There were some positives from the Raptors last three games. Even though they lost two of the games to Atlanta and Brooklyn. there were some things to like moving forward. Especially with all the injuries that they had so far, it is really a miracle that they have 10 wins and nine losses right now. So here are some positive takes.
Positives from Raptors Last Three Games
OG Anunoby Establishing himself as an All Star – I think this is the biggest positive for the Raptors. With all the injuries to so many players, OG has been leaned upon to be the number one scorer and defender. No small task as there are only a few players who can do this on both ends of the floor. But with more opportunities to score, OG can work on different facets of his game and really take that leap everyone has been waiting for. In the Raptors last game against Dallas, he did just that. He went toe to toe with Luka Doncic and made him work for everything on offense and held him to 24 points. No small feat as Doncic is averaging over 33 points per game. OG Anunoby also scored 26 points himself including clutch baskets down the stretch. It was really nice to see. If Anunoby can keep this up with everyone healthy, then the Raptors become a very scary team to play.
Juancho Hernangomez is Emerging as a Solid Rotation Player – This is a nice development. It looks like that Juancho is starting to settle down and seems more comfortable in the Raptors’ system. In the loss against the Nets, he scored 10 points and had 10 rebounds. And it the Raptors win against Dallas, he had 10 points and five rebounds. The thing that makes Juancho potentially a valuable bench player is that he has high basketball IQ. In the Raptors last game, I really noticed how he was cutting to the basket and making himself available for a pass. The result was that he got a few easy baskets at the rim. Also, he is always moving to the open space to give the ball handler an option. This is something the Raptors need to do move of. But it is nice to see Juancho moving without the ball. Finally, he is shooting the three a bit more and the form looks good. I think once he gets into the groove, that shot will be money. It is nice to see.
Conclusion
Despite the injuries, the Raptors are in the thick of the Eastern conference race. Once they get everyone back healthy, it will be interesting to see how good they can be. Hopefully they can get back to good health. However, injuries have given opportunities to other players to show what they can bring to the table. Hopefully they will get some players back for tonight’s game. The Cleveland Cavaliers come to town and they will be a tough match up. Go Raptors!