10 things: VanVleet's third-quarter masterpiece engineers a Raptors comeback

Here are 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors‘ 122-108 win over the Utah Jazz.

One — That was harder than it needed to be but it only added to the excitement. For the second straight game, the Raptors came out flat and lethargic on defence and were forced to climb out of a double-digit deficit. They got away with it once again to push their win streak to five games, but this trend needs to be nipped in the bud.

Whether it’s because of the strangeness of playing in an empty gym, or playing against teams that have been without key players due to injuries or COVID-related absences, the Raptors must start games with a more serious approach. It’s good to have the ability to flip the switch, but they shouldn’t need to against a Jazz team that were without all but one of their rotation players.

Two — Fred VanVleet delivered a masterpiece in the third quarter. It’s not an exaggeration to say he did everything for the team. VanVleet went on a personal 15-0 run against Utah to dig the Raptors out of a hole, then kept them on top with a series of increasingly difficult shots. VanVleet played like a man possessed, where he would score on one end, rip the ball away on the other, take it the length of the floor to score, and then do it all over again, before capping off his 24-point quarter with a pull-up three with a foot on the logo.

It was a shock to the system for both teams, where Utah’s rag-tag group lost its confidence along with the lead, while Toronto responded with renewed enthusiasm to not let VanVleet’s effort be in vain. When VanVleet returned in the fourth quarter, he completed his first career triple-double by setting up Precious Achiuwa for two layups, and was awarded with the game ball from Nick Nurse in the locker room.

Three — It’s clear that the responsibility of the team ultimately falls with VanVleet. He is their leader, and it is his job to get the ball rolling. That’s not to say that VanVleet needs to be the best player night in and night out — Pascal Siakam is just as capable of filling the boxscore while OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr., and Scottie Barnes all have their moments — but VanVleet is who they turn to in difficult times. He is careful not to overdo it, as VanVleet doesn’t specifically covet being the hero, but he has the trust to take over as he sees fit.

These moments of brilliance are all the proof anyone needs, not that anyone would really be checking for the credentials of an undrafted and undersized guard who closed out a championship game and is now in consideration of being celebrated as an All-Star.

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Four — Chris Boucher was playing so hard that he was spent when he hit the bench. It was almost comical how exhausted he was, and it only makes you appreciate how much effort he contributed.

Boucher has been a revelation of late, turning his season around over the past month, and he’s elevating the second unit as a whole.

It’s the little things that have gone a long way for Boucher, whether it’s streaking ahead of the pack in transition, using his length to disrupt passing lanes, or hunting down offensive rebounds revive empty possessions, and it’s all leading to wins. To think this is the same player who Nurse benched repeatedly over the season, Boucher serves as a reminder that things can turn on a dime. His attitude and focus is positive and to be commended.

You think Boucher played hard tonight? #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/80Rj5Fl497

—(@DocNaismith) January 8, 2022

Five — The second unit as a whole has been much stronger since Nurse cut his guards. The Raptors are the only team in the league to feature three centres as their sixth, seventh, and eighth players in the rotation, but it’s working.

Nurse has found the right combinations for his second unit lineups where they are actually managing to extend leads rather than squandering them, as was the case for most of the year. The pairing of Boucher and Achiuwa has been airtight on defence, which is providing just enough in transition to make up for the lack of spacing, while empowering Barnes and Siakam as supersized point guards has brought stability to the offence.

VanVleet’s outburst was enough to erase a 14-point deficit, but the lead was only two points when he sat at the start of the fourth. By the time he returned at the six-minute mark of the fourth, the Raptors were up 10 and VanVleet had little to do besides completing his triple-double. That simply wasn’t happening for a lot of the season, and this affords VanVleet some much-needed rest.

Six — Siakam was excellent when he needed to be. It wasn’t the sharpest of performances for Siakam to start, which was the case for pretty much everyone in the lineup for the first half, but he was sharp to start the fourth quarter. His efforts fell far shy of VanVleet in the third, but Siakam was steady in how consistently he got to the basket for little flip shots and dump off passes to extend the lead at a time where the Raptors didn’t have many other scorers on with him.

Siakam had seven points and three assists in the fourth quarter, to go along with a steal that sparked a 4-on-1 fast break for the team, and a blocked corner three which got the Raptors out in transition yet again. Once Siakam gets going, it gives the team a legitimate one-two punch where Nurse can stagger his minutes with VanVleet to ensure that the level of play doesn’t drop.

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Seven — Anunoby will excel in his role. He doesn’t need to force it as much as he did earlier in the year while Siakam was out, and while that will come with a natural dip in shot attempts, it will also correlate with a rise in efficiency.

Anunoby scored 22 points using 13 field-goal attempts, which is similar to his 22 points on 10 shots effort that he managed against Milwaukee, where he benefited as the finisher while others created.

Seven of his eight makes were assisted, with the one exception being on a putback where Anunoby crashed the glass and got right back up with a short turnaround. With Siakam, VanVleet, and even Barnes being able to make plays, it’s just up to Anunoby to make himself available on the arc, or timing his cuts to get free lanes for layups. There is still an urge for Anunoby to occasionally stop the ball and try to get something for himself, which is only natural since he has clearly rehearsed his moves, but those aren’t totally needed right now when Siakam and VanVleet are in such form.

Eight — Trent Jr. had an off-night despite hitting two late threes. He started 0-for-6 from deep even though most were wide open, and it seemed to weigh on him. He was more eager than usual to swipe for steals, and while he did come up with three blocks, he didn’t make any firm impact on defence, nor did he get on the glass or set up his teammates.

These games have been few and far between for Trent Jr. this season, as he’s expanded his game to not just be a one-dimensional scorer, so hopefully he returns to form. He is only shooting 15-for-49 from three since returning from a week in health and safety protocols.

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Nine — The Raptors have done a great job of executing on out-of-bounds plays. One pet move of theirs is to set up VanVleet or Trent Jr. for corner threes, which usually spring from a variation of two moves.

One sees Trent Jr. pop behind a set of double screens as he heads from the top of the floor down to the corners to receive the inbound. The other is more clever, where VanVleet inbounds to Trent Jr. at the top, before sprinting back into play while sneaking behind a screen of his own and then nestling in the corner for the pitch back from his fellow guard partner.

It’s amazing just how much mileage the Raptors get out of a simple set, and it speaks to their growing chemistry as a group.

Ten — Achiuwa is playing well in general, but he sometimes takes on too much. There was a sequence in the fourth quarter where Siakam drove and found Achiuwa under the basket for what looked to be an open five-foot hook shot, except Achiuwa didn’t trust it so he held onto the ball and opted instead for a clearout to take on the bigger shot blocker in Hassan Whiteside. Achiuwa went into his move, but blew a tire almost immediately and slipped, forcing him to give up the ball with only a few seconds left which predictably ended in a heaved shot that went nowhere.

Everyone needs to know their role, and Achiuwa’s responsibility is playing defence and converting reliably around the basket. All the other stuff is unnecessary.

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