A Case to Watch the Toronto Raptors
Though they haven’t won many games, the under-manned underdog Toronto Raptors have given viewers like me plenty of reasons to tune in this season. Photo credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
There are 30 teams in the NBA, so there’s naturally going to be variability in how watchable any given one is. Objectively, some are more fun than others in a league full of highlight machines, but between unique styles of play and megastars that make every possession feel like a must-watch, there are ways to be entertained across the league. Each night as I peruse NBA League Pass, those ways find themselves in constant competition for my attention — when there are as many competitive teams as there are right now, choosing one is a hard decision for me to make.
But night after night, I keep finding my way back to one team that on the surface fits into almost none of those boxes: the Toronto Raptors. They just picked up their third win of the season to move to 3-12; no team in the East has lost more games. After extending Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley this past summer at rates that imply franchise cornerstone status, Toronto’s freshly minted duo have played in just four and three games this year, respectively. For teams that enter a season with rebuilding hopes, a start like this nearly always means a pretty horrid on-court product (understandably!). It certainly hasn’t been great by the numbers, which say they’re a middling offense (18th, according to Cleaning the Glass) buoyed by a league-best offensive rebounding rate and a bottom-five defense that fouls more than any other.
And yet we’re here right now, and I’m telling you these Raptors are different. Despite having lost 80% of their games, they’ve only been truly blown out once — a 30-point drubbing on opening night by the juggernaut Cleveland Cavaliers. Of their remaining eleven losses, seven have come by single digits, including two in overtime, and none have come by more than 20. Second-year head coach Darko Rajakovic has his team fighting to stay in every game, knowing the odds are stacked against them. And man, it has been fun to watch.
One big benefit of enjoying the NBA in its most universally skilled era to date is that even the bad teams have talent throughout their rosters, if not much else. The Raptors are a perfect proof, and I’ll give you three examples: RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick and Jakob Poeltl. Without Barnes or Quickley, all three have stepped into larger roles that have either extended or expanded their games. They’ve been the centerpieces of this undermanned stretch for Toronto, and though they haven’t won many games, they’ve made the most of the opportunities given to them.
New & Improved
The relative afterthought of the trade that sent he and Quickley to Toronto for OG Anunoby during last season, Barrett put together arguably his 32 best games as a pro with the Raptors. He had always been considered a fine player, capable on both ends but not above average at anything outside of his rim pressure, leading to many streaky but largely inefficient seasons on cramped New York Knicks teams that never truly prioritized him. In Toronto, his best skill was instantly optimized; Barrett took 52% of his shots at the rim and shot 72% when he got there, blowing career marks out of the water. Barrett also posted the highest assist percentage of his career despite his lowest usage rate since his second season. After a homecoming for the Toronto native, Barrett appeared to be blooming.
But 32 games isn’t a lot, and streakiness defined Barrett’s Knicks tenure; this season was always going to be a major test of his water level. Down their primary and secondary creators, the Raptors have thrown Barrett into the fire, assigning creation responsibilities at the highest rate of his career — and he’s flourished. His usage rate has spiked to an incredible 32.6% per CTG, but what’s most remarkable is his assist percentage (AST%), which at 29.8% is fifteen percentage points above his career high for a full season. After never eclipsing double digit assists in a game in over four seasons as a Knick, he’s done it three times already this year, including in a 25-point/10-rebound/15-assist triple-double. It isn’t an exaggeration to call this a completely new player.
Barrett has become a legitimate playmaker as the engine of this Raptors offense. If you asked me if he was capable of a play like this even semi-consistently before this year, I’d be skeptical at best:
You might be thinking; “That’s a pretty simple read.” Well, yeah, that’s kind of the point. How about this one?
What these plays have in common are quick decision-making, reactions to what the defense presents, and an understanding of what pass to look for — whether it’s to a shooter on a drive-and-kick or Poeltl floating around the rim. Playing at his own pace out of ball screens helps him manipulate defenses and make whatever pass is available. His patience looking for the right read is particularly evident when he runs pick-and-roll with Poeltl:
Basketball is a game of beats, and Barrett’s figured his out to perfection. His ability to pull the other big man towards him at the exact moment Poeltl rolls into the space that creates almost looks like it happens in slow motion — that’s how simple the game is for Barrett right now. Those were all examples against one kind of defense though (some form of drop), and playmakers that elevate their teams are able to beat multiple. Fortunately, Barrett’s shown a real knack for beating more aggressive schemes with Poeltl slipping screens, creating open looks at the rim:
A more advanced example came when the Raptors faced the Boston Celtics, famous for guarding opposing centers with their wings and stashing their bigs on non-shooters. Indeed, they matched up that way against Poeltl, switching actions or pressuring Barrett on the ball. Their scheme works very well, but requires rotations on the backside to contain the rolling big. Floater-happy centers like Poeltl can get to good looks — something Barrett and the Raptors clearly understood:
It takes good and smart coaching to emphasize such facets of and make such adjustments to an offense, but it also takes the players to execute. For a player who’d never before shown this part of his game, I’m going to give Barrett a lot of credit here. He’s been the beating heart of this team, an almost metronomic presence that brings good things when he touches the ball. The Raptors desperately need creators, and Barrett’s had to do all he can.
It hasn’t nearly been perfect. I made mention of Barrett’s career-high shooting efficiency at the rim last season in Toronto; a good part of that formula was that 69% of those looks were assisted — you guessed it, another career-high, per CTG. With Barrett ascending the pecking order, those looks have simply gone away, down to 39%, the lowest since his sophomore season. As a result, his frequency and efficiency as a scorer have suffered, and his effective field goal percentage is back down to the poor standard he’d set before.
As of right now, Barrett’s run last year at the rim in Toronto was every bit a statistical fluke, but I have faith he can put it all together. Barrett’s offensive game has always been built around getting to the rim, and he’s been a starter on several playoff teams despite subpar shooting numbers across the board. Now that he’s able to leverage that skill to create for his teammates, the vision of him becoming a truly positive value player — the sort of one that gets picked in the lottery — is as clear as ever. Once Barnes and Quickley return and Barrett becomes a feature of the offense rather than its engine, good looks at the rim are bound to come.
In the meantime, Barrett’s shown me a ton that I didn’t necessarily expect to see out of him. Watching him run the show — and do it well — has been the league’s biggest surprise for me by a mile, and I’d have him at the forefront of Most Improved Player conversations. Whether you’re reading this as a Knicks fan who saw him develop for years or an NBA fan less familiar with his game, I’m here to tell you: this is not the same RJ Barrett. If you have League Pass (or any other inconceivable way to watch NBA games) and nothing better to do, the Barrett show has become worth the watch.
Hubs n’ Spices
Run with me for a second here. Let’s say the Raptors’ offense is an old-school, witch-style concoction in the works. Barrett’s been the fire beneath the cauldron, making the whole thing go on a fundamental level. If that’s the case, then Poeltl is the spoon that stirs the drink, blending each component together in essential fashion. Gradey Dick is the final component, a dash of spice that gives it a potent kick — and one that the brew would be horrifically bland without.
I’ve already mentioned Poeltl a few times, but he’s much more than a pick-and-roller for this team. Rajakovic has the Raptors’ centers operate as hubs at the top of the key, orchestrating handoffs and making timely passes to cutters and shooters. This is a role Poeltl has been comfortable in since his days with the San Antonio Spurs, and his skills are absolutely necessary on a team lacking real big depth. Toronto relies heavily on what he brings to the table; with Kelly Olynyk out indefinitely, Poeltl is the only established high-level NBA center in the rotation. His role as a screener in many kinds of actions is fundamental to Rajakovic’s offense, and his roll gravity at 7’0 brings a dimension not found across the rest of the big room.
The added responsibility has resulted in a career year — 17.1 points and 11.9 rebounds on career-best usage. Poeltl is a life raft for the Raptors. Without him, an already struggling team would look atrocious most of the time. What really makes Poeltl and his usage pop, though, is the added dimension provided by Dick. The 21-year old wing has fully broken out in his second season, to the tune of 18.7 points per game. He’s a legitimate shooter spotting up and off of movement, and a lot of the Raptors’ offense is built around the pressure that puts on a defense. Dick and Poeltl are often used together in actions in the middle of the floor:
This is a great snapshot of Toronto’s offensive approach, as well as an instance of a team using its’ best players in harmony with one another. Poeltl’s screening skills open up Dick within the offense, giving the Raptors an element they don’t have elsewhere on the team. In fact, there isn’t remotely another player like Dick on the Raptors. Toronto has been 17.1 points per 100 possessions better with Dick on the floor, the best mark on the team. Most of that boost comes on the offensive end, where his shooting isn’t just useful in middle actions with Poeltl:
What stands out to me is the sheer versatility of actions the Raptors can use Dick in. He can hit shots created out of teammate pick-and-rolls. He can run off of flare screens, or function in more intricate actions. He can set "ghost” screens, where he fakes a screen and darts open for three. He hunts his shot in transition. His height and length give him a ton of leverage over defenders, many of whom are either too slow to keep up or too small to properly contest. The Raptors desperately need the jolt he brings to their offense, but the style he plays is also incredibly fun to watch. It’s hard to watch Dick running off of screens at his height and not think of players like Klay Thompson and Michael Porter Jr., who have parlayed those skills into incredible pro success.
To get there, Dick still has a long way to go. His finishing at this stage of his career is, frankly, quite bad. He’s shooting an abysmal 47% at the rim; his lack of strength combined with a tendency to pick up the ball early on drives often make his finishes much more precarious than they need to be. His go-to moves include a high-arcing floater that works against rim protectors but can feel unnecessary otherwise and a nifty up-and-under when driving the baseline:
Dick’s shortcomings as a driver haven’t been enough to stop him from being a highly impactful player this season. Tune into any Raptors game and see Dick constantly flying off of screens, pulling defenders with him or creating open threes for himself. It’s an enthralling adventure, and Rajakovic knows how to exploit it. A trio including a plus playmaker, a dangerous shooter and a roll threat can be very dangerous, even in simple actions. Watch how easily the Raptors can score out of Stack pick and roll, a common alignment where a shooter sets a backscreen for the big man after a traditional pick-and-roll:
Dick’s shooting gravity can pull defenders away from a rolling Poeltl, and Poeltl’s rolls can free up Dick for open shots. Notice how that last play was somewhat different; it isn’t truly a Stack pick and roll but the fundamentals are similar enough. That’s the kind of variability Rajakovic has shown with his offense, employing his players in creative schemes that maximize their skills. I’m very excited to see how this element of the Raptors’ offense evolves when they get healthy — and you should be too!
The Part Where The Pitch Falls Apart
I’m joking, but it really hasn’t been very pretty. I’ve put a lot of the pros together in this article, but I’ve ignored a lot of the cons: the team takes the fewest threes in the league en lieu for the third most shots at the rim, which would be less bad if they weren’t 24th leaguewide shooting from there. And you’ve surely noticed I haven’t mentioned the defensive end at all, and that’s because it’s largely been a mess. The team is 3-12, okay? They’re not good.
They do feature a number of fun players, though. Their point guard rotation sans Quickley features Davion Mitchell and Jamal Shead, which means 48 minutes of some of the most dogged point of attack defense you’ll see out of a pair of six-footers. Ochai Agbaji is quietly shooting 45% from three while still flashing potential as a versatile defensive wing, and Bruno Fernando is always capable of putting someone under the dirt. Rookie second round pick Jonathan Mogbo has somewhat broken out as a small-ball big; his minutes have been a lot of fun. There are people better at this than me who can tell you all about them (like the folks at Raptors Republic) but there are a number of minor subplots on this team worth at least a mention.
Barnes’ return from an orbital fracture is imminent, and it will immediately restore some order to the Raptors’ hierarchy. The cornerstone of this whole operation is primed for a huge season with the ball in his hands, playing off of Poeltl and Dick with Barrett and Quickley as complements. As we inch closer to the next great version of the Toronto Raptors, all we can do is enjoy our time along the way. If you see any Raptors game this season, you’ll see a team that fights like hell. You’ll see creativity and grit, struggle and joy, growth and development. And even though the result will almost definitely result in a loss, you’ll know it wasn’t because they didn’t care. For a team just embarking on their journey, isn’t that all we can ask for?
So here’s my plea to you, whoever decided to make it this far. Next time you feel like watching NBA basketball and your favorite team isn’t on, at least consider the Raptors. Even if they play a good team, there’s a real chance the game will be competitive at the very least; I’m sure you’ll come away from it more entertained than you expect. The NBA is full of entertaining teams with compelling stories. It’s pretty rare for one this bad to check both boxes. That alone is worth tuning in for, if you ask me.