The vacation season is nearing an finish, and to some, meaning new beginnings. The NBA G League is not any completely different as Friday indicators a restart for all 31 groups.
Following the conclusion of the league’s Winter Showcase in Florida final week — an occasion that each one NBA entrance places of work attended — every squad’s document was cleaned to begin a model new 34-game common season.
And so now looks like a very good time to verify in on Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate.
Let’s examine who stood out by means of the primary two months and what to anticipate shifting ahead earlier than the 905 return to motion towards the Birmingham Squadron in Mississauga, Ont., on Friday.
Canadian contingent main the cost
It is no secret that because the NBA’s lone franchise north of the border, the Raptors have a selected curiosity in native expertise. Strikes to accumulate RJ Barrett and Kelly Olynyk final season had been indicative of that, together with the actual fact Toronto has essentially the most Canadians on its roster (4) of any crew within the NBA.
That sentiment has trickled all the way down to the 905 as effectively, with the G League squad that includes a trio of Canadian stars. A.J. Lawson, Eugene Omoruyi and Quincy Guerrier have all discovered a spot with the junior dinos and are proving to be key gamers to this point.
Lawson, the newest addition of the three, signed a two-way take care of the Raptors earlier in December. The Toronto native formally grew to become the tenth Canadian to play for the Raptors as he checked in for 4 minutes in a loss to the New York Knicks on Monday. He is made three appearances for the 905 and led the crew in scoring throughout that span, averaging 24 factors per recreation (tenth within the G League) to go together with 6.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals.
His finest recreation got here in a win towards the Maine Celtics as Lawson scored 34 factors, made four-of-10 triples and grabbed seven rebounds and three steals. However Lawson wasn’t the one one to step up towards Maine. Omoruyi additionally chipped in 34 factors as a part of a double-double with 10 rebounds, whereas Guerrier racked up 19 factors and 13 boards of his personal.
Omoruyi joined the 905 after signing into the G League in November and has step by step changed into the squad’s best ahead. “Geno” is averaging 20.7 factors per recreation (twenty first within the G League) and eight.3 rebounds by means of 10 video games. Previous to the Showcase, the massive man had a three-game stretch by which he averaged 31 factors on a hyper-efficient 78.4 per cent clip.
In the meantime, Guerrier, the longest-tenured Canadian 905er, has been a “chief” for the crew all 12 months, per head coach Drew Jones, and routinely relied upon. Regardless of lacking a pair video games whereas representing Canada on the FIBA AmeriCup qualifiers in Saskatchewan and seeing his function shifted a number of instances, the 25-year-old has averaged the second most minutes (32.0) whereas placing up 13.8 factors and seven.3 rebounds by means of 12 video games. And for a squad that is seen its justifiable share of accidents and roster motion, having a dependable plug-and-play choice like Montreal’s Guerrier has been drastically appreciated.
Apart from the Canadians, there have been just a few different 905ers value mentioning, beginning with Kennedy Chandler. The third-year guard out of Tennessee has pretty constantly acted because the 905’s ground common, minus a pair video games the place he took a again seat to Jamal Shead and performed off-ball subsequent to the not too long ago waived DJ Carton.
Chandler is averaging 18.3 factors on 51 per cent taking pictures from the sector (40 per cent from distance) to go together with 6.8 assists and 1.6 steals. His five-foot-11, 170-pound body has achieved little to discourage his affect because the 22-year-old has the eighth-best help share within the G League and Twenty fifth-best effectivity score. And if we’re speaking about late-season call-up candidates akin to Javon Freeman-Liberty final 12 months, Chandler has earned the proper to be on the high of that record.
One other American who’s discovered a basketball dwelling in Mississauga is Dylan Disu. The rookie ahead out of Texas would not have eye-popping numbers — 8.4 factors, 4.4 rebounds and just below one block and steal a recreation — however his jump-off-the-screen athleticism is one thing few others on the 905 possess. He is routinely good for a highlight-reel dunk or block and when the jumper is falling, Disu presents the squad one other three-and-D menace.
It is evident that coach Jones holds the 24-year-old in excessive regard. When the quartet of Raptors rookies (Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamison Battle and Jonathan Mogbo) joined the 905 for double obligation towards the Greensboro Swarm earlier within the month, it was Disu who acquired the beginning nod alongside them — a call the 905’s bench boss referred to as a “no-brainer” after they stomped the Swarm by 42 factors. Disu did greater than maintain his personal with the Raptors rookies, dropping a career-high 26 factors whereas catching fireplace from deep for eight triples on 9 makes an attempt.
The six-foot-seven ahead has NBA-calibre athleticism, and if he can proceed flattening 39.3 per cent of his triples whereas offering stable defence, he might warrant, on the very least, a “thanks” 10-day deal within the doldrums of March and April basketball like Kobi Simmons final season.
The 905’s most up-to-date addition was eight-year NBA veteran Frank Kaminsky, who signed with the squad forward of the Showcase. And whereas two video games, the primary of which was forgettable, is not a lot to contemplate for the 31-year-old, his expertise assist fill gaps on the 905 roster. Kaminsky is presumably sticking round till an NBA crew comes calling, and that is a welcomed addition contemplating the 905 rank twenty ninth in rebounding and haven’t any different seven-footers on the roster. Kaminsky regarded spectacular within the crew’s lone showcase win, placing up 33 factors whereas nailing three of his 5 triples to go together with seven rebounds and 5 assists.
The NBA Raptors are noticeably skinny on the centre spot behind Jakob Poeltl — who’s at present nursing a groin pressure — and if the Austrian will get moved on the commerce deadline, the frontcourt state of affairs solely will get bleaker. Including Kaminsky, who’s looking for a path bag to the massive leagues, alongside Kelly Olynyk and Bruno Fernando (who could be gone earlier than his contract totally ensures in January) might make sense as a stop-gap answer for the rest of the season.
Ulrich Chomche coming alongside
It is a bit atypical for a 57th general choose to garner as a lot curiosity as Chomche has so far, however it’s additionally not troublesome to see why. At age 18, he was the youngest participant drafted into the league this 12 months whereas concurrently being the primary individual chosen out of the NBA Africa Academy. The Cameroonian’s mixture of measurement, athleticism and instincts (particularly on the defensive finish) make him a tantalizing prospect for the rebuilding Raptors.
However to the parents eager to see Chomche get extra run with the NBA squad this season, persistence could also be required. His recreation remains to be extra principle than observe at this level, with averages of 5.9 factors, 6.1 rebounds and a pair of.8 blocks on 22.7 minutes an evening.
On offence, the six-foot-11 huge man has largely been relegated to the dunker spot to scrub up misses for his factors. His expertise as a screener have gotten higher however there’s nonetheless a methods to go.
The speedy upside he presents is on defence. Chomche is tied for eighth within the G League in blocks per recreation and his skill to foretell and time shot contests whereas masking large chunks of house is not one thing you’ll be able to typically educate. Having a seven-foot-four wing span in all probability helps, too. He seems to not at all times be speaking on defence, which has led to some miscues like getting caught in awkward spots and occasional foul hassle. Let’s chalk that as much as inexperience because the youngest participant on the court docket most nights.
The advantage of that rawness, nevertheless, is that {the teenager} remains to be largely a clean canvas — a “sponge,” as Jones stated. He began the season in a spot function, however with the departure of Branden Carlson, who was picked up by the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, Chomche’s seen extra time each as a starter and rotation participant off the bench. He appears to be studying and implementing one thing new with each rep.
There are few groups within the G League extra prepared for a reset than the 905. After a 5-11 begin by means of the Tip-Off event and Showcase, the subsequent 34 video games supply renewed life.
Because the NBA crew has handled its personal harm bug (extra like a locust swarm), the junior dinos have been an unlucky casualty. Coming into the 12 months, the likes of Walter, Mogbo, Shead and Battle had been all anticipated to spend extra time within the G League however with the NBA squad so thinned out, the Raptors have had little alternative however to play them. Battle has already made 28 of the 50 regular-season appearances allotted for two-way gamers earlier than they should be transformed to a normal deal to proceed enjoying NBA video games.
The purpose is that the 905 can see a few of these reinforcements extra typically if and when well being finally returns to Toronto’s roster. The Raptors do not play once more till Sunday once they host the Atlanta Hawks, so there might be some backup towards Birmingham to kick off the common season.
Even on the 905 roster, there’s expertise that hasn’t been capitalized upon as a consequence of accidents. Charlie Brown Jr., a G League veteran and defensive pest (3.5 steals a recreation, tied for second), has missed 5 video games this season. Jared Rhoden was picked up almost three weeks in the past — after averaging 23 factors in two video games with the Swarm — however has but to make his 905 debut as a consequence of a shoulder sprain.
Motion resumes on Friday from the Paramount Wonderful Meals Centre in Mississauga for the primary of 4 dwelling video games. If all of it comes collectively, there needs to be some enjoyable hoops in retailer for the 905 within the new 12 months.
