We the North - No Kawhi, No Problem
By: Wayne
Late last Wednesday night, in the Scotiabank arena, the Toronto Raptors found themselves struggling to keep pace in a game with the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers have been an excellent team this season, and it wouldn't be considered a major upset for them to knock off the Raptors. Indiana's bench had outscored Toronto's 55-22, Domantas Sabonis had registered another triple-double, and Malcolm Brogdon was having another scorching night offensively. The game looked out of hand with 2 minutes and 27 seconds remaining when Justin Holiday sank two free throws to put the Pacers up 118-108.
The Raps wouldn't roll over, though. Pascal Siakam made a layup to cut the lead to 8. Kyle Lowry sank a 3-pointer with a minute and 34 seconds still to play, and 20 seconds later Siakam cut it to just 4 with another couple of free throws (he was 10-11 on the night). 8 seconds later, Siakam stole the ball from Brogdon and made another layup to cut it down to 2. Suddenly, the Pacers were on the ropes. Nate McMillan frantically called for a timeout as Raptors fans roared for their team.
The Pacers couldn't generate offense on the next play as Victor Oladipo missed a driving layup and Serge Ibaka snagged the defensive board. With 30 seconds remaining in the game, Lowry dished to Ibaka for 3 to put Toronto up for good. The Pacers would get one more opportunity, but their momentum was gone - Oladipo missed another shot, and Brogdon turned it over again as time expired. In what looked like the Raptors' first loss in weeks, they were able to steal it with an 11-0 run as the clock ran out to extend their win streak to 12 games.
Lowry's veteran presence on both ends, as it has all season, spurred the Raps to the win - he finished with 32 points on 12-21 shooting with 8 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals. Siakam added 25 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Ibaka was huge as well with 30 points on 13-21 from the field along with 7 rebounds. Terrence Davis, the former Ole Miss product, has been a revelation in his rookie season and added another 11 points and 3 triples off the bench. Despite Marc Gasol missing the game and minimal bench production, Toronto found a way to get the win yet again.
Nobody expected the Raptors to be this good after they lost Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green over the summer. Sure, they are the NBA's defending champs but losing their Finals MVP and an important role player was supposed to crush their playoff chances this year. Instead, Toronto finds themselves at 39-14, a game and a half clear of the Celtics for the 2nd seed. Siakam's continued improvement has been the major story - after setting career-highs across the board last year, he's doing the same this year. Spicy P is averaging 23.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. He has also maintained a solid 3-point clip (35.4%) on increased volume (5.8 attempts per game). Siakam also leads the Raptors in net rating (minimum 28 minutes per game), and has taken his game from overlooked role player to likely a future max-contract. His first all-star nod this season, and starting spot, was well-deserved.
Kyle Lowry has made his 6th-straight all-star game, and his two-way impact cannot be overstated this year. Lowry ranks in the top ten for assists per game, and his 19.6 points per game, albeit on borderline inefficient shooting, has made him a force on offense. He's also contributing with his 7.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. Lowry also ranks in the top ten for defensive win shares, as does Siakam (minimum 24 minutes per game). Fred VanVleet has been excellent in his 4th season, taking a massive step forward to match his contributions during his lethal playoff stretch. VanVleet is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2020, and his breakout season should make him a hot commodity. He's putting up career-highs across the board with 17.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 6.9 assists as he has started every game of the season for the Raptors for the first time in his career.
The Raptors' defense has remained excellent, despite losing Kawhi and Green, two of their better defenders from their championship run. Lowry, VanVleet, and Siakam all rank inside the top-15 in field goal percentage against (minimum 9 shots per game against). The Raptors allow just 105.9 points per 100 possessions, which is the 2nd-best mark in the NBA this year and is also 2 points per 100 possessions better than they performed last year. Their offense has decidedly taken a hit, falling from the 5th-best rating to the 11th-best, despite only falling by 1.5 points per 100 possessions.
Ranking inside the top-ten in both offensive and defensive rating is generally a precursor to legitimate contender status. Toronto is certainly there on defense, and their offense ranks just outside the top 10 (0.1 points per 100 possessions away from the 10th-ranked Jazz). The Raptors employ several veterans - Lowry, Ibaka, Marc Gasol - who know what it takes to win a championship. Siakam and VanVleet are still young, but both made huge contributions to last year's title run. Both have also taken massive steps forward this season, as well. You can't teach championship DNA, and this team has it in spades.
Before this season, many NBA analysts looked at the Raptors as a bit of a rebuilding project. They were supposedly looking to retool around young players like the returning Siakam, VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Norman Powell, and Chris Boucher. Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol, both on expiring contracts, were supposed to be the stories of the trade deadline. Instead, thanks to contributions from their young guys and their vets, the Raps are in a great position heading into the all-star break this weekend. Toronto has become a well-oiled machine under Masai Ujiri, and have been one of the deepest rosters in the league for the past several seasons. VanVleet, Powell, Boucher, and Anunoby are all averaging a career-high in points. Terence Davis has been a revelation as a rookie, averaging 16.9 points per-36 minutes and shooting 42.9% from 3-point range, defining what this team prides itself on as yet another diamond in the rough uncovered by the Toronto front office.
So no, the Raptors may not have the same top-level ability as last year after losing Kawhi - a player who is widely seen as a top-three player in the NBA. But this season of surprising success and their current 14-win streak (two teams don't even have 14 wins on the season!) proves that Toronto's model is working - Ujiri and Nick Nurse are possibly the best general manager and head coach combination in the league. The Raptors are going to be a tough out for any team in the playoffs with their elite two-way play, and the Bucks have to feel good about the Raps sitting 4.5 games out of the 4-seed. A potential Eastern Conference Finals rematch between those two teams looms large, and Toronto can't be ruled out in making a potential repeat appearance in this year's Finals to defend their title.
