Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
The Toronto Raptors got the win on Wednesday night, and Cory Joseph showed his former team all that he’d learned from his time with them. Playing against his Spurs teammates for the first time, Joseph’s numbers in a 97-94 Toronto victory were modest — six points, four assists, three steals — but his playing time was up there with the starters, something that’s been routine this season.
When the Raptors signed Joseph, everyone talked about defence. The move directly reflected promises to get back to a defence-first mindset. Two months into the season this has held true, but Joseph hasn’t just provided a boost on one end of the floor. Since returning to his hometown, he’s been one of the most important players in Dwane Casey’s system, averaging 26.4 minutes per game, fifth most on the team.
“Cory’s been huge,” Casey said. “You know what you’re going to get from Cory each and every night. “Every time he walks on the floor you’re going to get a Cory Joseph. That’s contagious. He jumpstarts the second unit. His young career is just starting to grow. He’s an NBA starter in this league at some point.”
A player capable of starting who has embraced coming off the bench couldn’t have learned how to excel as a reserve from anyone better than San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili. While Joseph learned from Spurs point guard Tony Parker, he often spent time on the bench next to Ginobili, and had a front row seat to observing how his former teammate played his sixth man role to perfection.
It’s easy to credit the Spurs’ system with helping to mould Joseph’s game, but San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich is quick to give the 24-year-old credit for all he’s accomplished in his career thus far.
“"He's always been that way," said Popovich of Joseph’s drive. "You don't make somebody that way.”
The story that often gets retold when talking about Joseph and his NBA beginnings is when he went to Popovich as a rookie to ask about being sent to the team’s D-League affiliate. Recognizing that he needed experience to get better, Joseph chose to problem solve rather than sulk about being buried on the depth chart of a talented team.
"From day one he was somebody who wanted to just keep improving,” Popovich said. “He spent time in the D-League, worked through it the hard way. Earned his way onto the team and became a very important factor for us. He'd still be with us if we could've paid him, but you can't pay everybody."
In Toronto, Joseph has been a defender and a distributor. He’s hit a game-winning shot, and he calms things when they’re getting out of hand. He’s consistently scoring and he understands how much easier the game is when the ball is moving.
Perhaps most crucial for the Raptors, though, is how he lessens the burden that Kyle Lowry has to carry. A season ago, Lowry got off to the best start of his career, but was unable to sustain the heavy lifting as the regular season came to a close and the playoffs arrived. This time around, Joseph is there, giving Lowry room to breathe.
“The things Cory [does] the way he plays defence, it gives me the opportunity to rest,” Lowry said. “When it comes down to late-game situations I can get back on my guy or we can have him on him. Cory’s having an unbelievable season. He’s a great addition to us and everybody on the team and organization is happy he’s here, man.”
In the visitor’s locker room, Ginobili was disappointed in his team’s loss, but enjoyed watching his former bench mate show what he could do in an increased role.
“We had so many games together and we both were in the second unit for all of his career and half of my career,” Ginobili said. “It was great to see him and see him do good, being steady in the rotation, relying on him in close games. It’s really great to see him become a very solid reliable player. We saw him at 19. He was very raw. You could see all his energy and toughness, but he was very raw. Now you see him as a man, and a well-developed player. It’s a good thing.”