 blocks per game early in the post-season — along with nitro-boosters Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl, and the Raptors frontcourt was poised to be the difference-maker in Round 1.

Toronto Raptors
Ibaka (9) reacts after a basket. (Frank Gunn/CP)

While the Raptors starters have mostly lived up to those expectations in leading the team to a 2-0 series advantage, it’s been a different story when both squads go to the bench.

After being soundly outplayed from the opening tip, Gortat saw only 12 minutes of action in Game 2 as Wizards coach Scott Brooks found success — albeit after his team dug itself into a sizeable hole — when he went small.

“When they come out with a small lineup it’s just a different kind of challenge, and we need to get our mindset right for it,” said Poeltl.

The shooting threat that those players possess has wreaked minor havoc on Toronto’s defensive rotations and has the Raptors bigs second-guessing their responsibilities on that end of the floor.

“It opens up the paint for them a little more because they can stretch the floor, and it’s tough for me as a big guy to find a balance,” said Poeltl. “How much am I staying up on their shooters and how much am I helping at the rim? Because John Wall driving downhill is a problem.”

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Wall is front and centre in the Wizards success and failures. His 34.7 per cent usage rate in the post-season is third behind only James Harden and Victor Oladipo, and up nearly seven per cent from the regular season.

The Wizards’ star has enjoyed mix results — yes, he dropped 15 assists in Game 1 and scored 23 points, but shot just 6-20 in the process, missing a number of gimmes at the rim.

Regardless of whether or not his shot is falling, Wall’s elite speed and the threat of him breaking down the defence with his dribble is very real. He’s enjoyed the open space that Washington’s small-ball lineup provides, getting into the paint and reaching the free-throw line a series-high 10.5 times per game thus far.

As Poeltl mentions, Wall warrants a ton of attention from defenders, and it shows when watching the Raps bigs find that balance between hedging and staying down low.

The problem is compounded by the fact that Wizards reserve big man Mike Scott is, in the NBA Jam sense, on fire.

Take a look for yourself:

After averaging just shy of nine points per game in the regular season, Scott is second on the Wizards in scoring through two playoff games, averaging 17 points per night. But it’s his shooting rate that stands out.

A 36 per cent three-point shooter in the regular season, Scott is a white-hot 80 per cent from deep versus the Raptors in the playoffs after going 4-of-5 in Game 2, while shooting 70 per cent from the floor (14-of-20) in the series for good measure.

Scott has been so effective that the Wizards could reportedly be considering putting him into the starting lineup for Friday’s Game 3 in Washington.

“It’s up to us to realize that he’s a hot shooter right now and we’ve got to make his shots as tough as possible. We can’t give him one or two open looks to start the game to get into a good rhythm. That’s the tough situation when he gets hot.”

As the first major strategic adjustment could be put in place in time for the next game, the Raptors frontcourt players will have their hands full trying to cool down Washington’s stretch-bigs and fix what’s been their only real weakness in the series so far.

“It’s easier said than done,” Poeltl admits, “because we’re trying to focus on guys like Wall and Bradley Beal. A guy like Scott, we’re trying to rotate out to and if he makes those shots it makes everything tougher.”

The Raptors take their first 2-0 series lead onto the road in Washington on Friday.

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