The big men spent many days battling as Raptors
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Once upon a time the Raptors started Jonas Valanciunas at centre and had Jakob Poeltl, a recent Top 10 pick, as his more than adequate backup (plus Bebe!). It was believed one of the NBA’s contenders (Toronto had made the playoffs for five straight seasons by the end of 2017-18) had the centre of the present and the future on hand. Instead, both would be sent packing in the not so distant future. Even after winning 59 games, behind only Golden State, another embarrassing loss at the hands of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers led to changes.
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Poeltl was a key part of the blockbuster Kawhi Leonard trade before the 2018-19 campaign kicked off, while Valanciunas was the headliner for the deal that months later brought the final piece of the championship puzzle to Toronto, Marc Gasol.
Things can change fast in the NBA.
Of course both were on the court on Thursday as Toronto topped New Orleans, with Poeltl edging out his one-time practice foe.
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Poeltl is on the run of his career since rejoining the Raptors, and was a monster in this one, especially when New Orleans subbed out Valanciunas. Larry Nance Jr. was completely overpowered by Poeltl and the Raptors grabbed the win.
After combing for 12 points and nine rebounds in his first two games with Toronto, Poeltl’s gone off for 51 points, 27 rebounds, seven blocks and four steals over the last two games. He’s also hit 24-of-28 shots. He’s been Jakob Chamberlain lately, with the free throw numbers to make that comparison work even better (just 5-for-14 from the line as a Raptor).
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Valanciunas and Poeltl bring different things to the table. While both are great on the glass, as screeners, defend the rim well and are better passers than most seven-footers, Valanciunas is usually automatic at the free throw line (though he struggled on Thursday in his first game in Toronto in ages) and is an excellent shooter with three-point range, unlike Poeltl. He also is a far less effective defender than Poeltl when asked to defend pick-and-rolls or move around. While not a stiff, Valanciunas isn’t as quick and doesn’t have the nimble feet Poeltl does.
Poeltl is a better fit than Valanciunas with this Raptors team.
AROUND THE RIM
- Valanciunas only managed 12 rebounds on Thursday. That lowered his career average in seven meetings with the Raptors to 14.6 boards per game. Only Dino Radja (look him up if you never saw him play, he was a monster), who averaged 15.5 rebounds in four games against the earliest Raptors teams, has averaged more. Rebound king Dennis Rodman (14.3 in nine games), Andre Drummond (13.9 in 30 games), former Net Jayson Williams (12.6 in nine games and Phoenix’s DeAndre Ayton (an even 12 a game in 10 outings) round out the Top 6. (Fun fact, one-time Raptor Sharone Wright, who would have been a household name in Toronto had he not hurt his back, dropped 12 and 12 in his lone game against the Raptors).
- Valanciunas has shot 57% against the Raptors. (Another fun fact: The best field goal percentage by any player against the Raptors, minimum 6 appearances, is Sean Marks at 85.7%. Marks played for the Raptors, was part of the Marcus Camby/Charles Oakley trade, and now runs the Brooklyn Nets).
- Chris Boucher went into the all-star break on a high, playing some of his best basketball of the season. He also had two spectacular dunks in the final two games before the break, but topped them all with his near free throw line jam against New Orleans. The Montrealer still brings a lot to the table and it will be interesting to see how the front office proceeds this summer. The thinking here is if they bring back the trio of Fred VanVleet, Poeltl and Gary Trent Jr., some salary will have to be cut besides Thad Young (who only has one million guaranteed). Boucher seems like the top candidate, as his contract would theoretically be easy to be moved because he’s fair value for it. But again, he brings a lot to the table both on and off the court. Maybe there’s another way (and that’s not even getting into a potential O.G. Anunoby deal, should they decide to go that route).
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- There’s so much talent dotting the New Orleans roster, but it’s hard to have any confidence that the Pelicans will ever meet their immense potential. Not even the brightest-eyed optimist could expect to see Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram both healthy at the same time for long enough for the team to excel. Both are marvellous talents, but they have long track records of not being able to stay on the floor. The intriguing Herb Jones also seems to be banged up a lot. It’s tough to rely on two monster talents who are always hurt. Odds are it won’t work, but would be nice if it did. As the Pelicans showed earlier this season in demolishing the Raptors, that’s a fun and dangerous group when close to full strength (and that was without Ingram).
- New Orleans is a disappointing 30-30. As recently as January 17 the team sat third in the Western Conference at 26-18. They’ve gone 4-12 since and probably won’t make the playoffs. Injuries suck. Still, they can be heartened by the fact that they have two shots at a good pick this summer (via swap rights with the Los Angeles Lakers) and tons of extra first-round picks owed moving forward.
THREE STARS VS. PISTONS
1 Jakob Poeltl
2 Pascal Siakam
3 C.J. McCollum
Honourable mention: Chris Boucher, Jonas Valanciunas, Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram
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