10 things I saw from Raptors-Cavaliers
Welcome to the 10 things I saw recap by theScore features writer William Lou, which serves to highlight emerging trends from a Raptors perspective.
10 things from Raptors-Cavaliers (Oct. 17)
Promising: The Raptors did what they were supposed to and took care of the LeBron-less Cavaliers. It was sloppy at times, as you would expect from the first game of the season (Toronto conceded 39 free throws), but they played as promised. The Raptors were fast, lethal from deep, and can reach deep into their bench for positive contributions.
Anticipation: Perhaps he was unnerved from thirsty fans swooning after his every move, but Kawhi Leonard’s debut got off to a slow start with a slew of clanked mid-range jumpers. He settled in as the game went on and found his shot, but one trend to watch is his propensity to isolate. Everyone else flows, but Leonard does his own thing.
Dominant: Any concerns about Kyle Lowry’s willingness to compete were greatly exaggerated. He was the best player on the floor, he closed the game with some gutsy drives, and showed a renewed willingness to slash to the basket that was missing at times last season. If this version of Lowry shows up consistently, the Raptors should top 60 wins.
Spark: Fred VanVleet is a tremendous backup point guard and teams like the Suns should be kicking themselves that they didn’t sign him this offseason. VanVleet consistently scored at the basket off crafty drives, and as always, he raised the intensity of the game as soon as he checked in. The two-point-guard look with VanVleet and Lowry is intriguing, and deserves more run.
Efficiency: Hustle will always be his calling card, but Pascal Siakam is also learning to be more aggressive on offense. He’s becoming a better cutter, he’s supremely confident while pushing the pace, and he’s showing an increased hunger to score. Siakam’s quickness coupled with his handle makes him an oddly effective post scorer.
Experience: Danny Green is what the Raptors wanted when they paid $60 million for DeMarre Carroll. He’s a gritty defender who’s always willing to scrap for loose balls, and he’s always a threat to shoot. He snatched a vital rebound in the fourth quarter, and played tremendous help defense with two steals and two blocks.
Unfortunate: There’s plenty to like about Serge Ibaka’s defensive effort (two steals, three blocks), but it was tough to watch him brick so many shots. At one point, he was 0-for-8 with a flubbed two-handed dunk, and yet, he still wouldn’t swing the ball. To make matters worse, Ibaka ended up fouling out.
Flashy: Jonas Valanciunas is finally starting to show some of the slick interior passing that Lithuanian centers are known for. His no-look bounce pass in tight quarters to a cutting OG Anunoby along the baseline was legitimately shocking, in a good way.
News and notes: OG picked up a right orbital bruise … Norman Powell continues to struggle and kept falling asleep defensively … CJ Miles barely played as his minutes have largely gone to Green … Delon Wright (thigh) sat out.
Congratulations ... to Raptors coach Nick Nurse for picking up his first NBA victory. It’s hard not to root for a true basketball lifer that coached in places like Great Britain and the G-League without losing any bit of his midwestern charm, before finally getting his first big league shot at the age of 51.