The Toronto Raptors had their first preseason action last night in Edmonton and defeated the Utah Jazz 114 to 82. It was a fairly close game in the first half. However, the Raptors then outscored the Jazz 64 to 33 in the second half to blow the game wide open. Lauri Markkanen led all scorers with 20 points. Chris Boucher was the Raptors’ leading scorer with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Here are my pros and cons of the first preseason game for the Raptors.
Toronto Raptors Preseason Action – Pros
Raptors Bench Played with Aggression – I really wanted to see how the Raptors bench looked and they did not disappoint. It seemed that whoever came in from the bench brought energy and attacked the rim and the boards. In particular Chris Boucher and Precious Achiuwa looked good! Boucher had the highest plus minus of any Raptor and seemed to make things happen. Achiuwa who had 10 points and five rebounds used his quickness to attack the rim in close outs and in transition. Malachi Flynn also looked solid in the minutes he got. He played aggressively and was 2 for 2 from deep. Khem Birch really surprised me with his play. I wasn’t expecting much as he is recovering from an knee injury. However, he played with force around the rim getting 5 rebounds and taking it strong to the basket. It was the best he looked in a while. Even Juancho Hernangomez showed a few flashes with rim protection and hitting a three. If the bench can play this way into the season and then you add Thaddeus Young and Otto Porter Jr., the bench will be quite formidable.
Koloko Continues to Impress – Christian Koloko’s shooting has a long way to go! However, the rest of his game is coming along nicely. I liked that Nick Nurse put him into the game when Walker Kessler started giving the Raptors problems due to his size. And that’s the thing, you can’t teach size and Koloko has size at seven foot one. But what really stuck out to me in this game is his fundamentals. He set good screens. He rolled hard to the basket on the pick and roll. Also, he would seal his man to open a lane for a teammate to drive to the basket. On defense, he blocked out his man and provided rim protection. It is going to be exciting to see his progress this year as he already looks like he can contribute to the Raptors.
The Battle for the Last Couple Spots is going to be a War – The players vying for the last couple of roster spots also played well. Dalano Banton was the best of them. I liked how he attacked the basket and got there with ease. However, the rest of the deep bench players all had their moments. Josh Jackson played very well. I also thought DJ Wilson has some nice moments in this game as did Jeff Dowtin. And even Gabe brown showed some flashes. All of this will make for a very competitive training camp!
Toronto Raptors Preseason Action – Only One Con
Justin Champagnie Injured – Champagnie has had a tough summer with injuries. First it was his wrist during summer league which kept him out of action. And how he is dealing with right hip soreness and wasn’t able to play last night. The 21 year old played on the main squad for a chunk of last season and played very well when he was sent to the G league. However, competition for the last couple of spots will be fierce and he will probably need to show what he can do in actual game action. Hopefully for him it will be sooner than later.
Conclusion
It was an impressive win for the Raptors. The team in general played with energy and were aggressive, especially on defense. Also, they really played well in transition. They pushed the ball quickly up the court to get good looks and it worked! However, they will need to clean up on their turnovers as they had 23 last night. But all and all, a good first preseason game and the team played with effort. If they keep doing this, they will put themselves in good position to have a good start to the season. I look forward to their next game!
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