Here are 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors‘ 109-105 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
One — The Raptors never had control, yet this was a winnable game. The Nets responded following a no-show on opening night with a more diligent defensive showing, while the Raptors lacked their usual edge in athleticism, but it still came down to the wire in an epic battle between all-star duos.
In the end, it was Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant who both made heavily contested jumpers in the win, which tends to happen when you get into a close game in Brooklyn, but the regret is in allowing the game to be close despite holding a double-digit advantage late in the third.
Two — Pascal Siakam played one of the best games of his career, finishing with a 37-point triple-double in his continued quest for superstardom. In a game that featured Durant and Irving, it was Siakam who generated the most offence at the most efficient rate.
Brooklyn made the mistake of playing Siakam in single coverage in the first half, and Siakam smartly took advantage by patiently getting to his spots and either pivoting into the paint with an assortment of impressive post moves, or by stepping back for smooth midrange jumpers.
It took until the fourth quarter for the Nets to finally send hard double teams at him, but he had an answer for that too by spotting his teammates for easy looks.
Three — Siakam is taking a more mature approach to scoring. In previous seasons, he could be in a rush, too scripted in his moves, and largely dependent on getting to the paint. Now, he patiently seeks mismatches, gets to his spot from the elbow extended, reads where the help defenders are coming from, and stays under control which allows him to pivot and counter as needed.
Ben Simmons used to give Siakam problems in their matchup, since Simmons has the size and quickness to cut off Siakam’s drives, but he could only stand there and watch as Siakam dotted him for back-to-back crossover pull-ups.
Four — As his scoring continues to grow, the setups are becoming easier. The Nets were so concerned with Siakam in the fourth quarter that they sent hard double teams to the post and completely ignored Scottie Barnes under the basket. Siakam found Barnes for three wide-open dunks, and worked his usual two-man game with Fred VanVleet.
Irving remarked post-game that Siakam will be flirting regularly with triple and double teams, and it’s not hard to see why. A lot of teams will rather live with other players getting open looks than play this version of Siakam straight up.
Five — VanVleet is still crucial on offence despite being deemphasized. Even though it has only been two games, there is a clear adjustment for VanVleet to play more of a facilitating role instead of focusing on scoring as compared to last season. He didn’t take a shot until the five-minute mark of the first quarter on a floater, and he only attempted four shots in the first half, which includes two wide-open catch-and-shoot threes.
But when the Nets started making their runs in the second half, it was VanVleet who took up the secondary role behind Siakam by driving into the paint for kick-out passes, hunting for threes around pin-down screens, or crossing up his defender for stepback jumpers in the final minute. The overall approach of using VanVleet less does make sense since there are other advantages on the floor, but when push comes to shove, VanVleet picks up the slack and stops the bleeding.
Six — Barnes grew into the game, just as he did in the season opener. The starting lineup features five players who can all get their own, so there’s a feeling-out process early on with each player taking turns trying to size up their defenders.
Eventually though, when the advantages emerge and the offence becomes more clear, Barnes finds his way as a secondary player. He’s instinctive in knowing how to position himself so that he is open when the main man is doubled. More importantly, Barnes trades the prettier but more hopeful midrange pull-ups for the bruising bully ball drives that are more guaranteed, which is the approach he should take for the full four quarters.
Seven — The second unit was a massive letdown. With pre-season injuries to Otto Porter and Chris Boucher, the Raptors are back to where they were last season with a thin bench that struggles to make plays on either end. Nick Nurse benched Juancho Hernangomez following his sluggish showing against the Cavaliers, but none of his regulars delivered.
Four bench players combined for three field goals made, and the Nets ripped a 17-0 run when the second unit came in late in the third quarter. The disappointing element is that unlike last year’s reserves, who still crashed the glass for extra possessions while locking in on defence, both elements have been missing through two games. In 46 minutes of combined reserve minutes, they only managed two offensive rebounds, while also allowing the likes of Patty Mills and Nic Claxton to slip free on offence. If this keeps up, Nurse will have no choice but to ride his starters.
Eight — Christian Koloko failed to build on his promising debut. The new second-rounder had his hands full with Claxton, who is another young and bouncy center in the mold of Koloko. Despite being shorter, Claxton dominated the matchup, finishing with 19 points and seven offensive rebounds as he powered a key stretch for Brooklyn where they cut a double-digit lead down to a narrow margin at the end of the third quarter.
With all due respect, Claxton is an aggressively average player at this point in his career, and while he does have a nose for the ball, the bottom line is that Koloko needed to keep him quiet.
Nine — Precious Achiuwa has been hugely disappointing for all but one quarter of the new season. Offensively, it’s known that Achiuwa can swing wildly, as evidenced by a catch-and-shoot three-point attempt landing above the square on an open look in the first quarter, or by Achiuwa failing to catch a simple hit-ahead pass that should have been a dunk.
But defensively, he’s not doing much better as he’s failed to make an impression despite a very strong showing on that end last season. Achiuwa should be banging on the door for a starting spot, but right now he’s making so many self-inflicted errors that Nurse is playing a rookie in his second game more minutes than he is giving to Achiuwa.
Ten — Boucher’s absence is very noticeable. The Raptors are not so much of a threat on the offensive glass without their most active big, nor are they challenging shots at the basket as effectively. Boucher’s absence also hurts Thad Young, who is usually good for a couple of dimes to Boucher on cuts. He’s one of the only players on the bench who can make a play, and without him, the Raptors suddenly look small and undersized in the paint.