RAPTORS BLOG: On starting the best 5, VanVleet’s all-star candidacy and more

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So that’s what the real Toronto Raptors can do.

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The Raptors had the team’s top eight players available for the first time all year (top seven too for the first time) and took care of a depleted New York Knicks team pretty easily on Sunday.

There is work to be done and it didn’t look perfect, as you’d expect, but it sure looked intriguing.

To start, Nick Nurse went with his five best players and it worked out pretty well. Even without a true centre and with three interchangeable forwards, the Raptors did just fine defensively and clobbered the Knicks on the boards 44-30. Nurse believes it’s their best defensive group and even though he said he might switch up the starters some games, we’ll see about that. Yes, there are reasons why starting Khem Birch over either Gary Trent Jr. or Scottie Barnes would make sense (Birch provides the most bulk and is a good rebounder, Trent could provide needed scoring to the reserves, Barnes was a great sixth man at Florida State and it’s hard to see how Nurse can play all of Birch, Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher off the bench), it’s also easy to see why just starting all of the top guys is a smart plan too.

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Bringing in Birch reasonably quickly for Barnes worked out pretty well. Achiuwa and Boucher showed some nice chemistry, with Achiuwa finding his fellow big men several times for easy baskets and it’s not like Barnes, just back from a long absence, is ready to play huge minutes yet anyway.

The starting combination of Barnes, Fred VanVleet, a surging Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and Trent forces opponents to contend with five physical, swipey (maybe I just invented a word) players who force you into making quick decisions and mistakes. The group might foul a lot, but it will also take opponents out of rhythm and make scoring on them a chore.

At the other end this group can fill it up, especially if Trent gets going again.

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Nurse will have to figure out how his bench will work if everyone stays in the lineup. He clearly likes Svi Mikhailiuk a lot, even if Yuta Watanabe has shown more (and Justin Champagnie deserves a look too with some of those minutes).

As mentioned, he’s got Birch, Boucher and Achiuwa jostling for time up front at centre or even a bit of power forward and has to figure out if he’ll use a backup point guard at all (Dalano Banton or Malachi Flynn) or just let the capable Barnes or Siakam do some point-forward work when VanVleet is getting a bit of rest.

I’m sure Nurse is thrilled to have options instead of what he’s been dealing with for most of the year.

A couple of quick hits:

Siakam is absolutely rolling. In his last seven games he’s averaged 10.9 rebounds (hence why he said Monday some teammates have taken to calling him “Pascal Rodman”), 21.4 points and 5.3 assists per game. He’s shot well over 50% from the field, with 3-19 three-point work being the only blemish.

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Anunoby has gone to the free throw line 13 times over his last two games, the most over a two-game period of his career. Even with a full lineup (everybody for the last game, all but Barnes for the one prior), Anunoby is still finding a way to attack on his own and get calls. That’s a good sign.

Oh, good luck deciding who to leave off the all-star roster in the East. VanVleet should be there because he’s the best defender of a worthy group (with apologies to Kyle Lowry, who isn’t quite what he once was at that end) that includes Trae Young, Darius Garland, Lowry and LaMelo Ball. While I’d give Jrue Holiday a razor-thin edge on defence to VanVleet, mostly because of his significant size advantage, to me, VanVleet is a far superior offensive player. Plus Milwaukee is already sending Giannis and possibly Khris Middleton.

Most advanced stats say VanVleet should be an easy selection. We’ll see.

But there will be some unhappy (and deserving) players as is always the case.

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FORMER RAPTOR OF THE NIGHT:

Terrence Ross is one of the more likely players to be traded by next month’s deadline. Orlando is going nowhere and has six potential core players aged 24 or under. It’s always important to have good veterans around your kids and Ross fits that bill, but with Gary Harris and his $20.5 million salary set to expire, getting rid of the $11.5 million owed to Ross next year would theoretically allow the Magic to entice a free agency with cash and favourable weather and also bring in a draft pick or two.

In any event, Ross had an awful start to the season, but is shooting much better lately and has averaged 21 points over his last five, including 33 against Boston Sunday. He’ll be in demand.

CANADIAN OF THE NIGHT:

RJ Barrett:

A quiet night for Canucks means a so-so Barrett game was enough to get the nod. OG Anunoby gave him fits, but when freed from the All-NBA-level defender, Barrett played much better. He finished with 19 points, four rebounds and three assists. Barrett is shooting 46% from the field over his last three games, averaging 20 points. The Knicks need that to continue.

THREE STARS

1 Fred VanVleet

2 Pascal Siakam

3 Obi Toppin