What are the reasons for the Raptors winning their last two games? It is a good question to ask because prior to this they had lost six games straight. Yes things were looking bleak for the Toronto Raptors. However, with big wins against New York and Cleveland, the Raptors are looking a lot better. So why the turn around? Here are a few reasons below.
What are the Reasons For the Toronto Raptors Winning?
Using Juancho Hernangomez and Malachi Flynn More – This is probably the biggest reason for the turnaround. Both these players provide something that the Raptors sorely needed which was shooting and spacing. Both can shoot the three point shot and defenses have to respect that. As a result, there is more spacing to run your offense. Also, there is more spacing for the drive and kick game.
With Juancho in the starting line up, he doesn’t need the ball to be effective. He will rebound, make cuts, pass and find the open space to make himself available for a shot. This has helped the starting unit immensely. With Flynn coming off the bench and playing more minutes, you can take advantage of his ball handling and shooting. He is one of the few players who can attack the paint with his dribble and he is probably one of the best three point shooters on the team. I am glad that Nick Nurse is finally playing him consistantly.
Scottie Barnes in the Paint More – The last game against Cleveland, Barnes had one of his best games of the season. He scored 25 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and had two steals. He did most of his scoring in the paint which was great. It seems that if Barnes can play the role of point forward, or center, he plays much better. He is very crafty down low and can score over bigger players. Also, he is also strong enough to play bully ball against smaller players. He looked good. More of this please!
Some Adjustments in Defense – Nick Nurse made some adjustments in his defensive scheme in the last two games. First, he used a lot of zone in particular against the Knicks. He then used some man to man which was really highlighted in the Cleveland game. This was a sight for sore eyes! I was getting tired of seeing the scrambling, doubling the ball handler defense used constantly, even when it wasn’t working. The zone kind of stifled the Knicks’ offense and they found it a lot harder to score. The man to man was great against the Cavaliers as Nurse put Anunoby on Donovan Mitchell and Flynn on Darius Garland. Both were able to stay in front of them and made it really hard for them to score. Well done Nick Nurse!
Can They Keep Winning?
Hopefully they can or at least win more than they lose until they get Precious Achiuwa and Otto Porter Jr. back from injury sometime in January. I am concerned about Nick Nurse’s desire to keep using a short rotation. In the last game he only used eight players and Boucher was a DNP. I don’t think Nick is good at using a bigger bench so he sticks to short benches. However, playing your main players heavy minutes in the regular season is a recipe for disaster in the playoffs if your main players are worn out. Hopefully, he will extend his bench when more players are healthy but we will see if that happens. In the mean time, the Raptors have some momentum and hopefully it keeps going!
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