TORONTO — A quarter way through their season, and the Toronto Raptors are still searching for who they are.
Among the core members on the team, the sometimes struggle-filled, middling play that has become all too common this season en route to a 7-11 record is likely only familiar to the club’s undisputed leader, Kyle Lowry, who player for a 34-48 Raptors team in his first season with the club way back in 2012-13.
However, it’s been a long time and going back to square one like this for Lowry has been, as he said before, a “challenge.”
“I think we’re still just trying to figure things out and it’s just a tough spot to be in because we’re used to being the team that’s 15-3 right now or whatever. We’re used to being that team,” said Lowry after the team’s 115-108 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. “If this happens when you’re at the top it looks a little different but us being 7-11 right now things are just like, ‘Wow, this is unfamiliar territory.’ But for our team we’ve just got to continue to get better and work hard on the defensive end. I think offence will come but I think our defence has to just tighten up a little bit more.”
A bird’s-eye assessment of where the team stands from Lowry, for sure, but also not an inaccurate one.
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Though it would be convenient if there was just one glaring issue with the team, the root of the Raptors’ problems lie in a myriad of small problems that are plaguing them. Death by a thousand paper cuts is still, ultimately, death and the challenge for the Raptors is overcoming these issues.
“We’re — whatever our record is, 7-10, 7-11 — so we’ve got a little hole we’ve gotta dig ourselves out of that’s a challenge in itself,” said Fred VanVleet after Raptors practice Thursday afternoon. “And there’s individual challenges, there’s team challenges. Our margin of error is much smaller this year. So some of the things that we’re having to do, that’s part of accepting the challenge, things we didn’t really have to do in the previous years because everything was kinda on autopilot, for lack of a better term. We just kinda knew what each other was thinking, we knew where the next guy would be, and this year we’ve got a lot of guys in there that haven’t played and haven’t played for us.
“So there’s definitely some new challenges but all in all if you’re a competitor and you want to get better and you want to be great these are the things that you look forward to.”
However, though the Raptors are, for the most part, navigating uncharted waters with where they are record-wise, there’s a bright side to all of this. The Eastern Conference is packed as tight as a can of sardines, and even though Toronto’s 11th-place standing may look bad, the reality is this is a team that’s still just 5.5 games out of first place in the East.
So a turnaround is certainly within striking distance, but it comes down to the team executing — something far easier said than done.
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Still, in tackling this challenge in front of them, there’s a certain level of enjoyment and fun to be found in taking on the unknown.
“You’ve gotta relish that. It’s not easy,” said VanVleet. “And, listen, this is the position that we’re in so we’ve gotta do what we can to make the most of it. It’s definitely different, a different experience for me. But I guess the fun part comes in the wins. Losing is not fun under any circumstances.”
Added Stanley Johnson: “I mean, I think that’s what professional sports is about. I mean, I’m trying to make it as simple as possible. It’s like, we’re playing basketball, we have a game tomorrow, let’s win the game tomorrow and then get into the next one. Like, we can’t fix the games that we let go already — win or lose — all we can do is worry about what’s going ahead and the more we, I feel like, try to — or any body tries to — make it complicated like, ‘Oh, how do you get out of a rut? Do you do something different?’ No. We’ve just gotta go out there and play like we know how to play.
“Like I said before, I think we’ve been doing some really, really good things, and I think we need to continue those things for longer stretches, and we’ll be fine. But in no stretch are we an undisciplined, bad team. We’re a good team and we just need a couple more possessions to go our way and we’ll be back on the right track.”
The gauntlet has been thrown down and the path back to the team they once were seems clear enough. It’s just a matter of the Raptors finding a way to rise to the occasion.
Quick dribbles
• After practice on Thursday, the Raptors that were made available during the Zoom session were each asked about what they’ve been doing to stay mentally healthy these days. Here’s each of their answers:
Nick Nurse: “There’s a lot going on. So I’ll just take this down a couple avenues for you. One of the things that’s going on is when we go on the road we’re not really allowed to leave the hotel. So that’s a bit of a switch. It’s kind of like a floating bubble, so to speak. You go in and there’s a lot of time there and I tend to look at that as a big positive, to regroup and really get some rest, do my intense film work for a while, take a break and do something else. As you know, I’ve got a couple hobbies I pursue on the road and just things that I think will de-stress, re-energize, relax, etc. me personally. And I think most of the guys are doing that as well.
“And then, from my side of it, there’s a lot of, I don’t know, I’m putting a lot more thought into daily, into actually what we’re going to do. Like, how much are we going to lean on them basketball-wise mentally today or is it just a day to go in there and maybe just show, instead of having a 40- or 50-clip film session, maybe we have two sets of eight and it’s all positive stuff. Just show ‘em all the positive stuff. We need more of this, we need more of this, we need more of this. And I think there’s a lot of thought that’s going into that.”
Fred VanVleet: “Like I said before, there are good days and bad days. I have my share of bad days just like everybody else. There is definitely a lot going on in the world, and personally, this season, the losing has worn on me more than I ever expected because I’ve never been on a team like this. There’s been an adjustment period for that. I take losses very hard. That’s been an adjustment on my mental [health]. All in all I feel pretty good. Just taking it day by day.”
Stanley Johnson: “I think the main thing that I try to do is you get into so many things and you’re travelling so much and we’re doing so many things and we’re on these flights and sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s real. Like, you’re on a plane every other night and stuff like that so I try to take walks and do regular things like take walks or go on a bike ride or maybe cook some food and stuff like that on my downtime and just relax — watch movies — just stuff I would do as a kid that would make me happy — talk to my friends. My friends and family are really big with me. Me and my girlfriend talk all the time so it’s pretty awesome.”
• On the injury front, the Raptors sent an update about their two injured players, OG Anunoby and Patrick McCaw.
Anunoby is listed as “questionable” for Friday’s game with the Sacramento Kings with a left calf strain, while McCaw remains “out” recovering and rehabbing from knee surgery.
“He’s day-to-day right now. I think he feels a little bit better today than he did yesterday but whether we can get a little improvement today and a little improvement tomorrow will be in time, we’ll have to see, but he’s day-to-day,” said Nurse in regards to Anunoby.
Nurse also added about McCaw: “He actually walked, he was on the court today. He was allowed to participate in all the non-contact stuff today, so he’s making some progress.”
• VanVleet was reportedly added to USA Basketball’s 60-player pool for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
On Thursday, the Raptors guard commented on the honour.
“It’s a big honour. It’s a nod of respect to be thought about for that pool of players to represent your country. It’s gonna take some time to wrap my mind around that one. I’ve never been a part of that type of environment. Growing up I didn’t do much AAU, top-100, those type of things where it’s the same guys you see all the time and end up being a lottery pick. I’ve never been part of that group. I’m obviously honoured to be thought about to be part of that group. We’ll see how things pan out for the rest of the year. That was a big nod.”
VanVleet also mentioned what kind of great educational experience it might be for him to be around a group of players like that and how it might help expand his game.
“There are a million and one ways you can learn in a situation like that, being around some of the best players in the league, great coaches and what USA Basketball has been for my lifetime, the standard of excellent all-around, on the court, off the court. It’ll be great if nothing else just to go and be next to guys and learn their strengths and weaknesses for the next season. Obviously I’m a huge learner. I like to watch and observe. That’ll be a huge opportunity for me, for sure.”
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