TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors have been trying some different things lately. Never-before-seen lineups, guys playing out of position, bench pieces turned starters, G-Leaguers in the rotation. That’s what happens when you’ve got a dressing room full of questionables, doubtfuls, and outs. You have to get creative.
But sometimes, through all the chaos and commotion, you find something. That’s what happened Wednesday in the second half against the Indiana Pacers, when Raptors head coach Nick Nurse installed Pascal Siakam at centre and watched him help spur a comeback in a game Toronto had little business winning.
Siakam had hardly played centre all season — hardly in his career. But he had such an immediate impact that he ended up spending most of the fourth quarter at the five, pillaring an unfamiliar lineup from an unfamiliar position, making it look anything but.
“We had a lineup in that we’d never used before,” Nurse said. “And they really started figuring out the spacing, the driving, kicking, swinging. We had five or seven — maybe eight — possessions in the fourth quarter that were like textbook offence for us. And we haven’t had that for a while.”
So, naturally, there was Siakam a couple nights later, starting at centre for Friday’s 126-110 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s part necessity, of course. The Raptors are without their two primary options at the position in Jonas Valanciunas and Serge Ibaka. Plus, three of the five players who started for the Raptors against Cleveland on opening night were watching in civvies Friday. Desperate times.
But it’s working, too. And it’s showing Nurse a small lineup option he could potentially use as needed come the playoffs when the Raptors are — they hope — back to something resembling good health.
“It’s fun,” Siakam said. “I’ve just got to think about different things, different coverages. Usually as a four, I get to switch a lot and do different things. We switched a little bit, but then I have to be in coverage more, some drops, high walls, different coverages. I think it’s just paying attention to all of that. And then on offence just knowing what I’m supposed to do.”
Friday, Siakam and Toronto’s four other starters — OG Anunoby, Kawhi Leonard, Delon Wright, and Fred VanVleet — were up by 10 before the game was three minutes old. The Raptors ended up with a 34-point opening frame, the first time in three games they’d scored more than 30 in a quarter.
The play of Anunoby — the 21-year-old drew into the starting lineup for only the fourth time this season after looking out of rhythm for weeks — was particularly inspired. He scored 15 points in his first 10 minutes, only two off his season-high for an entire game. Siakam, meanwhile, led all players with a plus-8.
By the end of the first half, that game-high number was plus-13. Leonard already had 15 of his eventual game-high 37 points. And Anunoby was flirting with a career night (he finished with 21 points and eight rebounds), even spending some time at centre himself as Nurse continued to experiment with new lineups.
“It’s just next man up, step up,” Siakam said. “It’s tough to have three starters down. But, at the same time, it’s another day in the NBA. There’s another game. So, we’ve got to go out there and play and guys get opportunities. I think for them, be ready to go out there and step up.”
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This is the benefit of having players like Siakam and Anunoby. Uber-long and mobile, they’re positionless in a good way. They can switch and guard practically anyone, they can fit into a variety of lineups, and they can rely on their athleticism to carry them through when playing unfamiliar positions. You can just throw one of them in at centre — like Nurse did with Siakam Wednesday against Indiana — and have it work out.
It’s not a knock against Greg Monroe and Chris Boucher, Toronto’s more traditional options at centre behind Valanciunas and Ibaka. In fact, Nurse liked what he got from those two against the Pacers, particularly on the offensive end. Monroe had an underrated night with a quiet 13 and eight. Boucher, meanwhile, didn’t hesitate to take and hit a corner three only moments into the first extended NBA run of his life. They both showed well.
But when Nurse and his staff watched the tape back a day later, they didn’t love what they saw defensively. Monroe and Boucher both missed coverages throughout their stints and weren’t helping off their assignments when called for. Allowing that Monroe was starting after spending most of his season out of Toronto’s rotations entirely, and that Boucher came into the game with fewer than 15 minutes of NBA experience, Nurse made sure to point out where the pair needed to be better.
“They both contributed offensively, which is great. But I think there’s improvement they can make defensively. And we certainly showed them the film and went through some things,” Nurse said. “We don’t need them to be all-world defensively. But we need them to be in coverage.”
But when Siakam took over at the five in the second half? The coverages were no longer being missed. And the Raptors began having much more success. In the time Siakam spent on the floor without Monroe and Boucher, the Raptors played plus-19 basketball. In the time Monroe or Boucher were playing centre, Toronto was minus-16.
“I wouldn’t have known that he knew everything we’re doing at the five. I’m super impressed with that,” Nurse said. “We ran a whole bunch of sets and out of bounds and things, and he knew them all. Which is pretty impressive for a young guy.”
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It speaks not only to Siakam’s talent and versatility, but to his acumen. The way he observes and learns from those around him. Forget having little game experience as a five — throughout his career, he would seldom work on the finer points of centre play in practices, either. He’s been doing more of it lately. But a lot of what he’s been displaying in games is instinctual.
“Especially now that we have guys out, we work on different positions and being at different positions. Me as a five or different things like that,” Siakam said. “It’s different. But I think I kind of pay attention a little bit to what we do. I’m just watching guys and making sure that I know not only my position, but some other guys’ positions, too.
“I’m a student of the game. I always say, I feel like I have to catch up. So, I always look at different things that maybe a guy that has been playing for a while wouldn’t look at.”
Siakam’s simply stepped in and made it work. Playing centre for much of Friday’s game, all he did was finish plus-17 with a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double. And all Anunoby did, on his best night of the season, was this:
It’s all come at a necessary time. For the Raptors these days, every game brings a fresh complication. Friday, it was Danny Green, the versatile marksman and net rating monster who missed his first game of the season due to a knee contusion suffered in the Pacers game. By the time Toronto arrives in Philadelphia to play the 76ers Saturday night, we already know Leonard won’t suit up and it’s anyone’s guess who might be available.
And it’s anyone’s guess what Nurse’s lineups might look like. But with Siakam thriving and Anunoby resurgent, he’ll certainly have options.
