Comparing the 14-15′ Raptors Core to the 15-16′ Core

 

2014-2015 (35-17)	2015-2016 (35-17)
Bruno Caboclo DeMar DeRozan Landry Fields Tyler Hansbrough Chuck Hayes Amir Johnson James Johnson Kyle Lowry Lucas Nogueira Patrick Patterson Terrence Ross Greg Stiemsma Jonas Valanciunas Greivis Vasquez Lou Williams	Anthony Bennett Bismack Biyombo Bruno Caboclo DeMarre Carroll DeMar DeRozan James Johnson Corey Joseph Kyle Lowry Lucas Nogueira Patrick Patterson Norman Powell Terrence Ross Luis Scola Jonas Valanciunas Delon Wright

 

This article is purely for discussion. It compares two Toronto Raptors teams with identical records during different seasons. The focus of this article will be on the “Core 4”.

 

The Compton Kid

DeMar DeRozan 14-15’: 31 games, 33.4mpg, 18.2ppg, 39.6%FG, 20%3pt, 4.3rpg, 1.3spg, 16.0 PER

DeMar DeRozan 15-16’: 52 games, 36.1mpg, 23.4ppg, 44.7%FG, 33.7%3pt, 4.3rpg, 1.0spg, 21.66 PER

During the 2014-2015 season DeMar DeRozan faced something he had never encountered before— a serious injury. Prior to the injury he hadn’t been out for longer than five games, the groin injury caused him to miss 21. Just looking at the stats, almost every statistic is up. DeMar has truly put on a show this year and shown he deserves to be recognized as an all-star in this league. I—like many Raptor fans found myself laughing during the summer of 2015 when there were rumours about DeMar planning to demand a max deal. A max deal? DeMar? Sure he was an all-star in a weak Eastern Conference, but he didn’t deserve anywhere near the max… at the time. Any questions or qualms Raptor fans had about DeMar going into the season have to have been pushed aside by now, he has played like a top 5 SG in the league this year and could’ve even been an all-star starter too. I won’t dive in deeper into this, let the stats speak for itself. Is DeMar DeRozan worth the max? (See Raptors Corner video below)

 

The East Starter at Guard

Kyle Lowry 14-15’:52 games, 35.1mpg, 18.8ppg, 42%FG, 33.1%3pt, 7.2apg, 1.6spg, 20.50 PER

Kyle Lowry 15-16’: 52 games, 36.8mpg, 21.0ppg, 42%FG, 39.2%3pt, 6.3apg, 2.2spg, 22.71 PER

Just like DeMar, statistically—almost everything is up. Remember when people called Kyle Lowry injury prone? That’s now two seasons in a row with 52 games played prior to the all-star break. Kyle is in much better shape this year, he isn’t dogging it at the end of games and seems to always make timely buckets when the Raptors need it most. Kyle has also been a lot quicker on his feet defensively and never takes a play off.One important point to note is that last year while DeMar was out Kyle had to put the team on his back and that totally had him gassed come playoffs time—let’s hope both DeMar and Kyle can stay healthy this year. Will Kyle have enough gas in the tank?

 

“Got gold medals like Jonas Valanciunas”

Jonas Valanciunas 14-15’: 51 games, 26.4mpg, 12.2ppg, 56.1%FG, 8.6rpg, 1.2bpg, 20.4 PER

Jonas Valanciunas 15-16’: 35 games, 26.2mpg, 12.3ppg, 54.9%FG, 9.4rpg, 1.2 bpg, 21.8 PER

They say big men take the longest to develop, they also say Karl Anthony Towns is already way better than JV — point is, this has to be his year. After signing a large extension ($64M/4yrs), the team has shown full commitment in the growth and development of JV. Jonas is still not able to average 30mpg, last year we could blame Chuck Hayes (lol), this year it’s Big BIZness. To be fair, Jonas suffered a serious hand injury this year and has still been trying to figure it all out. His last game against Minnesota, he seemed to have reinjured his hand and then followed it up with a lack of confidence type play — where he practically moved away from the ball and took only 4 shots. I expect a big post all-star break season for Jonas. This year DeMar has even been looking to get JV going, which did not occur much at all in the the 14-15’ season. What are some numbers you guys expect JV to have post all-star break?

 

Mr.Ross

Terrence Ross 14-15’: 52 games, 25.9mpg, 10.5ppg, 41.6%FG, 36.9%3pt, 3.2rpg, 0.6spg,  11.5 PER

Terrence Ross 15-16’: 46 games, 23.8mpg, 9.2ppg, 44.5%FG, 38.6%3pt, 2.4rpg, 0.8spg,  12.85 PER

I’ve been very critical about Terrence Ross. I even wrote an article about him calling him the $31.5M Mistake (referring to his extension).  Ross has been quite an enigma, he shows long periods of inconsistency and then random spurts of solid play. What makes Ross even more unbearable to several Raptor fans is the fact that Andre Drummond (drafted after Ross) is playing like a stud. But for the first time in a long while I am here to be not on the Anti-Ross side but the Pro-Ross side. In his past three games Terrence has been averaging 13.8ppg (50%FG, 40%3pt) all while playing some hard nose defense (“Look at him move those puppies” –Jack Armstrong). If Ross can provide this type of production consistently off the bench, he’s in my good books and it will probably allow for the other starters to get some much deserved rest. Do you guys think Terrence Ross is going to break out post all-star break? Shrey talks about why Ross has been so good in the video below.

 

Thanks for checking out this article.

-Kage.

 

 

Raptors Corner: Newest Raptors 2015-2016

Hey, Basketball fans! Welcome to another blog by the SuperBasketballBros!! We are almost half-way through the 2015-2016 NBA season. I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas holidays and wish all of you (and the Raptors) the best in the New Year. In today’s Raptors Corner blog, we’ll go over the play of the newest Raptors from the offseason and see what role they will play down the stretch of the rigorous NBA season.

 

Cory Joseph

Good find by Ujiri for a team that lacked a quality defensive point guard to compliment Kyle Lowry in 2014, no offence Greivis Vasquez and Lou Williams. Cory Joseph, who has benefited from his time under Greg Popovich, was brought in to play quality 2-way basketball and to improve the overall ball movement of the team. He, along with a few other newly acquired pieces, was brought in to kick-start the new defensive identity for the Toronto Raptors. Thus far in 2015, Joseph has been solid backing up Lowry with averages of 8.5ppg, 2.6rpg, 2.9apg on 45% shooting and regularly plays in 2 guard sets alongside Kyle to close out games. The Raptors haven’t had a solid set of PGs since Calderon was in town and now with the Lowry-Joseph pairing, the Raptors have one of the better PG pairings in the NBA. Moving forward, expect to see the same from Joseph, as he continues to push the pace and get others involved on offence while playing solid perimeter defence.

 

DeMarre Carroll

Ujiris’ prized acquisition hasn’t quite panned out just yet. Carroll has missed a big chunk of the season thus far with knee and foot injuries and it might be contributing to his poor shooting numbers to start his Raptors’ tenure. Brought in by Uriji to help improve the overall team defence, Carroll has shown signs of being the big-time stopper the Raptors envisioned guarding the opponents’ best offensive player. He’s another player who has been brought up in a “Spurs-like” system in Atlanta and has a reliable 3-point shot in his arsenal. In 2015, Carroll is averaging 11.7ppg, 4.7rpg and 1.7spg while shooting 38% from downtown. In order for Carroll to improve on his play in 2016, he will need to work on his shot selection, as he is only shooting 39% from the field. His defence is still not where it was last year with the Hawks, but with his injuries behind him, a clean bill of health can go a long way for Carroll in the New Year. The Raptors expect him to be that elite defender come down the stretch and into the playoffs. In the last 2 playoff series, the Raptors have been torched by Joe Johnson in 2014 and Paul Peirce in 2015. Hopefully with the addition of DeMarre Carroll, we will see an end to this trend for the Raptors in the playoffs.

 

Luis Scola

While a surprise signing by Ujiri, most would argue that Scola has brought the most to the table out of the newest Raptors to date. While he was brought in to bring a veteran presence and toughness to the PF position, Scola has turned back the clock and turned in some very good quality performances for the Toronto Raptors. Coming off an MVP win at the 2015 FIBA America tournament, Scola took the hot hand into the preseason and ended up with the starting role over hopeful Patrick Patterson. Luis Scola is arguably the Raptors best post player and has developed a respectable 3-point shot to help stretch the floor for Kyle and DeMar. During the 2015 season, Scola has averaged 10.5ppg and 6.1rpg on 47% shooting from the field and 44% shooting from downtown. With Jonas back in action this week, Scola will lose the centre minutes to Biyombo while still starting and seeing a modest 20-25 minutes per game, as the rotation begins to round into shape.

 

Bismack Biyombo

The 23-year-old Bismack Biyombo was given a 2-year contract once crowd-favourite Amir Johnson left for the Boston Celtics. Ujiri and the Raptors have been big fans of the Congolese player ever since the 2011 draft, which saw the Toronto Raptors select Jonas Valanciunas 5^th overall. Biyombo has always been criticized for his lack of offensive prowess and IQ. But his play thus far this season has Raptors fans and the coaching staff praising his rebounding and defensive abilities with averages of 5.6ppg, 9.1rpg and 1.5bpg. His play in the month of December was huge for the Raptors, who were without DeMarre Carroll and Jonas Valanciunas. While his offensive game still lacks some firepower, Biyombo has shown glimpses of a player who one day might have a decent inside game to complement his elite defensive skills. Moving forward, Biyombo will slide back into the backup role with Jonas back from injury. Expect to see Casey utilize Biyombo with the 2^nd unit and in high-pressure defensive scenarios.

 

An honourable mention goes out to Norman Powell, Anthony Bennett and Delon Wright, who have seen very little time in the NBA and have gone back and forth from the NBA D-League. The Toronto Raptors are currently 21-14 on the season and look to finish strong leading up to the All-Star Game in Toronto. A big reason the Raptors are hanging onto the 4^th spot in the East is due to the play of the newest Raptors, who have not only played a serviceable role but have elevated their games while stepping in for the injured Dinos. The newest additions have helped the Raptors forge a defensive identity, behind the 2^nd best defensive efficiency behind the Golden State Warriors and top 5 rankings in both steals (4.3 stls) and blocks (1.2 blks). With a health team again, the Raptors look to prove their worth a top the Eastern Conference.

JUST A REMINDER! The NBA All-Star Ballot is open for another 14 days and currently, neither Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan are in position to start or make the team altogether!! So here are the ways you guys can vote for your All-Star:

1. Visit the following website [http://vote.nba.com/?iref=asv16_nbadrd&cid=asv16_nbadrd]

2. Post a picture on Instagram or Twitter of the player with the following information:

Players FULL NAME + #NBAVote! (hashtag)

Again, make sure to go out and vote for your favourite all-stars! ONLY 14 DAYS LEFT!

Let me know what you think in the comment section below!! And make sure to follow our Instagram (@SuperBasketballBros) and YouTube channel (SuperBasketballBros) for more NBA news, discussion and memes!

-Shrey

The $31.5 Million Dollar Mistake

When the Toronto Raptors hired Masai Ujiri as their new General Manager on May 31^st 2013 there was a big sigh of relief that the Colangelo era was finally over. One of Masai’s biggest achievements in Denver was getting REAL value for their superstar Carmelo Anthony — something Colangelo could not do with Bosh. With the Raptors at his command, Masai made big moves to clean up the mess that Colangelo had made and provided Toronto with some financial freedom in the near future (Trading Gay + Bargnani). This year he chose to use some of the cap space to resign Kyle Lowry, Jonas Valanciunas, Patrick Patterson and also acquire DeMarre Carroll. None of these moves were met with extreme criticism in my opinion, although there was lots of discussion as to whether or not DeMarre Carrol was worth $15M a year. The Raptor faithful stood by Ujiri’s side and believed these were moves that needed to be made.

Then came November 2^nd 2015. Ujiri extended Terrence Ross’s contract by providing him with a $31.5M deal over 3 years. The current NBA cap sits at $67.1 million and is projected to jump to $89 million for the next season (2016-2017). But this fact alone does not warrant Ross’s extension.

Terrence Ross has been a complete dud as an NBA player. If I were to describe Ross’s play in a couple words they would be: inconsistent and complacent.

Inconsistent & Complacent

Ross has had a multitude of opportunities to step up his production, not many players get to play 27 minutes a game in their second season within the NBA —ask Jordan Adams (Grizzlies). All he had proven to the league was his skillset was impressive on paper, but in a game he was unreliable. Ross, who was blessed with ability to jump over the moon and solid lateral quickness is averaging a measly 0.8 free throw attempts a game in his career—-That’s less than one!!! I have not seen a player shy away from the rim so badly since Vince Carter injured his knee – and even he still got to the line. EXHIBIT A: Terrence scored 51 points against the Clippers in the 2013-2014 season, and although most of it was from beyond the arc (10-17) it was still clear that he could get to the rim if he was willing (9-10 FT). The next 10 games he put together a grand total of 10 free throw attempts (BRUH).

They say the new cap basically makes anyone who is worth $8M in the old cap translatable to $12M… I just don’t believe Ross is worth any of those values.

What are your thoughts on the contract? Am I way off?

Closing fact: Terrence Ross has scored 7pts since receiving his extension (72 minutes).

-KAGE

Kyle Lowry is ready for a big year

Kyle Lowry averaged 17.8 points and 6.8 assists in 2014, but near the end of the season it was obvious he was gassed. Especially in the playoffs where he shot a measly 32% from the field and an atrocious 21% from long distance. His team needed him badly, and the captain of the young Raptors just did not have it in him.

The four games with the Wizards was a huge disappointment for the Raptors and their fans, and a change was needed. Most were expecting a blow-up by the GM Masai Ujiri, but he made smart moves like signing gritty SF DeMarre Carrol and adding more depth to the line-up (Scola, Bennett, Joseph).

An unexpected change was a much slimmer Kyle Lowry. He walked into the Raptors open camp looking visibily leaner, stating he had lost 10lbs during the off-season.  “I feel faster, I feel a lot lighter” Lowry told reporters.

Lowry showed off his quickness during the Raptors first presason game against the LA Clippers putting up 26pts on 10 shots, and getting to the line at will (11-12 ft). The most impressive stat was that he did all this in only 21 minutes of playing time.  The Toronto Raptors cruised on to a 93-73 win in front of a sold-out Vancouver crowd. Although fans shouldn’t expect blow out type numbers from Lowry all season long, it is clear that Kyle is ready for the upcoming season and is mentally prepared to shine come playoffs time.

 

 

Written by Kage

 

Anthony Bennett signs 1-year deal with the Raptors

The Toronto Raptors have officially signed Canadian Anthony Bennett to a one year deal worth $975K. Bennett, who last year played with the Minnesota Timberwolves put up averages of 5.2ppg 3.8rpg while shooting 42% in 15.7mpg. Although these averages are better than his Cleveland numbers, the Timberwolves were no longer willing to wait and see what could become of the former number one overall pick.

Bennett has shown flashes of potential, whether it be a powerful throw-down or stepping behind the arc. The Toronto Raptors are hoping they can turn his career around, and develop him as the next big off the bench.

With this signing the Toronto Raptors now have a depth chart of:

PG: K.Lowry, C. Joseph, D.Wright
SG: D.DeRozan, T.Ross, N.Powell
SF: D.Carroll, J.Johnson, B.Caboclo
PF:P.Patterson, L. Scola, A.Bennett
C: J. Valanciunas, B.Biyombo, L. Nogueira

 

Written by Kage