TORONTO — When you get traded to a new team they give you a bunch of stuff. New game shoes, workout gear, some bags, a parking pass — the things you’d expect. But when 6-foot-10 power forward Serge Ibaka joined the Toronto Raptors last week just ahead of the all-star break, his new coaches gave him one extra item: a laptop, fully loaded with hours and hours of his new team’s game film.
“Some homework,” said Raptors head coach Dwane Casey. “Just to have a basic understanding. It’s different once you get out on the court — timing, understanding, speed, quickness, reading situations. But he was a quick learner.”
Casey held his first official post-break practice Wednesday night, running his full team — minus Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who were excused for the night following their all-star duties — through two hours of hard work. Ibaka spent much of the night playing against Patrick Patterson, who acted as a de facto on-court coach, delivering live critique and instruction on what to do and, perhaps more importantly, what not to do.
It will surely take more than one session to get Ibaka acclimated to his new surroundings. But Casey said he was impressed with what he saw.
“He did excellent work today,” Casey said. “I know it’s always difficult the first day. We’re throwing a lot at the young man. But he comprehended a lot. Defensively, he added a buzz to the team. Just his communication. His speed and quickness. His reactions. Understanding where to be. It was a good first night.”
For his part, Ibaka said he found his new team’s offensive schemes more challenging to pick up than its defensive ones. That’s to be expected since the 27-year-old comes to the Raptors with an acclaimed defensive pedigree, especially from his time in Oklahoma City. But he’s quickly picking things up at the other end as well, and was given a strong head start by having all of the team’s offensive plays loaded onto that laptop.
“Some of the stuff I knew. I knew a little bit. And some of the stuff I had to learn,” Ibaka said. “I just have to actually learn to play with the players. On defence, most of the things I already know how to do. There are some little changes, but not really a big change.”
With just 25 regular season games remaining to get his new power forward integrated, Casey’s goal is to manipulate his team’s systems so that Ibaka can work in positions and situations on the floor that he’s inherently comfortable with. The all-star break was almost perfectly timed because it let the Raptors coach spend days studying Ibaka’s game film from this season with Orlando and the seven prior with Oklahoma City, looking to identify which schemes let Ibaka do what he does best.
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“Just getting a feel of where he likes the basketball and things he did defensively,” Casey said. “Masai [Ujiri] and the front office did an excellent job of getting [the trade] done quickly and giving us a chance to do our homework and prepare — to understand where to put him and what he likes to do.”
Another helpful tool for Ibaka is the presence of Rex Kalamian, the Raptors assistant coach who worked with the Congolese big man for the first six seasons of his career with the Thunder. Kalamian spends most of his time working on Toronto’s defence, but he’s been able to give Ibaka plenty of offensive pointers as well.
“I know Rex very well and he knows me very well,” Ibaka said. “That’s going to help a lot.”
Of course, Ibaka’s a seven-year NBA veteran and has averaged more than 12 points per game every season since 2012. Chances are his coaching staff won’t be teaching him things as much as they’ll be reminding him.
“That’s the most important thing – him being in the league seven years,” Casey said. “There’s nothing he hasn’t seen. He’s not going to get tricked too many times. You may get him once, but that’s the thing with a veteran: you’re not going to get him multiple times.”
Fans will have to wait until Friday when Toronto hosts Boston to get their first look at how Ibaka gels with his new outfit. And it’s possible he won’t be the only new piece that night as well, with Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline looming.
The Raptors could certainly use a wing who can guard multiple positions and shoot the three, especially after the departure of Terrence Ross. But that player’s easier wished upon than acquired. The team has had interest in Phoenix Suns small forward P.J. Tucker since last off-season and the versatile grinder’s name persistently arises in the rumours circling this team.
Ujiri has plenty of trade chips to play with, including Jared Sullinger and his $5.6-million salary, plus a crop of cheap, young prospects like Jakob Poeltl, Delon Wright, Pascal Siakam and Lucas Nogueira. But the best bet is that Ujiri stands pat on Thursday and lets Casey go forward with his current group.
“Guys shouldn’t be looking over their shoulders,” the Raptors head coach said. “Unless something happens in the next 24 hours, we’re set. I like the addition of Serge. It’s a huge addition for us on both ends of the floor.”
Another addition the Raptors will be more than happy to welcome back on Friday will be Patterson, who has missed the team’s last six games with a knee injury. If he doesn’t suffer any setbacks over the next 48 hours, he’ll return to the key rotation role he plays with the team’s second unit.
Suddenly, the Raptors are deep at power forward, a position that has been an abyss in Toronto for years. It’s been a while since Casey has looked out at his practice court and seen an elite player taking starter’s reps at that spot.
“It’s fun and gratifying to see that. He’s a true power forward,” Casey said. “He has a great feel for the game. Tonight, in transition defence, he was talking, pointing. He had a great feel for that. And that’s something you can’t teach. That’s innate. That’s in your DNA.
“Is he the magic wand? I don’t know. But it was good to see him out there being our primary defender, protecting the paint, quarterbacking from his position. That’s dearly needed.”