Raptors Beat Heat in Summer League Action 88 to 78

The Toronto Raptors beat the Miami Heat in summer league action Friday Night 88 to 78. Despite the impressive 10 point victory, it wasn’t enough for the Raptors to qualify for the summer league championship game as they needed to win by 18 points or more. Delano led the way for the Raptors by scoring 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Here are my pros and cons from the game, or in other words my break down on the action.

Raptors Beat Heat in Summer League Action – Pros

Armoni Brooks’ 1st half Performance – Brooks has a great first half by scoring 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting. He was indeed the spark plug off the bench and it is easy to envision him doing this for the Raptors. When his shot is on, he can put up points in a hurry. He was a major reason the Raptors had a nice lead at half time.

Rodions Kurucs Momentum Changer – The Raptors started off pretty flat in the first quarter and were weak on the offensive boards. However, the momentum completely switched when Kurucs entered the game. He immediately comes into the game and things start to happen. His box score does not jump out at you but he was 4 for 4 from the field and a whopping plus 19 in plus/minus by the half. He forced turnovers, had a nice put back and had a nice drive to the basket. He brought intensity and effort which was needed.

Jeff Dowtin’s Continued Steady Play – Another game and another nice stat line for Dowtin: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and only 1 turnover. I just love how he plays in control and doesn’t turn the ball over. He is making a strong case for the Raptors to sign him to some sort of contract to at least get him into training camp. The team is in dire need of a back up point guard to help take the load off Fred Van Fleet and he might fit the bill. The Raptors would be insane not to because if they do not, someone else will.

Ron Harper Jr. Had a Nice Performance – He had 14 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal. He shot 6 for 12 from the field. He had a nice cut to the basket and at the end of the first half he made a block and then ran down to the court and received a pass to score just before the half ended. Always a nice way to end the half, right? He is definitely making some progress.

Raptors Beat Heat in Summer League Action – Cons

The Three Small Guard Line Up in the 4th Quarter – This was my biggest pet peeve of the game. The Raptors built up a 21 point lead in the second half and things were looking pretty good regarding the Raptors making it to the Championship game. However, the Heat made a big run and made this a real game. A big reason why was the Raptors had Dowtin, Brooks and Johnson on the court at the same time. I have always hated the old two small guard line up of Van Fleet and Lowry because it got exposed on defense even though they were good defenders for their size. However, none of the three mentioned are close to that level of defending and they got shredded every which way. Before you know it, the lead was cut to single digits and the Raptors had to battle just to hold onto their lead. I know the coach wanted extra shooting but if the shots are not falling then you are in big trouble. And speaking of shooting, my next con.

Armoni Brooks’ Second Half Shooting – Brooks was the polar opposite in the second half, after his very encouraging first half. He went 1 for 6 from the field including being 0 for 5 from 3 and had the worst second half plus/minus of -10. Somehow he needs to learn to do something else besides shoot from deep because with Brooks, you are looking at feast or famine. He is an inconsistent shooter which can be hard to rely on.

Looking For David Johnson – Seriously, he scored no points for the game. Zero! He did have 4 rebounds, a steal and an assist. However, for a player that the Raptors were hoping would show some improvement , he has disappointed in a big way. Any hopes of getting a roster spot is probably gone. He has to hope that the Raptors still might see some potential and give him a training camp invite so he can make amends but even that looks shaky.

Banton Continues to Turn the Ball Over – Banton had an impressive game, as mentioned at the top, but one stat that is very concerning is that he had six turnovers. Yes, six! He had twice as many turnovers as assists, which is not a ratio any point guard wants to have. A few of his turnovers directly led to scores by the Heat. This is not good as it shows indecision, and lack of court awareness when it comes to running an offence. He seems to do ok in transition or attacking the basket. But in the half court game, he struggles. Hopefully he can start cleaning this up but it has been a trend for him throughout summer league.

Conclusion

Overall, the Raptors played well and got the win. Too bad it wasn’t enough to be in the championship game, but they played well against a team that was aggressive and played with force. It has been a successful summer league for the team to this point. They still have one more game to go on Sunday and it will be good to see them carry this momentum to their final game and end summer league on a high note.

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