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Toronto Raptors won their fourth successive game with a 125-107 victory over the struggling Washington Wizards, who are 6-12 to start the 2018/19 campaign. Currently top of the Eastern Conference, the Raptors' season has been relatively drama-free - just months after Kawhi Leonard's surprise trade from San Antonio.
The two-time All-Star has begun the new season in fantastic form, currently averaging 24.7 points (47.5%), 8.5 rebounds and 3 assists - while missing a few games to avoid injury and maintaining freshness. Here are five talking points from a comfortable Raptors victory.
#5 Raptors' squad depth improving
It's becoming increasingly clear that the Raptors' team depth has kept improving and is now a strong component of the team's makeup. Head coach Nick Nurse utilised all 13 players and none for more than 30 minutes, a total reached by Kawhi and Kyle Lowry.
Furthermore, six players were in double figures when it came to scoring. Kawhi's 27 was accompanied by OG Annuoby - scoring 15 from the bench. The bench unit contributed an impressive 59 points from their 124 total.
Kawhi's stint in Toronto is potentially a short-term investment for long-term gain, but with an eye on his fitness given last season's injury woes, Nurse can comfortably manage the minutes of his star players without having to compromise on court consistency and scoring production. A welcome luxury to have.
#4 Raptors need another reliable scorer on their bench
In this game, the Raptors shot a solid 17/39 from behind the three-point arc. However, we can expect them to add a veteran sharpshooter before the trade deadline in 2019.
While the additions of Leonard and Danny Green have made the team much more potent from long-range, CJ Miles was 1/7 from three-point range. Since his addition to their roster last year, the 31-year-old has been inconsistent with his long-range stroke.
Players like Anunoby and Pascal Siakam are still developing and nicely at that, but are 32% and 31% respectively from behind the arc. Neither can be depended upon to consistently make that shot, so it's important general manager Bobby Webster adds another shooting option to their ever-improving bench.
One potential exciting addition for Raptors fans would be Vince Carter. The Toronto faithful have forgiven him for an acrimonious departure back in 2005 and is considered a strong reason for both interest and consequent growth of the sport in Canada. The best reason he fits their playing style is, at 41-years-old, he does not require major minutes but can still shoot from long-range at an above average rate and is still a reliable scorer.
Just last week against the Raptors themselves, he scored 14 points for Atlanta and recorded his 25,001 point - leaving him 26th overall on the NBA's all-time scorers list. Set to retire sooner rather than later, it's possible a trade deadline deal could be made with the Hawks to obtain the legend before then. It would serve as quite a homecoming for a former electrifying franchise player, who spent his first six-and-a-half seasons in Toronto.
#3 Raptors flourish with sharing and good ball movement
The Raptors are playing good team basketball on offense and here was no different - recording 32 assists on 46 field goals made against the Wizards. Nine players recorded at least one assist, with Lowry and Fred VanVleet combining for 16.
Their offense works best when the ball is moving quickly and the opposition defence is forced to shift across as a result. Leonard was making good decisions in possession, where he was isolated and drew extra defensive attention. For the season thus far, the Raptors are 7th overall in assists-per-game with 25.6, which is encouraging to say the least.
Lowry has been excellent so far this season. He's averaging a double-double with 15.4 points and 10.5 assists per game up to this point. Should he maintain this pace throughout the 82-game stretch, it would be his highest APG of his career. It just goes to show that adding Kawhi and Green has continued to breed newfound confidence in Toronto.
#2 Defensive intensity
Defensive intensity. In this game, it was missing for two quarters - plus extras. While the Raptors recorded 70 first-half points, they gave the Wizards 62 of their own. In addition, they allowed their opponents a 9-0 run - losing the lead at 71-70.
Ultimately, they only scored 45 second-half points, so the Raptors eventually found their defensive stride. It's a great thing to be able to change gears and become more intense, but the team needs to strike a good balance between switching intensity levels and matching their opponent's level of play.
Bradley Beal and John Wall combined to score 31 points, on 12/29 shooting. The Raptors have strong showings across a number of defensive categories: ranked 7th overall in defensive rating, 5th in defensive rebounding, 5rd in opponent's FG% at 30.9%. A tough team to score against, it's important they maintain their defensive focus for extended stretches in games to avoid precarious situations in future.
#1 Defensive rebounding must improve
The final point is somewhat related to the penultimate one. The Raptors must finish defensive possessions - their defensive rebounding needs to improve.
On this occasion, they allowed the Wizards to earn 15 offensive rebounds. Each time your opponent grabs an offensive board, it extends the amount of time you're concerned with defending. Coaches want maximum effort on the defensive end, so when you expend that same energy, the reward is a rebound. It's demoralising that you hound a team into taking a poor shot and have to repeat the process once more.
It's a great win for defences now that the shot clock only resets to 14 seconds after an offensive rebound, but if they are struggling to score consistently, second chance points is a sure-fire way to give them an opportunity to stay competitive.
With that in mind, the Raptors must work harder to secure those rebounds. Their current defensive rating is 21st in the league - giving an average of 11.4 per game. Far from encouraging.
Guess the Lakers players!
