Everything Kawhi Leonard

[golden]

The template is the first half of the first game of the 2017 series between the Spurs and Warriors.

The Spurs defence only allowed the Warriors to attempt 9 threes in that first half. They made only two, but even if they made 4, the Spurs would have been up 14 at the half. The Warriors took a third of their shots from mid-range (10-20 feet, 2 pointers only), where they usually take less than 1/4 of their shots. And the Spurs took away the rim, contesting well and forcing the Warriors down to 5/13 inside 3 feet.

Meanwhile, Aldridge had a field day on offence in the paint, and everyone else was pretty meh offensively, with the team only hitting 33% of their threes, and they punished the Warriors' size with rebounding (grabbing 8 of 18 potential offensive boards).

So, protect the rim. Rebound defensively. Drive them off the three point arc and force midrange jumpers. Crash the offensive glass. Score inside.

We have the personnel for that.

Too bad we didn't see that strategy for a whole game, because with Steph and KD, the Warriors can adjust and turn it on in the blink of an eye. It's really hard to run teams off the 3-pt line AND contest hard at the rim. Raps used the same strategy well against the Rockets for 3 and half quarters in our regular season win here, but Harden and D'Antoni eventually figured it out and we barely hung on for the win.

[DanH]

Too bad we didn't see that strategy for a whole game, because with Steph and KD, the Warriors can adjust and turn it on in the blink of an eye. It's really hard to run teams off the 3-pt line AND contest hard at the rim. Raps used the same strategy well against the Rockets for 3 and half quarters in our regular season win here, but Harden and D'Antoni eventually figured it out and we barely hung on for the win.

We did not watch the same game. The Rockets made their closing run against the bench to close the gap, when Harden checked in earlier than most of our starters and Casey was slow to catch up. The starters came back in and employed the same strategy and held the Rockets off down the stretch (in spite of Powell playing instead of OG that game, which really limited the effectiveness of those lineups - and was a big reason why the game wasn't another blowout like the first one, though CP3 certainly had something to say there too). Then in the final minutes made some defensive subs to put Siakam in at C and gave up some looks from distance. Heck, JV had a freaking +17 net rating (93 DRTG) in the 4th Q, but even with possession imbalances ended up break even in his minutes.

[golden]

We did not watch the same game. The Rockets made their closing run against the bench to close the gap, when Harden checked in earlier than most of our starters and Casey was slow to catch up. The starters came back in and employed the same strategy and held the Rockets off down the stretch (in spite of Powell playing instead of OG that game, which really limited the effectiveness of those lineups - and was a big reason why the game wasn't another blowout like the first one, though CP3 certainly had something to say there too). Then in the final minutes made some defensive subs to put Siakam in at C and gave up some looks from distance. Heck, JV had a freaking +17 net rating (93 DRTG) in the 4th Q, but even with possession imbalances ended up break even in his minutes.

You had me at "Casey was slow to catch up".

[Puffer]

We did not watch the same game. The Rockets made their closing run against the bench to close the gap, when Harden checked in earlier than most of our starters and Casey was slow to catch up. The starters came back in and employed the same strategy and held the Rockets off down the stretch (in spite of Powell playing instead of OG that game, which really limited the effectiveness of those lineups - and was a big reason why the game wasn't another blowout like the first one, though CP3 certainly had something to say there too). Then in the final minutes made some defensive subs to put Siakam in at C and gave up some looks from distance. Heck, JV had a freaking +17 net rating (93 DRTG) in the 4th Q, but even with possession imbalances ended up break even in his minutes.

Now add Kawhi and Danny to that roster and subtract DeRozan and Poetl and how does it look? With a re-enrgized Powwell (if the "pickup game Powell" shows up in camp) and a better OG, Siakim and Delon?

[DanH]

Now add Kawhi and Danny to that roster and subtract DeRozan and Poetl and how does it look? With a re-enrgized Powwell (if the "pickup game Powell" shows up in camp) and a better OG, Siakim and Delon?

Yeah, HOU isn't the same team this year either though. They will take a big step back defensively, IMO.

Still, loads of reason to be optimistic about how the Raptors can match up (and force match ups) against basically every team in the league.

[LJ2]

Ultimately, it's going to come down to the development of the young players on this team. Pascal, Wright, OG will need to have the same sort of basketball IQ as Ariza, Tucker etc.. Our young players are going to have to be able to play with our stars and not slow them down.

[KeonClark]

Ultimately, it's going to come down to the development of the young players on this team. Pascal, Wright, OG will need to have the same sort of basketball IQ as Ariza, Tucker etc.. Our young players are going to have to be able to play with our stars and not slow them down.

Yep I was gonna say the same thing earlier. Kawhi will be great. Lowry will be Lowry. After that we have 3 vets on the decline (green, miles, ibaka) and a bunch of somewhat proven youngsters..BUT if a couple of those guys seriously stall or slump we're in trouble.

Despite the biggest acquisition ever in team history, the #1 biggest key yet again is organic/internal growth..specifically OG and siakam

[Hotshot]

Yeah, HOU isn't the same team this year either though. They will take a big step back defensively, IMO.

Still, loads of reason to be optimistic about how the Raptors can match up (and force match ups) against basically every team in the league.

Force match up is the key. Under Casey it seems like the other team usually dictated the pace and matchup of the game and the Raps scrambled to adjust. I hope under Nurse and having Kawhi in the lineup we can actually have the other team attempt to adjust to what we do.

[KeonClark]

What I mean was everybody seems to have OG and siakam pencilled in for a ton of minutes and every "lineup of death" we can make..roles that they were not quite ready for yet last year. I expect growth from them like the rest of you, but it's dangerous to assume it. Look no further than Powell.

[Hotshot]

What I mean was everybody seems to have OG and siakam pencilled in for a ton of minutes and every "lineup of death" we can make..roles that they were not quite ready for yet last year. I expect growth from them like the rest of you, but it's dangerous to assume it. Look no further than Powell.

I fully expect growing pains. OG will see tougher coverage at the 3 point line against good teams and for Pascal they will have players move back and crowd the paint like they've done in the playoffs. OG needs to fix his handles to get into better scoring positions and opportunities and Pascal needs to get his shot going. Having Kawhi as a team mate that can do all of the above, should be a tremendous learning experience for these two.

[DanH]

Yep I was gonna say the same thing earlier. Kawhi will be great. Lowry will be Lowry. After that we have 3 vets on the decline (green, miles, ibaka) and a bunch of somewhat proven youngsters..BUT if a couple of those guys seriously stall or slump we're in trouble.

Despite the biggest acquisition ever in team history, the #1 biggest key yet again is organic/internal growth..specifically OG and siakam

The upside here is just how many pieces we have. If one or two young guys really struggle, almost every one of them can be phased out of major roles if need be, with another guy behind them waiting to take those minutes. Obviously the ceiling is highest in the scenario where the young guys all get better - but the team can certainly be very good if all the young guys are the same as last year, and can recover if one or two, depending on the two, regress.

[Hotshot]

The upside here is just how many pieces we have. If one or two young guys really struggle, almost every one of them can be phased out of major roles if need be, with another guy behind them waiting to take those minutes. Obviously the ceiling is highest in the scenario where the young guys all get better - but the team can certainly be very good if all the young guys are the same as last year, and can recover if one or two, depending on the two, regress.

Maybe that's why the Raps are loading up on point guards to create better scoring opportunities for everybody else.

[golden]

What I mean was everybody seems to have OG and siakam pencilled in for a ton of minutes and every "lineup of death" we can make..roles that they were not quite ready for yet last year. I expect growth from them like the rest of you, but it's dangerous to assume it. Look no further than Powell.

Powell has a low BBIQ. And it didn't help that he had to learn 2 completely different styles of play in his NBA formative years.

Siakam, on the other hand, appears to have a very good natural feel for the game. His main issue is to get stronger and tougher. OG was as good as it gets for a rookie, when it comes to defensive IQ. It was clear in the Cavs series that Lebron tried to switch off OG every possible chance he got. That was a sign of respect and high praise from the best player of our generation, without saying a word.

[LJ2]

Yep I was gonna say the same thing earlier. Kawhi will be great. Lowry will be Lowry. After that we have 3 vets on the decline (green, miles, ibaka) and a bunch of somewhat proven youngsters..BUT if a couple of those guys seriously stall or slump we're in trouble.

Despite the biggest acquisition ever in team history, the #1 biggest key yet again is organic/internal growth..specifically OG and siakam

I think you can add FVV, as another steady hand. He's as consistent as it gets for a back up PG. We slag the coaches for riding the vets a lot, but when young players don't know where to be and when to be there, which passes to make etc., it can be frustrating for the stars. This is not the year to have a frustrated star, especially when he's coming from a team that us run like a well oiled machine.

[LJ2]

Force match up is the key. Under Casey it seems like the other team usually dictated the pace and matchup of the game and the Raps scrambled to adjust. I hope under Nurse and having Kawhi in the lineup we can actually have the other team attempt to adjust to what we do.

Forcing the other team to match up is always easier when you have the best player on the floor. In the playoffs more often than not, the Raptors were the higher seed facing the lower seed and they STILL never had the best player on their team. People can say whatever they want about Casey, I agree he had his faults, but lets look at it with some perspective.