With four games officially in the annals of preseason records and with three games remaining to wet our collective whistles I thought (which is dangerous) that this would be as good of a time as ever to digest what has transpired and speculate on what may in the future.
The preseason has been greatly consistent with our expectations which is really all you can ask for. Bosh has looked stronger but still the same very good power forward we have come to know. Bargnani can still score the ball. Calderon is efficient. Quincy Douby takes shots and Patrick O'Bryant is funny looking.
The main thing is that there have been no major injuries and if that stays consistent then we have had a very successful preseason. The one big difference from this preseason than others in the past is that I get the distinct idea that if there were to be an injury to a 'key guy' this team does have the depth to compensate for a short period of time.
Now lets observe and be bold with speculation:
What happened to the offense?
Through the first 4 games the boys in red... or white... or black have looked out of sync on offense. Bosh has not played very much in those 4 games, add 35 minutes a night with Bosh on the floor and the offense will be better. Coach Jay Triano has also injected some new sets into the offense that, because of their justified emphasis on defense in training camp, do not look polished. Triano also mentioned that having Turkoglu back will help:
“Just watching him in drills, he gets the ball to the second side, if it’s (with) a skip pass or if someone gets caught cheating, he’s got strong enough wrists he can throw it across the court.
“He knows how to play basketball, he knows how to find guys and move the basketball."
The problem though is that the Raptors have been horrible shooting the ball from the 3 point line so far and shooting .431 from the field and for a team that was thought to need their offense to win games it is a little concerning.
The one very interesting statistic pertaining to offense so far is the free throw shooting. Last year the Raptors averaged roughly 22 free throw attempts per game. In the preseason so far; 32 attempts per game. Assuming the Raptors shoot around .800 % again this year, that is an increase of around 8 more points per game and in a league where the point differential is so low, that is a huge 8 points.
Defense... The Raptors are playing it?
I know I'm full of them today but here are a few more statistics for you:
Steals (totals over four games)
Raptors- 41
Opponents- 33
Blocks (totals over four games)
Raptors- 24
Opponents- 12
Opponents Shooting Percentage
2 point field goal- .431
3 point field goal- .298
These statistics speak for themselves but a few things to note. In 2006/2007 when the Raptors won 47 games and the Atlantic division title on the strength of our bench. Over the first four preseason games the second unit has been playing the majority of the minutes and looks like they will be a strength of the team once again. Especially at the defensive end.
Touch Passes
I had mentioned this in a previous entry but what continues to impress about Jarrett Jack is his ability to keep his dribble alive and his patience on offense. He will routinely dribble out of or split double teams at the top of the arc then get into the heart of the lane. When most guard get to this point they either pass or shoot, Jack if none of the before-mentioned options are wise will dribble out of the lane and either reset or take a short corner baseline jump shot which is very effective.
He has only shot .345 from the field and has yet to make a 3 point shot but all his shots have been open jump shots or have been in the lane. He has not forced many shots.
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Marco Belinelli is the Anti-Kapono. This is a guy that is not afraid to take open shots, especially of the 3 point variety. Will breakdown his man off the dribble with relative ease without turning the ball over, and seems to have a passion and almost fury for the game that will endear himself to the Raptors fans.
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Something that is very clear, Amir Johnson is going to have his fair share of short nights due to foul trouble, he leads the team with 18. However the Raptors have not had a young shot-blocker this good or exciting since Keon Clark. Johnson has the potential of being the anchor of the second line defense, and with Reggie Evans being a good one-on-one defender, a perfect compliment with opportunities for help side blocks at a high rate.
One of the things that makes him such a good shot-blocker is his ability to block shots with his left hand. This is key because most players in the league are right handed and instead of trying to go across the opponents body with his right hand to block the shot, Amir can go up with his left hand to block the right handed opponents shot. This was evident with his impressive block on Dominic McGuire Sunday.
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Biggest surprise of preseason so far?
Sonny Weems!
I have to admit I was dead set on him becoming the brunt of most jokes Raptors this season but he has looked good. He has not forced bad shots which most players vying for court time do in preseason (see Quincy Douby), he has gotten his points on running the lanes on the break and being active on the offensive end. He has also played decent defense and if he continues to give effort on that end of the court with his athleticism and frame, he will earn himself a lot of respect with the coaches.
Is he going to crack the rotation?
No, the minutes are still Antoine Wrights to loose, but if injuries pop up or players really struggle the coaches will not hesitate to let him fly.
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A friend of mine was commenting that he thought Belinelli kind of looked like Hedo Turkoglu the other day, then another thought he looked like Manu Ginobili which got me thinking.
It has to be the neck beards? Check out the Euro's around the league, an inordinate amount have neck beards...
- J.Moore
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