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Akil hits the slopes while telling you why to vote for Pascal Siakam for NBA All-Star. The Wayne and Theresa Embry Fellowship application window is now open. Get your Coors Light Slides before time runs out.

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Slipping and Sliding our way to All-Star | Raptors Rundown pres. by Coors Light

Before Pascal Siakam got into his jump-ball stance for the first game of 2022, he exchanged pleasantries with Obi Toppin, the man he’d be duelling at the centre of the logo to secure the opening possession of the game between the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors. They smiled at each other, then smiled some more, the idea that the two of them were going to battle for a jump-ball seemingly creating some level of amusement.

For the Knicks, it was by necessity as regular starter Nerlens Noel was out injured while Mitchell Robinson was in health and safety protocols. For the Raptors, it was the first time since Nov. 15 that they had the opportunity to play the style of basketball they’d planned for all season.

“I think it’s kinda played its way that way,” Nick Nurse said of opting for a starting five of Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes and Siakam. “Who we’re playing still matters, but I’m hoping that this group will give us our best defensive team at the end of games and things like that, and if they can get some reps together and get some connection and things like that, hopefully, it’s gonna be a real tough defensive team.

“That’s the end goal, to figure out our best defensive team and then figure out where the offence comes from each night.”

Now at the halfway point of the regular season, the team’s projected best five has accumulated just 92 minutes on the court together. Such is the story of this season with injuries and covid hijacking even the most straightforward objectives like settling on a starting lineup. While the team is still surveying the landscape in that regard, what has crystallised over the past month-and-a-half is the overall identity.

Toronto is 21-20 overall (ninth in the East) but 12-7 since Dec. 1 including 10-3 at home. Siakam has been a major source of optimism with what now looks a sublime complete package, and it’s allowed everyone around him to settle into their best-suited roles. There may have been some fluff to the six-game win streak that came against teams missing their best players but strong performances against Phoenix, Milwaukee and Miami who stood at a combined 89-44 (0.669) entering Jan. 19th’s action have affirmed how far their uber athletic, aggressive style of play can take them.

Against a Suns team that ranks second in offensive efficiency at 113.6 points per-100 possessions and sixth in turnover rate (15.3%), the Raptors forced 20 turnovers and limited them to 99 points that included six points off free-throws in the final 6.5 seconds as Toronto tried to extend the game. The Bucks pride themselves in securing defensive rebounds but the Raptors managed 16 offensive boards at a ridiculous rate of 38.2 percent. Against a Heat team renowned for its physicality, Toronto gave just as good as it got and head coach Erik Spoelstra — widely regarded as one of the best in the league — marvelled at the challenge the Raptors present on the court.

"They're a big, long team, they are unique,” Spoelstra said. “There are some teams that are really offensively different, probably just a handful in this league that are defensively different. With their size and length, switchability, position-less defensively, you really have to be intentional with them otherwise they just beat you up and force turnovers."

With Trent Jr. missing in action on the court (but starring with his fits off it), having Anunoby, Barnes and Siakam at the 2-3-4 positions gives the Raptors a size and athleticism advantage that can negate the disadvantages of not having anyone 6-foot-10 or bigger on the roster. Precious Achiuwa has contributed ably to that cause with his defensive versatility, consistently showing that he can stick with guards, forwards, and bigs alike on the perimeter courtesy his lateral quickness and then also exhibit excellent verticality on shot contests. Tasked with a larger role due to Khem Birch’s injury and covid-riddled season, the defensive upside has provided enough positives to overshadow a developing offensive game.

Bench productivity has been a sore spot this season, but, after an opening month-plus malaise, Chris Boucher is rounding into form and has presented himself as the most consistent option. Since Dec. 5, he’s scored at least nine points in 14 of 18 games to go along with 7.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. He is taking tremendous pride in attacking the glass while also refusing to back down from any challenge whether it be doing the best he can against the intimidating figure of Joel Embiid, contesting Giannis Antetokounmpo at the rim, or applying ball pressure on the perimeter. The Montreal native has pointed to the value of meditation in clearing his head as well as watching Dennis Rodman videos.

“He has kind of been giving us the same thing for a good stretch of games here, which is good,” Nurse said. “He is really a problem on the glass on both ends and he just battles so hard and keeps a lot of balls alive. Defensively, he has been pretty good, too. All kinds of matchups which you probably wouldn’t expect, he’s been guarding a lot of guards and doing an incredible job.”

Since Dec. 1, the Raptors rank seventh in defensive efficiency and 12th in offensive efficiency, good for seventh in overall net rating. In the East, only Cleveland and Miami have been better during that time frame. Toronto has taken better care of the basketball than any team in the league while also forcing turnovers at the third-best rate. Barnes has been ahead of the developmental curve, Trent Jr. has been the biggest surprise with his two-way play, Anunoby is settling in nicely as a tertiary option while both VanVleet and Siakam are looking on course for career-best seasons. Despite all the uncertainty and inconsistencies this season has provided, there is no doubting the team’s timeline has been accelerated.

You don’t build a roster of long and athletic players to only get a taste. This is a game plan that the Raptors have made abundantly apparent through their offseason actions and the first half may have only provided more reason to lean further into a style of play that presents challenges very few teams can as well as some high octane entertainment for the masses.

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Halfway There

As Pascal Siakam’s season has snowballed from a week to a fortnight to now over 20 games of All-NBA calibre productivity, it is time to recognize that the Cameroonian has returned to the form that elevated his name among the best forwards in the league.

Those first five games of the season where he searched for a rhythm are a distant memory now. In the 22 since, Siakam has averaged 22.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists and nearly a steal and a block each per game. He’s making 51.9 percent of his twos and also knocking down 35.5 percent of his three-point attempts. The free-throw shooting could be better at 71.1 percent but he’s also got to the line 44 more times than the next best Raptor over that span.

Respect is earned, not given, and the way teams have tried to take away pet moves or deter him with multiple bodies shows there is a recognition from the opposition that he is doing things a very select group of players in the NBA can. Against the two teams that contested last season’s NBA Finals, the Raptors were able to go toe-to-toe with them and get a split in large part because Siakam averaged 26.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 2.5 steals while getting to the line 13 times.

“He’s always been regarded as an All-Star, All-NBA talent and he’s proven that,” Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams said. “I think when you play deep in the playoffs and have a few injuries it can hamper your play, but he seems to be back in form. He’s a nightmare of a matchup because when he’s putting the ball down and getting to the basket, the one thing that helps their defence is his ability to get to the free-throw line.

“He’s just a tough cover. When you put small guys on him he posts up, when you put a bigger guy on him he takes them outside, so, that’s a nightmare for coaches and players around the league.”

After Siakam finished the Raptors’ championship season as the team’s second-leading scorer, he was challenged to take things a step further and that role elevation also changed how teams defended him. Access to the rim was minimized with multiple bodies and after attempting just over 70 percent of his shots within 10 feet of the basket in 2018-19, that number dipped to just over 51 percent the next season. Despite making the All-NBA Second Team, warts were exposed. In 2019-20, Siakam shot 32.9 percent from 10-16 feet and 30.4 percent from 16 feet to the three-point line.

Tasked with becoming ‘The Guy’ meant becoming a different type of player, and that began with taking in the new information that was being given to him. Similar to the challenge rookies face going into the sophomore season where they’re now a known commodity and have to bring something else to the table, this was the challenge laid out to Siakam: can you turn your midrange weakness into a strength?

The Tampa season presented its own set of unique challenges and the torn labrum in his left shoulder meant there was going to be an easing-in period, a dipping of the toes to test the waters. There’s no doubt, now, that he’s flourishing in the deep end.

Great players are able to take what the defence gives them and find a way to succeed anyway, and while 16 percent of his shots came between 10 feet and the three-point line in 2019-20, he’s upped that volume to over 30 percent while improving his accuracy by nearly 10 percent. He hasn’t forgotten about what butters his bread, either, making a career-high 74.5 percent of his shots within three feet and shooting 45.7 percent from 3-10 feet which is a tick below the 47.4 percent he shot in the championship season.

“I always felt that was something I have to unlock,” Siakam said after a Jan. 13 practice. “I’m nowhere near where I want to be. It’s an area where I’m so dangerous attacking the rim that most of the time I’m gonna get help. It’s not gonna be easy to get all the way there. Having that in-between game is gonna be important and something I need to work on. When you think about it, even the year before this year, I didn’t really get a summer for real. I got injured again, my summer wasn’t like the ones I usually have, which for me is really important. That’s where I usually take my game to the next level.”

Nick Nurse doesn’t look to Siakam making a particular type of shot or pulling off his patented spin move as a sign that he’s back to his best. Instead, Nurse knows the 27-year-old is playing his basketball when he’s mixing in a little bit of everything: some transition, some cuts to the rim, some drives, some pull-ups, and some drives either for a bucket or a pair of free-throws. That variety in Siakam’s game has invited a lot of attention, and it’s provided the opportunity for him to show off his playmaking chops as well, averaging 6.6 assists over his last 10 games. Further emphasizing the fact that the right decision is being made far more often than not, his potential assists — NBA tracking data pointing to how many passes he’s provided leading to a shot or free-throws — stands at 12.0 per game over the last 10. He is punishing teams that help too much or too little with equal effect.

For those who have known him best, his return to All-NBA form is hardly a surprise. Siakam’s career has been built on a foundation of hard work and dedication to his craft, not by talent alone. Fred VanVleet, who has been alongside Siakam since the beginning of their NBA careers, wasn’t shy in calling out those who dismissed him in November while Dwane Casey, former Raptors head coach and the first Siakam played under at the NBA level knew it was everything within Siakam and beyond the numbers that makes his resurgence hardly a surprise.

“He’s always been a tough kid, tough minded guy with what he’s been through in his life,” Casey said. “It was never an issue or question with me of how hard a worker he was or how high the ceiling was gonna be for him. I didn’t see the three-point shooting the way it is now but he’s worked on it and that’s what hard work brings you: living in the gym 24/7, guy driving an hour past L.A., six-o’clock in the morning, working out every morning. He’s put in the time and earned the benefit so I’m not surprised at all that he’s ascended to where he is and how he’s bounced back, it was just a matter of time.”

As a collective, we haven’t seen a curve ball thrown at us like the last 22 months and normal service is still yet to resume. Everyone has been impacted differently, some are back to living their best life, some are still searching, some have no life at all. Siakam has taken his lessons in stride and come out on the other side, and perhaps there’s a lesson for us all, too, in terms of empathy, patience, and understanding. During a time when some chose to be unkind to Siakam, he learned to be kinder to himself.

“There are things that you go through that are not going to be comfortable, but they are going to make you a better person, a stronger person, I like to believe that,” Siakam said. “Even for me, all the experiences I’ve been going through, it’s going to make you a better person. It’s funny: Most of the time when something happens to you, you ask yourself, ‘Why me?’ And then you ask yourself, ‘Why not you? Do you have someone else you want to suggest that happens to?’ You’ve just got to adjust your attitude.

“Things happen, and you’ve got to move forward. Sometimes it’s going to be great, but sometimes it’s not. That’s life.”

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Matter of Time

In this week’s episode of Open Gym, Toronto Raptors two-way guard Justin Champagnie reflects on his journey to the league. From Brooklyn to Pittsburgh, and going undrafted, the rookie achieves his ultimate goal, to sign with the Toronto Raptors. Justin earns minutes in the rotation, from his almost game winner vs Oklahoma City Thunder, to a career night vs the San Antonio Spurs, all while juggling Raptors 905 duties in between.

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Open Gym Pres. By Bell S10E11 | Head Down, Chin Up

Home has never been more different for the Raptors, and yet, it still is.

Leading into the first game of a five-game road trip, the Raptors only spent six of their previous 48 days on the road. It’s the biggest taste of home they’ll have all season, their next coming towards the end of March when they play eight of nine in Toronto before heading to New York for their regular season finale.

Scotiabank arena has been fan-less, games have been postponed, and most of the players have had to spend time in isolation due to covid protocols. Still, there is enough connectivity that keeps the elements of home exactly that.

“We still come to OVO, we come here, we practise here. We go to Scotiabank,” Pascal SIakam said. “It feels like home. Obviously, we want to have fans there but it gives you a home feel because it’s known territory, to be honest. It doesn’t feel strange because it’s something we’ve been doing, we’re used to. Having that same routine sometimes helps. With everything going on in the world, I think we also adapt to not knowing what’s going to happen. It was an OK year in Tampa. Obviously getting out of your comfort zone makes you learn about yourself. I think that we all got better from that experience.

“Even now sometimes when things get changed quickly, we stay on track because we’ve been used to things changing. It’s an experience that we want to have. We’re grateful that we had that, and hopefully it can make us better.”

When asked last season what part of the Raptors’ culture was missing most by being in Tampa, team president Masai Ujiri pointed to the OVO Athletic Centre. Internal development has been a pivotal strength for the franchise over the years and going back to a world class training facility after practicing in a hotel ball room is as crucial a return to normalcy as any and can be seen in the improvements not only team leaders like Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby have made but even Justin Champagnie emerging as a rotation piece. The opportunity for not only him but Dalano Banton, Malachi Flynn, and Isaac Bonga to make the quick ride to Mississauga and get playing time is another aspect the Raptors have become reacquainted with.

The little things make all the difference in the world, too.

Despite all the restrictions and things that have been taken away from the Raptors, there is a comfort and regularity that comes with being in Toronto that Nick Nurse appreciates. The opportunity to go about his business day in and day out without thinking about a flight to catch has given Nurse a semblance of the normalcy he remembers. Going to practice and then going back home to play with his kids before putting them to bed, you can’t put a price on that.

“Feels like I haven’t been in front of my own TV at home in forever,” Nurse said after an early December practice. “I’ve just had two days in a row. There’s a comfort level of being prepared for me so I’m sure the players feel the same a little bit. There’s a rhythm that you really like and you get used to. All the other stuff, it’s light years better than playing in front of nobody on the road and playing in Tampa in front of nobody or in front of 3,000.”

A big part of the connective tissue between the team and the fans has been lost without their presence in the arena but the Raptors have still tried to give back as best they can and maintain that relationship.

Fred VanVleet set up a U of T scholarship opportunity for a member of the Black or Indigenous community in financial need, Nurse, through his own foundation, provided meals to families for Thanksgiving. Siakam, while he was still in street clothes recovering from his injury, wore clothing provided by some of Toronto’s best BIPOC designers, while also further expanding his ‘Coding for Champions’ program for students. Chris Boucher held a concert featuring local artists Anders, Charmaine and Kofi with all proceeds going to his non-profit charity.

Among the new “givers” is local boy Dalano Banton. Living out his dream playing for the Raptors, Banton followed up on another goal of his by giving back to the Rexdale community with his first ever skills academy.

“I feel like just being able to give back and show my face whenever I can is going to be very helpful to my community,” Banton said. “I want to continue to do so and for the next time or the next camp or anything that I do, I hope I get to bring out more kids and more people just because of COVID (this camp was limited).”

Specifically for the holiday season, Nurse initially had a plan to give gifts to kids in person but instead had them dropped off to maintain safety. VanVleet also had his own event set up through relief and development organization Penny Appeal Canada, but was also unable to attend. Basketball Development Consultant Jamaal Magloire had a fundraiser planned that has since been pushed to February.

While the flesh that is the crowd cheering them on is absent, the skeletal framework of all that home provides is still very much present. All that practice time at OVO Athletic Centre, the regular drives to and from Scotiabank Arena, shuttling players back and forth between the 905 and the parent club, and the sheer consistency of being in their own locker room has contributed to the Raptors winning 10 of their last 13 home games.

Some home cooking before a long stretch away seems like just what the doctor ordered, and it’s got Nurse, among others, feeling prepared for a stretch of eight of the next 10 games on the road and, zooming out even further, 24 of the next 34.

“We’re looking forward to it for a number of reasons but mostly, I think we’re feeling some building coming on here,” Nurse said. “I said it the other night, it’s been some weeks now of some pretty solid building and basketball and learning a lot about the team and the players and the lineups; tough games and matchups and all kinds of stuff. I think there’s a lot of guys looking forward to getting out there and seeing what we can do on this trip.”

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Home Cooking

Ask teammates what stands out most about Fred VanVleet and the answer always hovers around one thing: professionalism.

For a young team that is learning on the daily what it takes to compete at the highest level of basketball, the ability to show up each and every single day with your hard hat and control what you can control, never take anything for granted, and always respect the game is an immeasurably valuable currency.

The lesson on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022? How to give maximum effort for a third game in four nights when the team is flat going up against an opponent missing three of its all-stars from a year ago and last season’s Sixth Man of the Year, among others, and playing in an arena that’s supposed to be home but has no fans in attendance.

The shorthanded Utah Jazz punched first and punched hard early to lead by as many as 17, then seemingly had a response for every run the Raptors could conjure. At least until VanVleet had had enough and went on what may go down as the most memorable individual run of this NBA season.

“That was an incredible run, all the way through the quarter, all the way leading up to that race-up three at the end,” head coach Nick Nurse said after the game. “You couldn’t believe that went in as well. It was a spirited effort by him to lead us with the ball in his hands and defensively at the same time.”

Over the final 4:22 of the third quarter, VanVleet scored 20 points including 17 in a row, and played with a sense of urgency that would have you thinking it was a playoff elimination game. It was the first time since Morris Peterson in 2001 that a Raptor scored 17 points in a row and he fell one short of the franchise record set by Vince Carter in 2000.

No, Jack, you’re watching Rockford’s finest.

VanVleet had 24 for the quarter on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting to go along with seven deflections (at least according to Nurse), inspiring his teammates and they were more than happy to take his lead and finish the job in the fourth. The Raptors finished with a fairly comfortable 122-108 victory to improve to 19-17 on the season and the 27-year-old also completed his first career triple-double with 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, the most points ever in a triple-double for the Raptors.

There are days in sports where you just have to marvel at what you’ve seen. There were no tickets to buy but that was a performance that would have been worth the price of admission. You’re never cheated when you watch VanVleet, he’s been raised to play the game that way. Auburn High School in Rockford, Illinois wasn’t the type to provide stats for their players and his then coach Bryan Ott taught that the W was the only thing that mattered.

In the moments where his legs got heavy, it was the win he mentally dangled as the carrot in front of him. VanVleet was seething after the Raptors dropped a home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this season and the thought of wearing a loss through Sunday considering the Jazz’s circumstances was a reality he wasn’t willing to accept.

“I’mma be honest, I always think I’m the best player in the gym and sometimes I’m right and sometimes I’m wrong and sometimes you can show it and sometimes you don’t,” VanVleet said. “That’s just the way I approach the game and you have to enforce that will and enforce your will on the game.”

Believing he could do the unthinkable doesn’t just come down to stubborn, blind faith. VanVleet put in a tonne of hard work in the off-season with his trainer (and brother) J.D. Danforth as well as a strength and conditioning coach back home in Rockford.

“We worked all summer for these types of moments,” VanVleet explained. “Just be prepared. It is not always called upon but you gotta be prepared for those moments. We have a great staff here who I work with daily to continue to get better. That's my main focus, it’s to continue to grow, get better as a player and teammate.”

It’s a scary thought that the best is yet to come, scarier still when realizing it’s all because he just keeps it professional.

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Career Night in Toronto

In this week’s episode of Open Gym, Nick Nurse kicks off the holiday season with a visit to St Paul Catholic School to hand out some presents on behalf of the Nick Nurse Foundation. The holiday cheer doesn’t last long when the Raptors and Province experience a Covid outbreak leading to the cancellation of a game and the signing of some emergency players to fill the roster. As the year comes to a close, the Raptors start getting some players back on the court and end 2021 against a familiar face.

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Open Gym Pres. By Bell S10E10 | Interruption

On a chilly late November night in Toronto, the Memphis Grizzlies showed Fred VanVleet the ultimate sign of respect.

From start to finish, they had Dillon Brooks pester Toronto’s starting point guard, effectively face guarding him and doing everything he possibly could to not only ensure he couldn’t touch the ball, but that even if he did, there was no room to breathe let alone set his eyes on the basket. Over 42 minutes, VanVleet was limited to 13 field goal attempts and for just the second time all season, finished a game with more turnovers than assists.

In short, Memphis gave VanVleet the Steph Curry treatment. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and the way Brooks approached his assignment was very much reminiscent of the way VanVleet has made life as difficult as possible for the greatest shooter of all time over the course of his career.

This has been coming and the Grizzlies haven’t been alone in looking to disrupt VanVleet in order to take the Raptors out of their rhythm. Most recently, the Milwaukee Bucks looked to show two bodies to VanVleet and trap him to force the ball out of his hands. The truth is it hasn’t mattered much as the opponent has often been left clutching at straws to successfully make him a non-factor. The 27-year-old’s ascension from undrafted to averaging 21.3 points, 6.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals to present a serious case for his first all-star appearance next month has shown in the way teams game plan for him and it’s an adjustment he’s been preparing for.

“I know how I would guard us, so, you kind of put that in your brain and you go and get into the work,” VanVleet said of his off-season plans in anticipation of what was coming for him. “More than anything, it's not really a defence or a coverage that I haven't seen. You don't see what they did all that often, but I've seen it before. It's just more so about making sure you're in condition and shape to fight through that because it's a different flow to the game.”

VanVleet’s NBA career has rested on the pillars of knowing where he wants to go and mapping out a plan to get there. When he went undrafted, it was a pebble not a dead end. When he was faced with the challenge of leapfrogging Delon Wright and Cory Joseph for minutes in a crowded Raptors backcourt, he worked his way around them like the cones in a dribbling exercise. Even when he went on one of the most jaw dropping stretches of high leverage three-point shooting over the course of the East Finals and NBA Finals to help Toronto to its first championship, VanVleet spent the summer working on flaws that were exposed in the prior two rounds.

Coming into this season, the opportunity in front of his 6-foot-1, 197-pound frame was never greater. Fresh off signing a four-year, $85 million extension and Kyle Lowry extending the exodus of champions, the microscope was going to not only be on what VanVleet could do to level up on the court but inside the locker room, on planes and bus rides, as well as before and after practices.

Leadership has always been VanVleet’s strong suit, and it became evident to both coaching and front office staff alike from the time he made the team. Dwane Casey was the first to empower him to be vocal, identifying a role that needed filling as DeMar DeRozan looked to be more subtle and Lowry stepped in and spoke as and when needed. Just as moving one seat over from lead assistant to head coach presents a whole new world of responsibilities, moving into the role of primary leader meant that there was going to be a reaction and consequence to each and every one of VanVleet’s actions. How early will he show up for practice? What does his pre-game routine look like? How does he set the tone on the floor? Where’s the line drawn on an acceptable level of effort?

Justin Champagnie had hopes of being selected in the 2021 NBA draft but things didn’t work out that way. The Raptors gave him an opportunity with a Summer League invite and he’s since run with that opportunity and turned it into a two-way contract. With Toronto building its culture on players who were willing to start at the bottom, he has drawn inspiration from VanVleet’s journey thus far.

“You gotta be professional about whatever you do on and off the court,” Champagnie said of lessons he’s learned observing VanVleet. “The main thing is just work: know what you’re here for, know what your goal is in life and go after it. So, being professional and getting the work in.”

It’s apparent VanVleet’s goal right now is to stand alongside the league’s best. Among players averaging at least 20 points per game (an exclusive club of 34 players), there are only three who have a better three-point percentage (40.5%) and five who average more assists (6.9). Making an impact on both ends of the floor as always, he is tied for the league-lead in deflections per game and the team allows 11.6 points per-100 possessions fewer when he is on the court. Among players who have played at least 500 minutes, only the reigning regular season MVP Nikola Jokic has a better on/off differential.

VanVleet has improved his ability to finish at the rim to a career-high 54.7 percent, his long mid-range shooting (14ft. - 3pt line) has jumped 17 percent to 55 percent, and he’s making a ridiculous 57 percent of his corner three-point attempts. That he’s managed all this while playing a league-leading and career-high 37.5 minutes per is astonishing.

In a season that has been so in flux from Pascal Siakam being unavailable to begin with and OG Anunoby picking up a hip pointer injury, throw in all the covid-related absences and even the changes in attendance limits for fans at Scotiabank Arena, VanVleet has been the constant keeping the Raptors’ head above water. His attitude towards winning and competing no matter the circumstances is one of his head coach’s most beloved traits about him, and one that Nick Nurse acknowledges makes his life a whole lot easier.

“It always helps to have guys that have a little bit of that underdog mentality in their DNA,” Nurse said. “That’s usually the hardest part of my job, when you look down on paper and a few guys are missing and we’ve still got to find a way to do it. Guys that have that underdog mentality, or been through some battles to get to where they are, or have really risen up to survive some challenges and overcome the odds and all those things, those are the ones that will believe quickly in a game plan and help you execute it and help you spread it to the rest of the team and the rest of the locker room.”

If VanVleet is on the outside looking in for an all-star spot, his recent play wouldn’t suggest it. For all the incredible numbers listed previously, over his last six games, the sixth year pro is putting up 29.3 points, 7.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds, two steals and has knocked down 35 of his 74 three-point attempts (47.3 percent). He’s also missed just one of his 24 free-throw attempts. Most crucially, the team has gone 5-1 in those games to get back over .500 and occupy one of the play-in tournament spots.

It would be fitting if this latest surge shored up VanVleet’s all-star spot as it would be reminiscent of some of the monster runs Lowry has gone on in a Raptors uniform before all-star voting results are revealed. A passing of the torch to a player the now Miami Heat star mentored with great enthusiasm and has always believed would arrive at this level. VanVleet knows he’s done the work and whether it’s the fans or his peers or opposing coaches, the time to show him the same respect in the ballots that they show him on the court is now.

“I feel like I’ve done my job up until this point,” VanVleet said. “I’ve put together a heck of a season so far… I was pretty close last year, we’ll see what happens this year. I’ll continue to put the team first and put winning first and see where all those accolades and those accomplishments fall.”

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Fred VanVleet: All-Star DNA

Let’s hear it one last time for the Raptors in 2021. On Friday night, Toronto will play its final game of the calendar year and, for many reasons, it’s easy to say good riddance.

Looking back on the first half of the year, it’s hard not to get away from the word isolation. Uprooted to Tampa, away from the fans, and the fans themselves having to spend much of the year in isolation and physically distance themselves from near and dear ones. The team on the court seemed isolated from its true identity, and when covid broke out, it spelled doom for the rest of the season. Misery loves company, but there was hardly any company to be found except virtually.

There was a light at the end of the tunnel, though, and Scottie Barnes’ smile makes it as bright as could be. In October, finally, the Raptors had the company of its incredible fans and a sliver of normalcy crept back into our lives. Fred VanVleet is putting up all-star numbers, OG Anunoby has leveled up, and Pascal Siakam is looking like the player he was before the world turned upside down. It all bodes well for 2022 and beyond, but before looking ahead, here’s a look back on the best of 2021:

Feb. 2: VanVleet was somehow even more unconscious than he was against the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals or Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Mr. Bet on Yourself dropped a career-high and franchise-record 54 points on 17-of-23 shooting including 11-of-14 from beyond the arc and a perfect 9-of-9 at the free-throw line in a 123-108 win over the Orlando Magic. The 54 points are the most ever by an undrafted player, surpassing Moses Malone’s 53, and he also passed DeMar DeRozan’s 52 against Milwaukee for the franchise mark. Very quietly, Kyle Lowry had a triple-double.

“Y’all know how I feel about him,” Lowry said. “That’s my little brother, man, and I’m proud of him. I seen DeMar sent out the tweet saying I was too old to get it, and I am. But my two guys, DeMar and Freddy, have the records, and even Terrence is in there, and I was able to witness all three of those 50-point games. They all are special to me. Tonight is really special because it came from a kid who was undrafted, worked his way to an NBA player, and an NBA starter, and possibly this year an All-Star and possibly an All-Defensive Player. That’s what makes it really special.”

March 17: A week before Norman Powell’s time with the Raptors came to an end with a trade to Portland for Gary Trent Jr., he scored a career-high 43 points on 14-of-18 shooting including 8-of-12 from deep in a 116-112 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Powell had a special seven-game stretch in which he averaged 30.3 points per game and the Raptors needed every single one of those points as it came while both VanVleet and Siakam were absent due to covid.

March 24: This was an historic moment for the Raptors and NBA basketball as it marked the first-ever all-women’s broadcast as Meghan McPeak called the play-by-play, Kia Nurse provided colour commentary, Kayla Grey took care of sideline duties while Kate Beirness and Amy Audibert provided pre-game and halftime analysis.

Oh, and there was drama for the game, too, as many expected it to be Lowry’s final appearance as a Raptor with this contest against the Denver Nuggets being the final one before the trade deadline. Toronto won 135-111 courtesy of a shooting clinic, hitting 50.6 percent from the field, 50 percent from the three-point line, and 91 percent on free-throws. When Lowry waved goodbye to the camera as he headed down the tunnel and into the locker room after the game, it was arguably the most heart-wrenching moment of the season not knowing if he would suit up in a Raptors uniform again.

April 2: In a rematch of the 2019 NBA Finals, the Raptors destroyed the Golden State Warriors 130-77 in one of the few start-to-finish feel-good games of the season. Sure, there was no Steph Curry, Draymond Green, or Klay Thompson but when you had the season the Raptors did, you take them any way you can get them. Siakam had a stellar night, finishing with 36 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

April 8: Chris Boucher went off against the Chicago Bulls to the tune of a career-high 38 points and 19 rebounds. In typical Tampa season fashion, it also came in a loss, but it was memorable for other reasons too. The day marked Malachi Flynn’s first NBA start (he finished with nine points and eight assists) while Freddie Gillespie also signed his 10-day contract that day.

April 10: Just a couple days later, newcomer Trent Jr. had one of the most amazing shooting nights you’ll ever see, scoring a career-high 44 points while missing only two of 19 shot attempts from the field! Flynn also had a memorable night with 20 points and 11 assists in a 135-115 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers without Lowry, Siakam, or VanVleet.

April 19: After first receiving a training camp deal, then earning a two-way contract, Yuta Watanabe signed a standard NBA contract on this day. It was the full circle of a story built on dedication, hard work, and sacrifice. Watanabe has since become a fan favourite and looks exactly the type of player who can thrive under Nick Nurse.

"My mom was almost crying, and I told my mom this is just the beginning,” Watanabe said. “We were really happy and they say they are really proud of me.”

April 23: This was a day of rookie initiation at its finest. As practice came to an end, Kyle Lowry gathered everyone together so they could watch Flynn and Gillespie show off their singing chops to Miley Cyrus’ ‘Party in the USA.’ Gillespie took it a step further, busting out several dance moves as he got more and more into it and was egged on by his teammates.

May 2: Lowry’s final game for the Raptors was a special one. Going up against a LA Lakers team with title aspirations, Lowry showed them what they were missing in not trying hard enough to trade for him by racking up 37 points and 11 dimes in a 121-114 win. Siakam was special, too, with 39 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks, and it was cool to see the damage that dynamic duo could do at their best, one last time.

July 29: The Raptors select Scottie Barnes, Dalano Banton, and David Johnson in the 2021 NBA Draft. The fan reaction was overdramatic to say the least because of all the speculation surrounding Jalen Suggs but it’s safe to say now all concerns have been alleviated with Barnes looking like someone who could be one of the best players in the league one day. You know the vibes.

Aug. 5: After a couple years of wondering if it would happen, Masai Ujiri showed why he always spoke like it was a matter of when. Him re-signing as not only President but Vice-Chairman of the Raptors was a sigh of relief for fans and puts the team on solid ground as they look to build the next champion roster.

“We are going to develop players and we are going to build on that,” Ujiri said. “I’m saying it again that we are going to continue to develop these players and we are going to find a way to win a championship here based on the development of our players. Whatever comes from that, sometimes trades, sometimes you acquire through free agency, we are just not going to cry that players are not coming here. That’s not what we’re about.”

Sept. 27: Media Day was the moment it felt real the Raptors were returning. It was also the first time Siakam interacted with the local media since undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He was light-hearted, joking, but also concise on his goals for the season and not only re-establishing the Raptors as a winner, but leading from the front as well. The effects of a clear mind are showing big rewards on the court already.

Oct. 20: 600 days after the previous game in Toronto, the Raptors witnessed a special, emotional scene at Scotiabank arena as the fans provided an outpouring of love before tip-off. It had been too long, and the moments before the game as the players were introduced — especially local Rexdale boy Banton — were pure goosebumps. Here’s hoping Jurassic Park returns in April, too.

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Turning the page on 2021

If you watched the Raptors get throttled by 45 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, you saw a team that had enough to huff and puff for just about 12 minutes. In all honesty, how could they manage much more than that? Down to four players from the opening night roster as well as four part-timers, the team was handed an impossible task and the result reflected it.

This is the NBA, where while there’s plenty of empathy shown outside the lines by those who form the brotherhood, there’s no room for sympathy between them. Every win takes a serious level of dedication to the craft, and sometimes a bit of luck. Star power is the ultimate currency because they are the ones who throw and land punches more than anyone else, they are the ones who can blow the house down.

So on Tuesday night, it was a huge relief for Toronto to find out that Pascal Siakam would be returning to the lineup to go up against all seven feet and 280 pounds of Joel Embiid and his Philadelphia 76ers. After being held back by health and safety protocols for almost 10 days, or jail as he described it, Siakam came out onto the court a man on a mission. The former all-star and All-NBAer had a simple message for the fresh faces he’d be suiting up alongside.

“I just told them, ‘If you don’t know anything, just play hard,’” Siakam said. “The way we play, it's not really that complicated. So, if you don't know what's going on, stay out of the way and play hard. To be honest, it’s as simple as that. And I think those guys that came on the floor, they played hard and that's all we could really ask for. We don’t really practice, there’s not much time to put in things, just put in effort and the rest will take care of itself.”

Right off the bat, Siakam showed them exactly why that was going to be the case. He played 11 of the first 12 minutes and shot 6-of-8 from the field for 14 points while creating several quality scoring opportunities for his teammates. The 27-year-old was in complete control even when he was clearly exhausted, walking the ball down the court and willing his team forward. It was a mix of vintage Siakam with the drives with feathery finishes and the Siakam who’s emerged as a crafty playmaker the last couple seasons.

The urgency was palpable. Siakam acknowledged that, considering where the Raptors are in the standings, there’s no time to wait. No one is going to feel sorry for them and moping about their predicament doesn’t solve anything. Despite his best efforts that culminated in 28 points, eight assists and six rebounds, Gary Trent Jr. returning to battle for 41 minutes, and Chris Boucher posting a monster 28-point, 19-rebound effort, the end-result was a five-point loss that dropped Toronto out of the play-in picture by half-a-game. There’s still plenty to play for being two-and-a-half games behind Philadelphia for the sixth seed and a guaranteed playoff spot with over half the season remaining.

“It just brings the competition to a whole ‘nother level,” Siakam said. “You look at our record and it feels bad because we think we’re a better team than what we’ve shown or what our record says. I think we have to take every game as a super important game because they are and all the teams we’re playing in the East are right there. You win a couple of games or another team loses a couple of games and it’s a whole new story. So we have to stay focused and it makes every night just really important.”

There have been roadblocks aplenty for Siakam since March 2020, and the lessons he’s learned are becoming apparent, beginning with being kinder to himself. The 27-year-old has acknowledged when and where he’s fallen short, and has allowed himself the space to accept that failures and adversity are a part of life, an opportunity to learn and move on. His low-point this season came Nov. 18 in Utah, looking stuck in mud and shooting 2-of-14 from the field for four points. He didn’t shy away from it, though, he owned that it wasn’t good enough and that he needs to be more for his team.

Since then, Siakam has been his all-star self. In the 13 games he’s played after the one in Salt Lake City, he has led the team in scoring with 21.6 points per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the field, he’s second in rebounding at 7.8, and his 3.8 assist mark in assists is tied for second on the team. Recognizing the moment, knowing when the time is now is an important aspect of leadership.

Back in February of 2021, he took the full brunt of covid, suffering from a complete lack of energy and losing somewhere between 10-15 pounds. This time, the sickness caused by the omicron variant lasted a couple days and felt — to him — like a cold. Wanting to ensure he could hit the ground running when he returned, Siakam had strength and conditioning coach Jon Lee send a bike to his home to max out what he could do during his isolation period. When he was able to get back in the gym even if just by himself, he was there. This is a player who grew accustomed to success right from his rookie season, the playoffs became normal, and he’s seen the highest highs in a championship. He has no intention of seeing losing become a habit in Toronto.

He was ready for the 42 minutes he needed to give the team Tuesday night and he’s ready for more. Frankly, he’s ready for whatever it takes. Having already been held back by covid a season ago and watched the team fall apart in the blink of an eye, Siakam seems determined to ensure the Raptors don’t suffer a similar fate once again.

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Siakam All Star Groove

NBA players have been going into health and safety protocols by the minute, so D.J. Wilson knew this was as important a time as any to make an impression.

In Las Vegas to play in the G League Winter Showcase event a week ago, he led the OKC Blue to the final including performances of 31 points and 15 rebounds to reach the semifinals and then 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks to advance from there. All the while, Wilson isolated as much as he could because he also knew that a positive covid test would rob him of any hopes he had of an opportunity.

Wilson is a student of the game of basketball, so it was easy to pass the time. When he isn’t playing and trying as hard as he can to get another crack at the biggest opportunity in the sport, he’s watching NBA League Pass 24/7. He can do that in a room by himself no problem. He knows the makeup of the rosters, their preferred playing styles, and how he might potentially fit in one day. The construct of those teams was certainly changing dramatically over the past week, and the Raptors — down seven players to protocol as of Dec. 21 — gave him a call before the Showcase final on the 22nd to add him via a 10-day hardship exception deal.

There’s the obvious joy of cracking an NBA roster again, but that was countered with the disappointment of flying to Chicago for a game that was postponed when OG Anunoby became the eighth Raptors player in protocols. After flying to Los Angeles to spend Christmas Eve with family, Wilson was back on a flight to Cleveland on Christmas day, hopeful of getting a chance to show what he can do with Toronto’s roster on the brink with 10 players in protocols.

“I think it’s just a matter of trusting the work that I’ve put in up until this point knowing that I’m an NBA player,” Wilson said of making the most of a limited opportunity. “I can play at this level and showcasing that, not getting too ahead of myself, just going out there with confidence to do stuff, hopefully that translates.”

After 150 games at the NBA level including both regular season and playoffs, Wilson speaks with the firm belief that he belongs. In the here and now, though, how could he show he belongs with the Raptors?

For starters, he collected four steals in the first half against the Cavaliers with excellent activity and use of his length and quickness. Then, with roughly three minutes to go in the second quarter, Wilson snagged a defensive rebound off a rare miss from deep by Kevin Love. He brought the ball up with pace as he eagerly surveyed the floor, then threw a bounce pass from the left side of the floor to a cutting Yuta Watanabe for what would have been a breathtaking pass for a 6-foot-10 player. It resulted in a turnover, but that play alongside the early defensive plays he made represented all that the Raptors have been about this season: length and versatility working in unison. Wilson finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals to prove the biggest bright spot among the new faces.

“I thought Wilson played really solidly, he was solid, worked hard, took only shots that were kinda there for him,” head coach Nick Nurse said after the game. “I thought he rebounded the ball well and seemed to be in the right place, [he] fought out there.”

Not bad for someone who met his teammates for the night on the bus ride to the arena and had a walkthrough with his head coach 75 minutes before tip-off. Normally, the team would discuss opponent strategy and tendencies, but instead, Nurse went over no more than three or four of the Raptors’ own offensive sets to create some sort of familiarity amongst a group of players who had never played together before. Then, after going over a few defensive concepts, he stressed that the most important thing on the night was to go out there and play as hard as possible while enjoying the moment. Wilson certainly did.

With a flight back to Toronto Sunday night and no practice Monday, Wilson along with Tremont Waters, Daniel Oturu and Juwan Morgan only have the momentum of the last game to carry into the one against Philadelphia on Tuesday. Will they even be able to play? That’s the level of uncertainty that has now gripped the NBA. The final 60 seconds of a close NBA game can feel like the entire 48 minutes, but the next 24 hours will be an even more arduous wait.

In the meantime, it’ll be more League Pass and isolation, staying ready for another day in the NBA.

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D.J. Wilson: Student of the game

His hair was longer, his strides were certainly shorter. The NBA is hardly forgiving when it comes to reminding what game shape and game speed at the highest level means, but the sight of No. 3 for the Raptors moving as best he could from one end of the Scotiabank Arena court to the other for 28 minutes was a sight for sore eyes.

In the middle of the second quarter against Golden State Saturday night, Anunoby received the ball on the left elbow with the Warriors playing a zone defence. He had a mismatch against the smaller Chris Chiozza and swiftly proceeded to back him down into the middle of the paint before spinning away from the basket for a turnaround fadeaway. It was his first made basket in four attempts.

On the very next offensive possession, Anunoby received the ball matched up against Damion Lee above the break. He attacked with a strong right dribble, leaned into Lee as he came back left and knocked him into the camera crew. Anunoby finished with the left but it mattered little as he was called for the offensive foul.

This was much the pattern for Anunoby in his first game back for the Raptors in over a month: some ups, some downs, but the significance of the ebbs and flows was miniscule relative to the headline: time back on an NBA court. This was the perfect night for him, too, where he could work away at the wrinkles with little worry of the consequences. The Warriors have held the best record in the league for the majority of the season but they were far from that version with Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole all absent.

“It gets boring sitting around, but I knew I had to be patient,” Anunoby said of his time off. “Our staff told me I had to be patient so I just listened.”

Anunoby suffered the injury on Nov. 17 during practice when he bumped into Precious Achiuwa, who also returned to the lineup with 17 points and five rebounds after coping with shoulder tendinitis and self-isolation due to health and safety protocols. Hip pointers can be frustrating since the only option is to give it the necessary time to heal, there’s no accelerating the process. Anunoby didn’t just feel pain in his hip, but around his abs and back as well. Recovery times can vary and although he had been trying to do his best to practice, there was no figuring out a shortcut around the natural course of time it would need.

Patience, or some ironing in and ironing out as head coach Nick Nurse has called it, has been a necessary theme for the Raptors this season whether it be with younger players having to learn the ropes, veteran players having to manage expectations, or injuries as well as covid related absences forcing the team to reset and relearn several times through this young season. There was the 1-3 start followed by five straight wins, then the 3-10 stretch followed by what is now five wins in seven games. During that time the defence has fluctuated from one of the best in the league to dead-last and now fourth-best thus far for the month of December.

With a flurry of crucial Eastern conference standings battles to wrap up 2021 against Chicago, Cleveland, and Philadelphia, the acclimatization period can’t take as long as it did the first couple times. What does that mean for accommodating the returns of Anunoby, Achiuwa, possibly Khem Birch as soon as Monday against the Orlando Magic and Pascal Siakam as well as Dalano Banton when they are allowed to return from health and safety protocols?

“There’s still an easing-in process,” Nurse explained. “Guys aren’t going to be able to handle long stretches, there’s conditioning, there’s rhythm, there’s lots of things that affect that and then it’s handling the guys who were getting the big rotations, that gets shortened. Can they still produce? Can they still hang in there, things were going (up) for them and now minutes-wise they are going the other way. There’s so much going on with that stuff, but hopefully.

“We’ll address it, we’ll hit [on] it, throw it out there on the table before [the game] and just cross our fingers and hope it turns out [well]. We’ll address it, talk about it, and try to get everybody to play their role the best they can and play really hard. That usually takes care of a lot of things.”

Anunoby’s role will be among the most interesting to monitor. He was adorned with the title of No. 1 scoring option when Siakam was absent to start the season and, after a slow start, flourished and became the team’s leading scorer. Fred VanVleet is the top scorer now and so with him flourishing, Scottie Barnes hitting his stride and Siakam appearing on the cusp of it before going into covid protocols, the question of how all of them — and let’s not forget Gary Trent Jr. — share the wealth will be one of those good problems Nurse and his coaching staff face.

Among the bad offensive problems the Raptors currently face is offensive efficiency when it matters most. In the final three minutes of games within five points or fewer, Toronto has shot 15-of-53 (28.3%) as a team and been outscored by 13 points over a 26-minute sample. Within that shot chart, the team has shot an abysmal 4-for-25 (16%) inside the 3-point line. If it weren’t for the 17 offensive rebounds that lead the league by a significant margin in those scenarios, things would look even worse.

VanVleet and Trent Jr. have provided a microcosm of the Raptors’ problems with a combined 9-of-17 shooting from 3-point range in those clutch scenarios but 1-of-10 inside the arc. Siakam has only taken three shots, having participated in 16 of the 26 minutes thus far. Does Anunoby offer hope? It remains to be seen. Before he succumbed to the hip pointer, Anunoby was 1-for-11 from the field in these scenarios but eight of those shots came within the first two weeks of the season when the team was still finding itself, and he, himself.

In that turnaround mid-range fadeaway and dribble move to the rim that Anunoby looked to work on against the Warriors, there was the glimmer of options that have been lacking for the Raptors not just in crunch time, but in the halfcourt offence as a whole.

Ironing out or ironing in could well be the theme of the season with player availability being an increasingly fluid situation and creative solutions needed for the problems that present themselves. Of what there is no doubt, is that Anunoby presents a vital option in how the Raptors look to problem-solve going forward.

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Ironing Out or Ironing In

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RECENT NEWS ARTICLES

The National Basketball Association announced Monday that Fred VanVleet has been named as Eastern Conference Player of the Week (Jan. 3-9) for the first time in his career. VanVleet becomes the 11th player in franchise history to earn the honour, and first since Norman Powell (March 2-8, 2020).

VanVleet led the Raptors to a perfect 4-0 record last week, averaging 30.3 points (sixth in the NBA), 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 36.5 minutes. He shot .467 (42-90) from the field, .453 (24-53) from three-point range and a perfect 13-for-13 at the free throw line.

VanVleet started the week with 33 points Jan. 4 vs. San Antonio. He would later record his first career triple-double with a season-best 37 points, career high-tying 10 rebounds and 10 assists Jan. 7 vs. Utah. His 37 points was the most scored in a triple-double in franchise history. VanVleet scored 24 points in the third quarter against the Jazz, falling one point short of tying Pascal Siakam’s franchise record for points in a quarter. His 17 consecutive points in the third was also the longest streak by a Raptor since Morris Peterson scored 17 straight in 2001. VanVleet ended the week with a 32-point performance Jan. 9 vs. New Orleans.

VanVleet was signed by Toronto as an undrafted free agent July 18, 2016. He is averaging career highs of 22.0 points, 6.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 37.5 minutes in 34 games this season.

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VANVLEET NAMED EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

The Toronto Raptors announced Monday the following updates to the 2021-22 schedule:

We will continue to work with the provincial government to reassess the capacity situation as it evolves throughout the month of January, and updates for ticketholders will be communicated as soon as possible.

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RAPTORS ANNOUNCE SCHEDULE UPDATES

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