Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
With a leg kick and the blow of a whistle, it was over. As officials awarded Minnesota’s Tyus Jones a pair of free throws in a game tied at 79 with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock, Toronto’s hope of remaining undefeated as they chased the summer league title were dashed.
The Toronto Raptors didn’t fulfill their goal of winning a summer league championship this summer, but they had a successful session in Las Vegas all the same. For the second consecutive season, Norman Powell was the talk of the Thomas & Mack Center, from media row to front row, as writers, coaches and players alike marvelled over the 46th pick in the 2015 draft.
Powell — the lone rookie to be named to the All-NBA First Team a summer ago — immediately picked up where he left off last year. He had a solid case for MVP of the entire tournament had Toronto advanced beyond the quarterfinals. In five games in Vegas, Powell finished averaging 19.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and one steal per contest. He shot 43 percent from the floor, 46 percent from beyond the arc, and attempted 35 free throws. He looked like a veteran, both in play, and leadership, and his time on the floor during Toronto’s postseason run certainly helped to speed up his NBA education.
Fellow sophomore Delon Wright also had a strong showing in summer league, but it ended painfully as the point guard left the floor during Saturday’s game against Minnesota with a dislocated shoulder. Luckily for Wright — and Toronto — x-rays were negative and he was able to have his shoulder popped back into place, but it was a painful way to close out the summer session. In addition to showing off his ability to lead a team and find his teammates, Wright also spent his time in Vegas finishing difficult shots around the rim and sneaking in for rebounds. Poised and composed, Wright showed he’s a natural floor leader with the ability to control pace and tempo and settle his squad when needed. Through five games, Wright averaged 8.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
Rookie big man Jakob Poeltl had a solid outing in his first experience playing in a Raptors uniform. Although his numbers don’t immediately jump off the page, they show a player who played within the role that was given to him, made the most of all of his opportunities, and showed a nice touch around the rim. Poeltl averaged 6.8 points, seven rebounds, an assist, a steal and two blocks to just 1.2 turnovers per contest in five games. He also converted 67 percent of his field goals.
Pascal Siakam, Toronto’s 27th pick in the draft, was limited to just 15 minutes in Vegas after suffering a sore left knee and then having to tend to visa issues before making the move to Toronto later this summer. Despite the shortened window, Siakam’s first-half stint was enough to get Raptors fans excited about his potential as he ran the floor, stole the ball, skied high for rebounds and dunked the ball. Most importantly, Mahlalela and Stackhouse were impressed with what both rookies showed in daily practice sessions with their new teammates.
Bruno Caboclo continued to show glimpses into his improvement as he is taking strides to growing into a potential that seems limitless. While there are still turnovers and moments of indecisiveness, Mahlalela stressed how easy things are for Caboclo when he keeps them simple. Caboclo averaged 11 points, four rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals and nearly a block per contest in 24 minutes per game.
For the second year straight, Toronto remained undefeated heading into the tournament. Jama Mahlalela and Jerry Sackhouse split head coaching duties, with Stackhouse manning the sideline during Saturday’s game. Despite the result, it was a wild finish with Toronto leading by six with under three minutes to play, then Minnesota raring back to take a three-point lead before Powell tied the game with a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds to go. With everyone in the arena assuming overtime was a lock, the foul call came as a surprise, but Jones calmly sank both free throws to close out the victory and help the 24-seeded Timberwolves get the 81-79 upset victory.
With the team going its separate ways following Vegas, the work continues. Rookies Siakam and Poeltl will get their first taste of Vancouver to work with Raptors director of sports science Alex McKechnie. Most of the young Raptors players will also end up spending time training in Los Angeles, getting in daily basketball runs with assistant coaches and veterans like DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross.
The biggest goal of summer league, despite the competition of players and coaching staff, isn’t to win the championship. That would have be nice, surely, but the aim of two weeks together in Vegas is to evaluate, educate, and introduce players into the Raptors system while showing them organization’s identity.
With general manager Masai Ujiri, head coach Dwane Casey and nearly the entire coaching, scouting and front office staff on hand to observe the action, the opportunity is there to make an impression. Most crucially, players wearing a Raptors uniform in Vegas come away with a good taste of what it is that the Raptors are building in Toronto and why it has fans and players so excited.