Raptors preseason observations: Why crashing glass could be part of the offensive answer

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 7: Justin Champagnie #11 of the Toronto Raptors shoots the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during a preseason game on October 7, 2021 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
By Eric Koreen
Oct 8, 2021

Making player comparisons for rookies is practically a full-time job, and Scottie Barnes does enough things on the court that he can inspire a few different thoughts. I don’t recall hearing Tyson Chandler brought up when discussing the Raptors rookie, though.

Yet there was Barnes sparking the Raptors’ offence by channelling the longtime centre, who is working as an official coach with the Dallas Mavericks right now. Barnes could not get rebounding position on a pair of Raptors misses, so he used his legs, leaped up and got one mitt on the ball, tapping it into the backcourt, to one of his teammates.

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The first time, OG Anunoby got a 3 after Barnes kept the ball alive. The second time, Fred VanVleet was the beneficiary. Two wide-open shots, six points. For a team that is going to struggle to score, and had a rather pitiful offensive effort in a 125-113 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night, those extra chances were found money.

Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond, two of the more physically imposing centres in the league for whom the Raptors have no physical answer, combined to play 40 minutes for the Sixers. Yet despite that size differential, Toronto grabbed 13 offensive rebounds to Philadelphia’s 11. The more you think about the Raptors’ collection of quick, brawny, aggressive forwards, the more an all-out attack on the glass makes sense.

The Raptors ranked 18th last year in offensive rebounding percentage, grabbing 25.6 percent of their misses. Now, they were better on that end than on the defensive glass, but it was certainly not a point of emphasis for Toronto. As is the case with pushing the pace by creating turnovers, getting offensive rebounds is all about winning the possession battle. Let’s face it: The Raptors don’t have enough offensive talent to be the more efficient team on most nights. However, if they can get more shots up than their opponent, perhaps they can make up the difference.

It doesn’t always work out great. If you don’t get the offensive rebound, floor balance can become a nightmare. The Raptors were really bad in transition Thursday night, and though that didn’t have much to do with ill-timed offensive rebounding attempts, they did make some mistakes there. Barnes crashed hard after Gary Trent Jr. missed in the lane and did not come away with the ball. Within five seconds, the Sixers were at the other rim, with Svi Mykhailiuk taking a foul on the defensive glass, putting Philadelphia on the line.

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For much of the last decade, many teams started punting on offensive rebounding specifically because it put a team’s transition defence in peril, despite it being one of the fabled four factors of basketball success, according to Dean Oliver. There has been a bit of a correction to that philosophy, given that offensive rebounds so often lead to putbacks or open 3s, both high-percentage attempts. You just have to be able to get over some ugly moments.

“When anybody — a fan or coach or anybody that’s observing the game — sees that long one-on-zero pass for a layup, it feels like 12 points,” Nick Nurse said. “We certainly don’t want to give those up, but I think if we’re getting eight putbacks and (we give up) one long one … that’s 16-2. But it doesn’t feel that way, you know what I mean — like that breakaway layup feels like such a huge breakdown. I think we’re trying to balance that out a little bit. But I think the offensive rebounding is certainly going to be important to us.”

The increased focus is part of what makes Justin Champagnie, one of the Raptors’ pair of two-way players, so interesting. Even though he is just 6-foot-6, he attacks the glass with intensity. He had two offensive rebounds Thursday after bringing in four Monday.

“Just go do it. I try to watch teams and see what they do but nobody wants to play hard. Everyone wants to be lackadaisical and just get up and down the floor a little bit,” Champagnie said. “If you put that energy out no one is going to stop you.”

Especially as multiple Raptors forwards work their way back from injuries, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Champagnie make a run at meaningful minutes.

Gary Trent Jr.: Buckets off the bench?

The play-by-play says Gary Trent Jr. did not take his first shot until 95 seconds after he first checked into Thursday’s game. It only felt like, let’s say, 90 fewer.

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Trent made his preseason debut after missing Monday’s game with soreness in his quad, and he came off the bench. The second starting guard spot would seem to be a battle between Trent and Goran Dragic, with the former bringing more shooting and the latter bringing more playmaking.

Well, Trent got up 12 shots in 22 minutes, so he certainly did his thing, scoring 12 points. Efficiency is a work in progress for Trent, but there is an obvious fit with Trent and a prototypical NBA role: that of the microwave scorer off the bench. Think Lou Williams or Jamal Crawford.

Trent expressed indifference about whether he starts or comes off the bench after the game. There is some logic in, at least at the start of the year, keeping him on the bench. With no Pascal Siakam, putting VanVleet in a lineup with no other experienced playmaker would be asking a lot of him. Dragic might have slowed down since his prime, but he can still create more for others than Trent can.

When Siakam returns, on the other hand, flipping the roles and taking more advantage of Trent’s elite spot-up shooting would seem to maximize spacing. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Nurse switch the two players’ roles at least once in the final three preseason games.

Final roster spot watch

The Raptors have 12 players signed to guaranteed deals in training camp, plus two players on two-way deals. That gives the Raptors the option to keep as many as three of those players to fill out the roster. In part, the decision will be made based on these five preseason games.

Yuta Watanabe did not travel with the team after straining his calf in Wednesday’s practice before the Raptors flew to Philadelphia. The team said it will provide further updates when possible, but it’s not believed it will be a long-term injury. Still, with the final three games played over the span of four nights, it’s possible Watanabe does not get in another exhibition game. Nurse mentioned the Raptors were concerned the injury was more serious initially.

So long as the injury is minor, missing the rest of the preseason games should not matter. Nurse has heaped praise on the second-year Raptor, and Watanabe was one of the best Raptors in Monday’s games. He had the inside track on one of the final spots coming into camp, and a short-term injury shouldn’t change that. When asked, Nurse said Watanabe will “probably” be on the final roster, but was hesitant to make any binding proclamations.

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“I better not say that officially quite yet, but listen, he’s played great,” Nurse said. “He’s been in our system and we really like him.”

Freddie Gillespie: With Embiid playing, Gillespie had to spend his time dealing with Drummond, and it didn’t look great. Drummond outworked him for position early on, leading to a foul. Gillespie was playing drop-back coverage in pick-and-roll. The first time, he played the possession well enough that Tyrese Maxey had to take a floater, which he hit. The second time, he ceded far too much ground, and Maxey got all the way to the glass for a layup. Drummond also rejected Gillespie down low. The Raptors went small to cover Drummond early in the second quarter. The Raptors were outscored by eight points in Gillespie’s five minutes.

Reggie Perry: Before the game, Nurse said he might use Perry against one of the 76ers’ big men, but he ultimately didn’t get a look until late in the fourth quarter. Perry helped create a turnover in the full-court press, which will endear him to his coach, certainly.

Isaac Bonga: Just like Monday, Bonga entered the game midway through the fourth quarter. Bonga is long, and showed it when he got a deflection and a block on the same possession. He then started a fast break that ended with a Champagnie layup. As noted by Raptors play-by-play TV announcer Matt Devlin, Bonga certainly fits in with the Raptors’ long-and-lean identity.

Sam Dekkar and Ish Wainright did not play.

Notes

• When asked who was starting the game, Nurse first mentioned “Kyle.” He, of course, was referring to Kyle Lowry and meant to say “Fred,” as in VanVleet.

• Barnes’ energy is great, but picking up a foul trying to chase down the loose ball off the tip is a bit much. He got in quick foul trouble Monday, too, and that is something he will have to adjust to, especially if he is going to be starting.

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• The cool Anunoby moment of the night: a strong drive to his left, a hard stop, and a turnaround over the other shoulder for a jumper over Tobias Harris. Anunoby had a few poor moments at the end of the second quarter as a primary playmaker — losing the ball once on a drive, and once in the post, both leading to Sixers 3s in transition. That will need to be monitored, given Anunoby needs to do more offensively this year, especially before Siakam returns. Regardless, with the way Raptors forwards are dropping, put OG in bubble wrap and get him to opening night. Anunoby had 22 points and a trio of fours: rebounds, assists and steals. He’s ready.

• For the second straight game, Barnes got an assist out of the post, despite not really looking to score. He showed wonderful patience as a cut from Precious Achiuwa drew attention in the paint, and then skipped the ball out to Anunoby, ultimately resulting in an open jumper. That could be a decent source of offence as the year goes on.

• Nurse played VanVleet and Anunoby the entire third quarter, testing their conditioning. I would imagine they will both be headed for a preseason game off, likely one half of the back-to-back next week.

• You have to love Dalano Banton’s arms being so long that he causes opponents to foul him in attempts to clear out space to get a shot off.

(Photo of Justin Champagnie: Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images)

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Eric Koreen

Eric Koreen is the lead Raptors writer for The Athletic. Previously, he has covered the Raptors and the NBA for the National Post, VICE Sports and Sportsnet. Follow Eric on Twitter @ekoreen