Transcription
The Raptors run out of gas in Philadelphia. It was a valiant effort on the second night of a back-to-back. The bench mob plus good games from Scotty and IQ. Let's go to the film room.
The only thing that's originally felt is that, and I, I've studied older films and try to figure out how I got that impression.
The Raptors have the third best bench in terms of plus-minus to start this season. They are also third in three-point percentage off of the bench. A lot of that has to do with this guy right here, Sandro Mamukelashvili, knocking down his threes, stretching the floor, and being a five-out option for the Raptors. But also, Jamal Shed has been effective shooting the ball. He's knocking down 41% of his threes to start this season, looking more comfortable settling into these pull-ups like this. And to wrap it up together, they have this defensive monster and just all-around rim presence in Koloko Murray-Boiles doing a little bit of everything off the bench to counteract the offensive punch that Mamukelashvili has provided in the front court.
This bench unit provided a massive spark for the Raptors, especially in the first quarter, as they ended up dropping 43 points on the Sixers in the opening frame. I really like the combination of CMBB and Shed because one, CMB is so good at setting these screens and slipping out of them. Uh, but also at the same time, Jamal Shed is just so fast that the connection makes sense because Shed can get downhill pretty easily and that opens up a lot of offensive rebound opportunities for CMBB, who's rolling to the basket. So, as you see here, sets a screen, you know, gives Shed that opening and then Shed forces Adam Bona to sell out on this drive. So, Bona comes out to contest. That creates an opportunity for CNB to crash the offensive glass. And that's why this pairing is decent on a pick-and-roll situation. CNB cleans up here.
CNB is basically one of the only players on the Raptors that can really apply this ball pressure and make life hell for opposing teams. Just pokes out this ball from Kelly Oubre. Forces the turnover here. Only caught the tail end of this, but a very, very tough shot for Grady Dick. He knocks that down. It was his one-three of the game. And then a little bit later, pokes this out. Raptors are out and running. And it gives an opportunity for Sandro in transition.
Really like some of the moves from Grady Dick tonight. Just didn't have a lot of finishes. You know, start a rip here. Gets downhill against VJ Edgecombe. Draws so much attention. I mean, look, look how much help is here. Especially because Scotty Barnes is popping out as well. And that creates an opportunity for CMBB, who is still not respected yet as a three-point shooter. Scotty with the quick pass to CMBB, who knocks down the shot.
This is just an absurd defensive possession from the Raptors. Watch as Scotty Barnes stonewalls Joel Embiid and then these blind doubles that the Raptors love doing. Again, CMBB Magneto with those hands just rips this out of Embiid's hands, which is not an easy thing to do. Embiid is a strong fellow here, steals it, and then CNB goes all the way, gets the foul call.
So, this opportunity gets created because of Scotty Barnes with this ball reversal. You know, IQ runs a pick-and-roll with Sandro and all the attention is on IQ and Scotty. Now, they miscommunicate on this. Sandro gets a pretty decent look here from three and he's knocked down his shots, but I like the unselfishness for him to pump fake, realize Jacobe Walter, who, um, has been, has had a slow start to this season offensively, needs a shot. He knocks down the shot. That's instilling confidence in your teammates right there. And then Sandro here slipping to the basket, gets downhill and one. Uh, just a really crafty player for his position. I've thought Mamukelashvili has been good defensively, too. Pokes this ball out. Unfortunately, uh, kind of stumbles over it and the Sixers get an opportunity here.
And in the fourth quarter, Raptors are trying to make a run. Watch what Jamal Shed is doing against Tyrese Maxey, who has absolutely cooked the Raptors. Basically ball denial for the entire possession. Uh, you know, somewhat of a box-and-one here just because of the amount of ball denial will remind you of the 2019 finals. And so, you know, the Sixers without Maxey unable to get a decent start to their possession. Sideline out-of-bounds play. Raptors run a flare screen for IQ. IQ has knocked down a bunch of shots at this point. And so he's going to receive two to the ball. Maxey helps off the inbounder. That creates an opportunity for Jamal Shed to cut to the basket here. You always got to watch the inbounder. And so he does this. Shed with the quick pass, connective pass to CMBB, who pump fakes, attacks the closeout, and finishes. Really nice drive from CMBB there.
So Jamal Shed already annoying Maxey here to start this possession, denying him the ball. Doesn't let him catch the ball in order to bring it up. And then a little bit later in the possession, they try to run Maxey off of a dribble handoff. And I just love the connectiveness. Good job by Shed on this defensive possession to really not let Maxey get an edge. Getting downhill forces him into a really tough shot. That is, that's the, that's the ideal version of a Jamal Shed defensive possession every single time. You know, Maxey cuts back door. CNB realizes, reaches the precipice. That is unreal stuff from CNB. Again, really good activity. Ball denial here from Jamal Shed. You know, gets his hand in the cookie jar. Raptors out and running in transition. And then RJ ends up with the layup.
And so, 39 points for the Raptors off of the bench in this one. They were awesome. Sandro Mamukelashvili was great. Jamal Shed was great. Koloko Murray-Boiles was awesome, the rookie. That trio in general, uh, has really established themselves. Every time those guys step in on the floor, they just provide life for this Raptors team.
As we welcome you inside the film room, folks, thank you very much for subscribing to Raptors Republic. I did a little call to action, a little CTA, uh, in the last episode to get those subscribers up. We are now 80 subscribers away from 15,000 subscribers. So, we appreciate you guys. Anyways, um, this was a really, really great bench game for the Raptors. No Jakob Poeltl, and so Ochai Agbaji steps in for the Raptors into the starting lineup. He was tasked with guarding Tyrese Maxey, and all respect to Ochai Agbaji, he got absolutely cooked guarding Tyrese Maxey. Maxey ended up with 31 points, 12 of 24 shooting, three of 10 from three, seven assists, uh, one steal, two blocks. He basically got whatever he wanted, particularly when Ochai was on the floor, and that's why those Jamal Shed possessions were really important because, you know, Shed did a really great job in the fourth quarter of not making Maxey that much of a factor until the end of it.
And I think the Raptors ultimately ran out of gas. Second night of a back-to-back. They got dominated in the paint. Uh, what was the final number on the paint numbers there? Because it was bad throughout. 64 points in the paint for the Philadelphia 76ers, 38 points for the Toronto Raptors. They really struggled on fast break points and they also got dominated in the second chance points category. They got dominated on the boards in general. 63 rebounds to 47 for Toronto. All of that permeates, comes from the fact that Jakob Poeltl was not in tonight. Uh, so they just looked like the smaller team. Joel Embiid, who ended up with 29 points, six rebounds, and four assists on 16 shots in 25 minutes, uh, was awesome in this game. He was a plus-15 in 25 minutes. You know that he was dominating basically every minute that he was out there.
Um, it was basically a really, really good effort. And by the way, another example of why the Raptors were just outmatched physically. Trendan Watford ended up with 20 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists. Uh, Watford, if you guys remember the Olympics, Gershon Yabuseli made team Canada look small in that France game. That is what Trendan Watford did to this Raptors team tonight. I thought Brandon Ingram really struggled defensively to contain him. Just was way more physical than BI. Um, the rap, the Sixers actually went at Brandon Ingram a lot in the fourth quarter to get him involved in actions, and that's something you'll see because of how much of a load he has to carry in the fourth quarter, uh, offensively, that you'll see opposing teams also target him to make him work on the defensive end, make him more tired.
Um, the Raptors in general looked pretty tired outside of the first quarter and a few stretches throughout the second half. I do love their fight though. Like it was, it was, you could tell that they are on a different level. And this goes without saying, but they, they clearly look like they're on a different level compared to years past where they probably mailed that game in. This game, second night of a back-to-back, missing your starting center against a big team. That is, my friends, a scheduled loss. That is what most people in the NBA would call a scheduled loss. And yet still, the Raptors found ways to get involved in this game. It was down to, I think it was 116-119 at one point in the fourth quarter. Uh, a run in the third quarter by Scotty Barnes and Emanuel Quickley. The bench had massive moments in the start of the fourth quarter and the end of the first quarter. Those guys really provided life for this team. And it was cool to see a Raptors team really fight it out, like try to win a game that they probably shouldn't have won either way. That was the cool part about this.
And I think that goes to it. It's a testament to this bench because they're deep, they're versatile, and I think even outside of, and this is why I wanted to have the Grady Dick conversation here because Grady, Ochai, and Jacobe Walter and Jameson Battle are all battling, no pun intended, for a bulk of minutes, right? And Grady ends up with 11 minutes. Jacobe Walter ends up with 11 minutes. Ochai, who started, ends up with, uh, 15 minutes. Jameson Battle ended up with nine seconds in this game. Uh, I think Grady deserves more opportunity to be honest with you because I think he's a very important offensive player for this team. And while he had a lot of moments, especially in that third and fourth quarter where, you know, he would, uh, drive downhill, kick out, kind of shake somewhere else on the court, get it, miss the three or attack a closeout, really do a great job of getting to the basket, missing the shot. And it felt like a lot of moments where he was almost getting a good play down. He was great against the Hawks yesterday. And so, I think he is a part of the bench mob. I think, you know, the quartet of Sandro, of CMBB, of Shed and Grady, those are the four guys that I think the Raptors should run the most off of the bench.
Uh, it's been a strugglesome start to the season for Jacobe Walter in terms of his offense, and I, I honestly don't think his confidence is there right now. There were moments even in this game where he looked hesitant to shoot. I think he needs to figure out a way to get that confidence back. Truthfully, part of that part, part of that, excuse me, is the fact that the Raptors are splitting the playing time between all of these guys. And so, it's hard for them all to get rhythm. Ochai Agbaji, last I checked, is shooting 9% from three. Um, so it's just hard for all these guys who are three-point shooters, you know, to get the rhythm that they need necessary to knock down these shots when they're being asked to. And that's why Jameson Battle makes a lot of sense. Jameson Battle, cold as ice, can walk on the court and knock down threes. And that's why he probably makes a lot of sense in some of these rotational situations. I think Grady makes a lot of sense, too, because even on his worst days, Grady can provide you with a level of gravity offensively. And that's important for this Raptors team because of, you know, the, I mean, the look, the three-point shooting has been great to start the year. They had a good three-point shooting night. Tonight again, 16 of 38, knocking down 42% of their threes, but at the same time, you need a guy like Grady to get some of the attention off-ball in some of these secondary actions. And so I would advocate for more Grady Dick minutes, even though I, I imagine there will be people in the comments saying Grady can't defend, Grady is missing his shots, Grady is not a good three-point shooter, Grady is not winning his minutes. And yet, if you look at it, Grady was a plus-five tonight in 11 minutes, and I believe he's near the top of the Raptors in terms of plus-minus very early into this season. The Raptors do win their minutes when Grady Dick is on the floor, even when he's not making his shots, and there have been a couple of games this season where he is knocking down his shots and the Raptors offense looks much better for it. And so I would advocate for the more talented basketball player to play, uh, and to not have as short of a leash as some of these other guys who are still developing and figuring things out or in Ochai's case, very cold right now.
So I also want to talk about Scotty Barnes because Scotty had an exceptional game. Just an awesome game. 18 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, two blocks on 14 shots. He knocked down a couple of threes. Honestly, that box score doesn't even show just how good he was in this game. He had a stretch in the third quarter where I think he made a play every single possession of the game. Their defense relied so heavily on Scotty cleaning up whenever he could. And man, he was gigantic in these moments. So, let's talk about Scotty. Let's break down some tape. Scotty was really comfortable attacking Embiid in this game. This time he attacks him, bumps into his body, knocks down the fadeaway mid-range, and this time slips into the middle of the floor. Scotty is really dangerous in the middle of the floor because if there's too much help, he's going to be able to pass to one of these guys. Knocks down this mid-range jump shot. He really comfortably got to that tonight. Want you guys to, so watch this possession. He helps out on Kelly Oubre in the dunker spot. You know, Sixers try to reset. Look at the amount of distance that Scotty has to cover here to try and block Kelly Oubre. So this ball from Embiid, who gets doubled, gets released. Look at where Scotty has to recover out to. This is just incredible timing, incredible recovery, and gets the block. Again, Scotty was really comfortable attacking Embiid, especially in that third quarter, getting into his mid-range bag and not just settling, you know, being aggressive in pseudo-transition. Draws two with the paint touch and then gives it to Ingram, who blows the layup. And this is just, this is a crazy situation, man. One-on-one with Joel Embiid, he's got five inches on you and probably another 60 pounds. You know, he contains the drive and blocks the shot. And then on the other side of the ball, has the wherewithal to crash the offensive glass and one, doing things despite the limited usage tonight. And obviously he's been knocking down his threes and so decent closeout, but also this is the cerebral passing stuff you talk about with Scotty Barnes. He realizes that RJ is cutting to the basket. You know, Joel is popping out to Jacobe here. And so mid-three-point attempt, he changes his mind, dishes out to RJ and one.
I want you to watch this possession here. So, uh, Scotty and RJ miscommunicate on this switch, and all Trendan Watford has to do is just throw this pass over top, and it's a wide-open shot for Joel Embiid. Um, so he gets this pass. It's a good job by Quick to dig in in this situation and make I, and make Embiid pick up the ball quicker than he would. And now that gives enough time for Scotty to recover over and block this shot. Scotty knows how to play both roles in transition. Gets two feet in the paint, gets the Sixers defense in rotation. IQ with the shot. Big play there. And then this time as the finisher over Embiid in transition. So doing a little bit of everything is Scotty Barnes. And he was just awesome tonight, man. Exceptional, exceptional game for Scotty. And, and honestly, an exceptional start to the season. I, I think despite the loss tonight, it would have been great if they won. I, I actually, you should feel pretty good about this loss just because second night of a back-to-back, missing your starting center. Uh, there were tons of, you know, glaring issues without your center. The points in the paint, the offensive rebounding, the defensive rebounding, the physicality, all of those things would have cleaned up if you had your starting center. The bench provided a massive boost once again, and I think the Raptors' versatility from their bench is already being shown on and is on display, uh, as we start the season, and it's really early, so it's cool to see how those guys will be able to develop even more chemistry as the season goes on. It feels like the Raptors are getting into what kind of identity this team has, but unfortunately, it's hard to do that on a night-to-night basis if your starting center isn't available. And so, you better hope that Yak feels healthy, more healthy than he does right now, as the season progresses because they really need him. They really need Jakob Poeltl to be the type of team that they want to be.
And maybe this is jumping ahead a little bit too much, but I am curious if they maybe try to find some more assurance at the back of five. You know, Mamukelashvili, for all of his, um, you know, what he provides offensively for them at the five, the Raptors really struggle to rebound the ball when he is their five. And I think the combination of him and CMBB get outrebounded a lot. To be fair, Philly is a big team. Joel Embiid, Adam Bona, Andre Drummond, those are guys who are like, they're really good rebounders. And so this was, this matchup really exasperated those issues. That being said, um, another big would be useful on this Raptors team. I think it would provide another baseline for certain matchups and certain moments. You know, Jontay Porter was recalled from the G-League for tonight's game and didn't play. Feel like Porter actually kind of would have helped in certain situations, but you always wonder about the offensive drawbacks there. And so that's where my mind goes. It's like, how do they address their center issues by maybe going out and getting a, a low-cost big man to fill some of those minutes? I don't know. That's just something to think about, uh, as December 15th and January 15th rolls around and players become more eligible for trades.
But you should be pretty happy with this performance from the Raptors. Uh, it's not a moral victory. I don't think the Raptors are in a stage of their life cycle to have moral victories, but I do think this is a testament to this being a different year and a different season and a different team. A team that knows that they're talented. Uh, a team that knows that they can win games even when they're undermanned, even when they don't have their best foot forward. And I think that's a really good sign for this Raptors team as the season progresses.
Folks, as always, like, comment, subscribe. Do those things you guys do to make sure Raptors Republic is popping off. Appreciate you guys. Uh, Pullup Trey will be back on Tuesday. Go out and listen to Pullup Trey. I believe the Raptors play. When do they play? They play Brooklyn, but when do they play them? Is it Monday? It is Tuesday. Tuesday, they play the Brooklyn Nets. So, you'll be seeing a film review from me on Wednesday. I don't know how to count. It's okay. It's late. I'm going to go to bed. I hope you guys enjoy. I will see you guys later. Bye-bye.