Raptors takeaways: Lack of effort, will is ‘Unacceptable’

'We've got to find a way how to get out of it," said head coach Darko Rajakovic.

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Published Dec 30, 2024  •  Last updated 0 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

Toronto Raptors forward Bruce Brown goes in for a dunk over Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Dec. 29, 2024. Brown was playing his first game after arthroscopic knee surgery in the off-season. Photo by Frank Gunn /The Canadian Press

With Bruce Brown finally back for the Toronto Raptors, the question now is how will head coach Darko Rajakovic distribute minutes for a suddenly crowded roster.

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Leaving starting point guard Immanuel Quickley out of the picture, because he’s not a factor at the moment, there’s still plenty of players that need time, for various reasons.

Shooting guard will be particularly challenging, since that’s the primary position for RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter, though all can also play small forward. There’s also Ochai Agbaji, maybe the best wing defender on the team, to factor in here, plus Jamal Shead has been pushing for minutes, so what does Rajakovic do when Quickley (and Davion Mitchell, who both missed Sunday’s disastrous loss against Atlanta) are all available too? Two point guard lineups will be utilized at times, further impacting the crunch on the wing (and rookie Jamison Battle has also spent about 80% of his minutes so far at one of the wing spots, further complicating the picture).

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And then there’s Brown, an unrestricted free agent after the season, who the team would ideally move by February’s trade deadline for draft assets or some help up front. Toronto has not been able to showcase Brown, who didn’t play up to his prior level upon joining the team last season due to the knee issue, and needs to increase his value in the next six weeks or so to find a viable trade by the February 6 deadline.

Up front, Scottie Barnes is locked in for huge minutes, Jakob Poeltl is averaging a career-high 32.1 per game, rookie Jonathan Mogbo needs crucial time to develop and Canadian veterans Kelly Olynyk and Chris Boucher remain in the mix.

NOT ACCEPTABLE

Rajakovic had said before the game he felt his team had not had the requisite energy over the last 7-10 days. It showed in bad losses at New York, then in the Memphis atrocity and in Sunday’s brutal game. He mused afterward that “as a team we hit the wall. It’s very simple. We hit a wall. We look tired. We look drained. Guys are not in a rhythm. That’s the reality that we’re in right now.”

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Rajakovic had said just before that that the Raptors need to take the game “much more seriously than this.” Whether it’s physical, mental or a combination of both, he is right. This cannot continue, no matter how badly the franchise needs a Top 5 pick at next June’s draft.

“We’ve got to find a way how to get out of it. The only one way to get out of it, it’s always the same answer. It’s back to work and staying together and watching the film and going through practice and addressing the right things and getting better.”

The team’s leader Scottie Barnes, who had eight turnovers, agreed.

“Our effort has got to be better. It’s on us. No matter if we’re tired, we’ve got to push through that s—. So there’s no excuses there. We’ve just got to be better defensively, guard the ball better, help each other more, rebound, do those things — just get back to winning,” Barnes said. “This isn’t fun. Losing games by 30, this isn’t who we are. And we can’t just keep allowing this to happen. At some point, we got to stand up and we’ve got to put up a fight, starting with me. Start off the game better, guard better. We’ve just got to come together and do this thing the right way. The effort has got to be there.”

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Does it say something about the fight and will of the team that they showed no response to Rajakovic getting himself tossed after an epic argument with the officials in Memphis? Or that they had no response on Sunday?

Time will tell. But as they said, this can’t continue.

LOSING THE MATH GAME

Few teams consistently lose the three-point game within the game every night the way these Raptors do. Atlanta hit 18 threes to Toronto’s seven and attempted nearly twice as many. In the first quarter alone, it was seven Hawks makes to one by the Raptors. While the difference usually isn’t that stark, Toronto makes things far tougher by making and taking so few outside shots.

Toronto was making 11.4 before Tuesday’s game (only two teams hit fewer) and launching 33.3 (only Denver lets it fly from deep less often). Opponents make 13.6 three-pointers against the Raptors and attempt 35.5 (only nine teams allow more attempts).

This team is basically tying one hand behind its back nightly.

@WolstatSun

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