Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
Last year the Toronto Raptors went as DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry did. The same will be true this season, but the two stars will have some additional help along the way.
“There were a lot of games last year where me and Kyle had to play 40-plus minutes at times because we had to hold a lead or fight back, just because we didn’t have as strong of a bench as we do now,” DeMar DeRozan said. “We’ve got a couple guys that can take the load off when it comes to that. There are some games when we might not have to come right back in at our normal time because the second group has got it going. I think that goes a long way.”
Signing James Johnson and acquiring Lou Williams over the offseason helped Toronto to add depth to its bench. Williams brings reserve scoring and the ability to heat up quickly if the starters are having an off night. Johnson gives the Raptors an athletic wing defender to slow elite scorers and create his own baskets off of broken plays.
Success in the NBA is rarely as simple as just adding players to your roster, though. Things take time. Chemistry has to be built and optimal lineups have to be discovered. The first few weeks of this NBA season will be about head coach Dwane Casey experimenting with his deeper bench to see what rotation feels best.
In Toronto’s season-opening victory against the Atlanta Hawks, Casey relied heavily on his reserves, sometimes going with a five-man bench lineup The new-look reserves performed well and allowed for the starters to get a break.
“They’re coming,” Casey said after Toronto’s win against the Hawks. “It’s not there yet. The rhythm is not there yet. Guys are still trying to find their way. There’s going to be nights where Lou Williams is going to be huge, nights where James Johnson is going to be huge. There’s going to be nights where it’s Greivis’ night. That’s just the way our roster is built right now.”
Vasquez: “I know we’re going to help this team a lot.”
When the Raptors took to the road for their first back-to-back of the season against Orlando and Miami, the team needed big third quarters from Lowry and DeRozan to defeat the Magic and get within striking distance of the Heat.
As Johnson and Williams continue to carve out their roles in Toronto, Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson and Tyler Hansbrough are also learning how to best complement their new colleagues.
“It is early, but we’re all capable,” Vasquez said. “We can start for anybody. I say that in a humble way, but we’re truly happy here. I’m just here to do my job. Whatever it takes.”
Despite the figuring-out process, this year’s bench is a definite positive for the Raptors. Vasquez is coming off a solid offseason of training and strengthening the ankle that bothered him last season. Patterson spent his summer in Santa Barbara working with the sports scientists of P3. Hansbrough came into training camp with a renewed focus and surprising three-point shot. Brazilian rookies Lucas Nogueira and Bruno Caboclo are happy to here and eager to soak up whatever NBA knowledge their teammates have to share.
“It’s a complete team,” Kyle Lowry said. “We’ve got guys who worked extremely hard this summer getting their game right knowing we’re going to need them to help us sometimes [this season].”
After shocking the entire league with their postseason entrance last season, it’s clear that every player on Toronto’s roster is on the same page. The next challenge will be figuring out the rotation that best fits this group of players. Playing eight of their next nine games at the Air Canada Centre should make that process a little easier.
It also helps when reserves are aware of their roles and willing to accept them for the greater good of the team.
“I’m just happy and proud to be in the second unit,” Vasquez said. “I know we’re going to help this team a lot.”