TORONTO — Terence Davis II checked in at the 7:19 mark of the second quarter as the third man off Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse’s bench and the eighth Toronto player to get into Tuesday night’s home opener against the New Orleans Pelicans.
He would be the last new Raptor to enter the game.
It’s, honestly, probably way too early to be discussing the nitty gritty of the rotation — what with a grand total of one game played in the books — but other than the standout performances of Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, the most striking sight on the court Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena was how few players Nurse opted to play.
Going eight-men deep is not uncommon in the post-season — and given the amount of media attention on hand Tuesday you’d be forgiven for believing it was a playoff game. But this wasn’t a post-season affair. It was Game 1 of 82 against a Pelicans squad that isn’t expected to amount to much this season — particularly with news of prized rookie Zion Williamson being out for at least six weeks to start the year.
So, what gives?
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“I thought the energy thing was an issue, I thought the energy of the night took its toll a little bit,” said Nurse after the Raptors’ 130-122 overtime victory Tuesday night. “Someone asked, ‘How can you tell?’ Well, if you’re not rebounding very well, not running after loose balls very well, not challenging shots very well. … There was a noticeable lack of energy just in the locker room.”
An energy issue? In the very first game of the season?
Yes, the ring and banner ceremony was an emotional experience that likely took the wind out of Toronto’s sails to begin with, but if you’re searching for more energy would it not make more sense to look for answers in other people rather than play the likes of Kyle Lowry and VanVleet in excess of 44 minutes?
No, a lack of energy couldn’t have been the only factor at play when Nurse opted to only play eight men Tuesday as it appears there’s a lack of trust in the back end of his rotation at the moment.
“Those nine through however we still go, those guys are getting daily double work,” said Nurse before Tuesday’s game. “We’ve just gotta get them up to speed so we can get them in tune with what we’re doing. It won’t last forever, but just trying to get them reps and build some good habits.”
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It would appear those habits aren’t there yet, though, as the only player apparently impressing Nurse, outside of what looks like Toronto’s core seven players (Lowry, Siakam, VanVleet, Marc Gasol, OG Anunoby, Serge Ibaka and Norman Powell), is Davis.
An undrafted rookie out of Ole Miss, Davis impressed in training camp and the pre-season and played 15 minutes Tuesday, scoring five points and collecting five rebounds.
“He can trust me on the defensive end to bring some energy,” said Davis of what he’s done to gain Nurse’s confidence. “That’s something I think I’ve done and I’m just gonna continue to do that.”
So maybe it is an energy thing, then?
Over the past six seasons, one of the hallmarks of the Raptors has been their overall depth. This is a team that’s managed to absorb injuries (and one very noticeable load-management program) through the overall quality of its players going about 10-men deep.
After the first game of the season, it isn’t readily apparent the Raptors have that yet.
“We’ll keep adding guys,” said VanVleet of the short rotation. “It’s going to take some time for them to earn coach’s trust. We’ll see how it goes.”
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Beginning Friday, the Raptors will play a back-to-back against the Boston Celtics and then the Chicago Bulls. This seems like as good a chance as ever for Nurse to see what he has near the end of his bench.
“It’s just mostly being ready for the opportunity and whatever he decides we believe is the winning strategy,” said Malcolm Miller, one of the five active Raptors who didn’t get into Tuesday’s affair. “So guys are just gonna be ready when their numbers are called.”
But until that time comes, it looks like Toronto’s established players will be taking on a heavy load.
“I like the group that we have,” said VanVleet. “The more guys we can slide in there, the better success we’ll have over the year. For now, we’ve got to go with what we got.”
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