Barnes shines, Nwora and Dick show encouraging signs for shorthanded Raptors

At shootaround on the morning of Feb. 7, 2019, Jonas Valanciunas declared that he can be returning that night time from a dislocated thumb that had sidelined him for 25 video games. Hours later, Valanciunas was packing his baggage, because the Raptors had traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies as a part of the Marc Gasol commerce.

It was a whirlwind day in a whirlwind week in a whirlwind season. Within the days that adopted, the Raptors’ post-deadline roster was in such flux that sparsely-known CBA guidelines got here into impact and Steve Sladkowski of the Toronto punk band PUP was in a position to declare — with legitimacy — that he had secured a Gasol Raptors jersey in New York that weekend earlier than the Spanish centre himself did.

On the night time of Feb. 7 in Atlanta, although, the roster was simply … empty.

Valanciunas, C.J. Miles, Delon Wright, Greg Monroe and Malachi Richardson had all been traded away, Gasol wasn’t there but, Chris Boucher, then a two-way participant, was with Raptors 905, and Kawhi Leonard was sitting out with a sore knee. The Raptors blew the Hawks out regardless, as a result of they had been excellent and really deep, and even 26 mixed minutes for Patrick McCaw and Jordan Loyd – taking part in 13 p.c of his profession NBA minutes that night time – couldn’t sluggish a soon-to-be champion.

On Sunday, the Raptors had been as soon as once more taking part in skinny in Atlanta close to the commerce deadline. It was… completely different than 2019.

This time, the Raptors’ lack of gamers was not because of commerce or luxury-tax shirking roster-trimming. Three starters in Immanuel Quickley (quad contusion), RJ Barrett (knee swelling) and Jakob Poeltl (ankle sprain) had been all sidelined because of damage, with two gamers on task with Raptors 905 (Javon Freeman-Liberty and Kira Lewis Jr.) and a sixth technically with the 905 and in addition inured (Markquis Nowell). The Raptors nominally had 12 gamers, however Otto Porter Jr. and Garrett Temple are firmly in emergency (or garbage-time) solely roles, whereas Jalen McDaniels is up to now out of the rotation that he could as properly be Josh McDaniels.

However Sunday’s 126-125 loss to the Hawks nonetheless had a variety of attraction from the Raptors’ facet. It wasn’t almost the identical as in 2019, when a chaotic day and skinny roster was a obligatory (and amusing) checkpoint at a really enjoyable time within the franchise. It wasn’t like related nights within the Tampa Tank season, both, although, the place Khem Birch performed small ahead and also you needed to squint at Malachi Flynn and Paul Watson Jr. to suppose any of it might matter in any respect down the road.

On this case, the Raptors acquired sturdy performances from a variety of younger gamers who might be a part of their future. If nothing else, they’re gamers who’re exhibiting they know the chance that sits at their toes proper now, ranging wherever from the possibility to develop into the unquestioned face of a franchise to the possibility to increase an NBA profession previous a two-way contract or salary-matching commerce throw-in.

It begins, as all issues do proper now, with Scottie Barnes, who was a monster defensively. That included Barnes succeeding on a pet play of his, faking as if he was going to attract a cost in opposition to Jalen Johnson earlier than pulling out of it and defending. Johnson was perplexed, and the Hawks acquired nothing out of a key possession. Barnes’ versatility and physicality had been on full show at each ends, as he dished eight assists in quite a lot of fashions and scored 24 factors on simply 14 field-goal makes an attempt. Late, Barnes welcomed contact, as he does, ending by way of Johnson when the Hawks scrambled to keep away from switching a smaller defender on to him. The Raptors proceed to lose these video games, however the reps as a two-way ace are invaluable.

An unlikely bench trio additionally emerged in help.

Jontay Porter was again to reliability within the backup centre position, stroking three threes, dishing three assists, and usually being the heady participant that’s made him appear to be a long-term reserve piece till the previous couple of video games. It feels secure to say his story will proceed the remainder of the yr, and doubtless past.

Gradey Dick, in the meantime, appears to be studying by the week and had what was most likely his finest recreation of the season. He scored 15 off the bench, made a variety of good passes, notably in transition. The Hawks attacked him sufficient defensively for Darko Rajakovic to need to name for extra aggressive double-teams than he would possibly in any other case desire, however you’ll need to reside with that for now. Dick additionally as soon as once more acquired to shut out an in depth recreation, save for some offence-defence subs.

The most important shock was Jordan Nwora, who scored a season-high 24 factors and added 9 rebounds and 6 assists. He’s nonetheless discovering his footing within the offensive system, which might result in occasional miscues and the odd missed learn. Nwora doesn’t get fairly the identical grace of youth because the others, provided that he’s 25 and in yr 4 of taking part in rotation minutes within the league. Nonetheless, the e-book on Nwora has been that he’s an enormous shooter who hasn’t been in a position to set up a second NBA ability; on Sunday, he confirmed a bit extra.

The three of these gamers collectively contributed to an enormous bench benefit for Toronto. Atlanta needed to begin Bogdan Bogdanovic because of a late scratch for Dejounte Murray, and the Hawks bench put up a goose egg outdoors of Onyeka Okongwu. (They had been additionally 2-of-19 on threes outdoors of Bogdanovic.) Toronto received the bench scoring battle 56-10, one thing that’s been fairly uncommon this yr, and extra notably they received the bench minutes as a crew considerably. That stored this recreation shut right down to the wire and positively saved the leisure worth.

Sarcastically for such a crew at the moment of yr, it was the veterans who harm the Raptors most within the loss. Bruce Brown had a bizarrely tough outing and nonetheless performed 37 minutes. For a sensible participant, he continues to have a variety of hiccups discovering his footing, together with some slippery fingers. It’ll come, except he’s gone earlier than it could. Dennis Schroder, in the meantime, closed out an honest recreation with a well-known sample of doing an excessive amount of in crunch time, main him to foul out on a key charging name. Chris Boucher was onerous to note outdoors of turning the ball over on the break. And Thad Younger, who can do no flawed in these books, can’t be your third-best participant each night time anymore, it seems (gasp).

The sport was additionally bookended by glowing tributes to Poeltl within the type of terrible paint safety. Atlanta handed their season common for dunks in a recreation about 10 minutes into the primary quarter, and their 24 factors within the paint within the opening body simply stored swelling to 76 by the tip. The Hawks acquired to the rim at a 99th-percentile fee and shot 73.3 p.c once they acquired there, untenable numbers even for a Raptors crew with no true beginning large.

Predictably, Saddiq Bey ended the sport with a putback dunk after Brown and Barnes had accomplished a pleasant job forcing Younger into a tricky floater. (An apart: the Raptors had been solely forward due to a weird Younger turnover seconds prior, the place he appeared to count on an intentional foul to be coming and simply threw the ball away to Dick.) Bey is likely one of the NBA’s finest offensive rebounders, general and per inch, and he now has 13 offensive boards in three video games in opposition to the Raptors. Atlanta had 20 general within the recreation, which you’re not often going to outlive.

To name the sport a blended bag for Toronto misses the bigger image proper now. Whether or not you care in regards to the play-in or not, or whether or not your choice is to convey the decide they owe the Spurs in 2024 or 2025, it’s essential to not ignore one other 36 video games of participant growth forward. The outcomes themselves are much less materials than the person development, and thru that lens, you’re most likely extra inspired with Dick, Nwora, Porter and Barnes right here than you’re upset they misplaced a one-point recreation to a equally dangerous and banged-up crew.

This figures to be a protracted journey. There are 5 extra video games on the street, culminating the day earlier than the commerce deadline (Feb. 8). There will probably be nights that appear to be this, nights that look extra just like the fateful 2019 night time in Atlanta, and, sadly, nights that appear to be late within the Tampa season. Whether or not you like the play-in or the losses, optimistic nights for younger gamers must be entrance of thoughts the remainder of the way in which. I’d name Sunday begin to this new-ish dynamic.

Principally, the extra nights forward the place Dick will get a kiss on the brow from Barnes as a result of they’re taking part in properly collectively, the higher.

Extra from Sportsnet

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