What an impressive couple of days for the Toronto Raptors. A win over the surging Los Angeles Lakers that came complete with a ‘we won’t bow to the King or his new apprentice’ vibe, then an inspired effort against Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Not sure we learned anything new about this group — that they were tough, talented, smart, well-coached, etc. was already well-apparent, but perhaps the strong play of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Canadian Chris Boucher would be the main talking points? Well, that and the rough whistle that the Raptors were furious about afterward and OG Anunoby being taken out early by the Klaw.
— Any extended Anunoby absence would obviously be bad for OG and for the Raptors. He had been playing at an extremely high level, putting himself firmly in the Most Improved Player conversation. It also robbed the NBA world of an extremely intriguing matchup. Anunoby has been shutting everyone down. How would he fare against Kawhi?
— The Raptors did an outstanding job on Leonard anyway, a credit to Hollis-Jefferson stepping up and the other Raptors doing the same. Leonard was swarmed and looked mostly terrible. Can’t remember that being the case even once last season. Leonard said as much afterward in praising the gameplan.
— Once Paul George returns — later this week, reportedly — life is going to get a lot easier for Leonard and that sort of defensive approach will be tougher to pull off.
— Leonard wasn’t the only top player having a rough one. Pascal Siakm missed 7-of-8 uncontested field goal attempts, half of his free throws and had some turnover issues. He could definitely use a day off.
— As many mentioned on Twitter, it took 6.5 quarters before ex-Raptors Leonard and Danny Green could even notch a single made field goal against their former teammates.
— Chris Boucher continues to make strides. He’s gone from mostly lost defensively, to figuring many things out. His shot-blocking remains ultra-elite, as Montrezl Harrell found out first hand. That’s going to be one of the blocks of the season. With Serge Ibaka likely out for a while, Boucher continues to get a chance to mount a claim for a season-long spot in the rotation. Against the Lakers he flashed more of his offensive skills. He was the G League MVP for a reason. He definitely has some deficiencies, but a ton of raw talent too, which he also flashed at times while at Oregon.
— How much money is Fred VanVleet making for himself right now? It’s getting to the point where you start to wonder how the Raptors can afford to pay him in full, along with the other commitments starting with Pascal Siakam’s, and still mount a max offer in a couple of years, particularly if the China situation gets worse and ends up lowering the salary cap a fair bit down the line. VanVleet establishing himself as an above-average NBA starter isn’t the worst problem for the Raptors to have though.
— With the reunions out of the way, the trip continues, with the Raptors hoping nobody else goes down.
THREE STARS
1. Montrezl Harrell
2. Chris Boucher
3. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Three stars vs. Lakers
1. Pascal Siakam
2. Fred VanVleet
3. LeBron James
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