TORONTO – Norman Powell came streaking down along the left side of the floor, just a few steps ahead of Toronto Raptors teammate Pascal Siakam who was dribbling down the court in transition with the ball.
The two made eye contact and then, just a step inside the free-throw line, Siakam threw a sky-high lob, confident Powell could climb the ladder and finish off the ambitious-looking alley with an emphatic oop.
“I just helped him reach his potential, that’s it,” Siakam joked Tuesday afternoon, a day after that exclamation-like alley-oop play in the Raptors’ 133-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday night. “He didn’t know he had that, he hasn’t been dunking like that. Just make sure that he knows he’s got that. That’s my job.”
"WE UNDERSTAND THE GRIND, NORM, WE UNDERSTAND THE GRIND" – @Matt__Devlinpic.twitter.com/dqXpYhpHT0
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 17, 2019
That big slam was part of 26-point outburst by Powell, as he’s continued his consistently strong play of late, with Monday’s outing marking the first time he’s scored at least 20 points in three consecutive games in his NBA career.
These three games have also coincided with Powell getting inserted back into the starting lineup, due to the injury to Fred VanVleet. Powell has always performed better as starter, but this season it’s become even more apparent as his 17.6 points per game scoring average, 52.1 per cent shooting from the field and 43.9 per cent shooting from three-point range as a starter is miles better than the numbers he’s put up off the bench (10.5 points, 44.8 per cent field-goal percentage and 31.1 per cent from deep).
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And both outside and from within the Raptors, people have noticed the stark difference between the Powell who starts and the Powell who comes in reserve.
“Yep, it certainly will make me reconsider it,” said Raptors coach Nick Nurse after Monday’s game when asked if Powell’s play might make him reassess sending Powell back to a bench role when VanVleet returns to the lineup.
Following up on this thought Tuesday, Nurse was asked about the developing scenario of choosing between Powell or VanVleet in the staring lineup and turned it into an apparent situation of another kind.
“I don’t know that it would be Fred, that’s why I’m hesitating to answer your question,” Nurse said after looking around at the gathered group of reporters in comical, mock smart-aleck way.
“I don’t know that it’d be Fred. But yeah, they all wanna start,” Nurse continued. “We’ve been through this a million times, right? Like with Serge [Ibaka] a year ago, with Jonas [Valanciunas], you know, we’ve been through it.”
And it would seem that the Raptors will be going through it once again — but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The Raptors’ roster versatility and the malleability seen in the starting lineup is something Nurse wants to do more of to be better prepared come the post-season.
“From my past experiences it felt like we were always locked into a set lineup and then all of a sudden we were facing a team and we had bad matchups to start the game,” Nurse said. “Then it was hard, almost impossible to have those conversations that we were switching. Like, devastating that time of year.
“You start all 82 and then all of a sudden here come the playoffs and you’re not. So I think I’m just trying to lessen the devastation factor.”
Added Siakam: “Because we played with different lineups all year [last season] you feel comfortable with anyone on the floor.”
Given how last season finished, experimenting with different lineup combinations, including in the starting lineup, isn’t a bad idea for Nurse and the Raptors, especially when they have a good problem such as the Powell and VanVleet dilemma.
In regards to the starters, specifically, there’s a lot that goes into his decision of who starts the game.
“I think just fit sometimes, like, what guys fit with maybe the first group or the second group a little bit better, that’s one thing. Or just some guys that have maybe risen their level of play that deserve more minutes, and you get ’em into a starter’s rotation, and that’s the easiest way to get ’em those more minutes.
“And the other thing is, you guys remember from a year ago, I like to use some flexibility in the starting lineup throughout the course of the year because I see in the playoffs that you may have to do that sometimes. You may have to switch your starting lineup, and it seems a strange time to do it for the first time all year, or to be so rigid all year long and then ask your team all of a sudden to be open-minded and flexible. So that would be another reason, just to change it around a little bit.”
There will be interesting decisions within the Raptors starting lineup for Nurse to make with, perhaps, those judgments being passed sooner than later. VanVleet’s knee looks to be nearly fully healed as he was spotted during practice in a one-on-one drill looking explosive off the dribble and getting good elevation on his jump shot.
Nurse said it’s “not likely” VanVleet will play Wednesday night against the Detroit Pistons, but he can’t be too far from a return now.
A return that could see Powell, him, or maybe someone else entirely forced to the bench.
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