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It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the vibes around the Raptors change so much in a 48 hour span. From anxious to see if anyone would be dealt at the trade deadline, to thrilled to see Jakob Poeltl returning to the fold, to hyped up before and during most of Friday’s game against the Utah Jazz, to stunned and angry following one of the biggest collapses of the season.
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After being called out for selfishness by boss Masai Ujiri, the Raptors came out and collected assists on their first 16 field goals of the game. From there they assisted on only 12 of their next 25 baskets and lost the game largely because they went away from the red hot Pascal Siakam in the fourth and tried to do everything on their own (they also couldn’t stop fouling and couldn’t stop anyone).
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It was a troubling effort from a group that the front office had doubled down on. Rome wasn’t built in a day and I can’t imagine they miss the play-in, but I’m still thoroughly confused by the path said front office chose to take. Of course we’ll see what happens in the summer and maybe O.G. Anunoby’s injury limited the offers for him and it’s true the guard depth is non-existent, so maybe it wouldn’t have been the wisest idea to trade Fred VanVleet or Gary Trent Jr., but it feels like they wasted a ton of leverage and set the franchise back by what they didn’t do.
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Or, maybe this team keeps losing games inexplicably and still ends up with a much-needed high-lottery pick? Per TSN’s excellent source for stats, Keerthika Uthayakumar: This season, the Raptors are 25-9 when they have a double-digit lead. 4 of the 9 losses have come in 2023, 3 in their last 12 games.
However, Poeltl brings a lot to the table and I think they start pulling out some of these games.
AROUND THE RIM
- Speaking of Poeltl, when trying to get a sense of what his impact will be, take a look at Steven Adams and how Memphis has fared since he went down. They aren’t exactly the same player, of course, but have similarities in that they both excel on the offensive glass and in boxing out in general, in setting screens and screen assists and their lack of shooting range and struggles at the free throw line. They do the little things well and make life easier for teammates. Memphis lost six-of-seven games when Adams got hurt, before rallying to win two straight. With Adams, the team has gone 28-14.
- In the first game Poeltl showed some rim defence, rebounding, rolled well and handed out a couple of assists. He even looked to be instructing Scottie Barnes at one point.
- He also lit a fire under Precious Achiuwa, who was dominant early on. When Anunoby returns this team will finally have a solid bench, with Trent and Achiuwa leading the way.
- It was good to see Matt Devlin back in action. He also made me look up which jersey numbers have never been worn by a Raptor after revealing Poeltl was the first Toronto player to ever sport No. 19. (Out of possible numbers to 50, they’ve had two wear 00, five wear 0, but there’s never been a 28, 29, 36, 37, 38, 39, 47, 48, or 49).
- Condolences to Alvin Williams on the death of his mother. Hope he’s back in action soon.
- And all the best to my friend Lori Ewing, the longtime CP reporter who covered the Raptors for years as she embarks on a new journey with Reuters in England. We’ll miss her.
THREE STARS VS. SPURS
1 Pascal Siakam
2 Kelly Olynyk
3 Walker Kessler
Honourable mention: Precious Achiuwa, Collin Sexton, Talen Horton-Tucker
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