Raptors want a little forward sinking
Ibaka, Anunoby need to shake recent struggles and contribute more to the Toronto offence
ATLANTA— A couple of strides from where Raptors coach Dwane Casey was chatting with the media at the Atlanta Hawks’ practice facility, OG Anunoby was putting up a couple of dozen three-pointers from the corner. At the other end of the floor, Serge Ibaka was doing the same thing.
It is part of the post-practice routine for the two Raptors forwards every day, but it has become even more important of late because. Neither has been overly effective on a consistent basis for some time. And as good as Toronto’s offence is — it’s still in the top five in efficiency rankings in the 30-team league — having two-fifths of the starting lineup struggling at times is far from optimal.
Ibaka has made just three of 15 threepointers and has averaged fewer than nine points in five games since serving a suspension for a dust-up with Miami’s James Johnson.
“I think his offence will kick in,” Casey said. “Don’t worry about that. Don’t worry about shots. He’s our defensive leader and captain. That is where he can really get himself going and get us going. I know for a two- or three-week period there, he was running down players at the other end and blocking shots and really commanding the defensive end. That is what he needs to get back to and he will.
“I think going through that suspension and all that stuff kind of got him a little (down). We need the spirited Serge Ibaka, the edgy Serge Ibaka. We don’t need the Mr. Nice Serge.”
Despite his numbers, Ibaka has been more effective than Anunoby.
In that same five-game stretch, the rookie is just 2-for-11 from beyond the arc and has 26 points in total. He went scoreless in two of the games and had two points in another.
Casey said the team can live with spotty offensive production from the two forwards because of the defensive presence they bring. Anunoby always guards the best wing on the opposing team and Ibaka is Toronto’s best shot-blocker and can guard multiple frontcourt positions.
“Right now, yes, (the Raptors can wait) because they are giving us so much of the defensive effort, the de- fensive focus,” Casey said. “But again we need production too. They have opportunities within the offence to take those shots and they will. You don’t want to force-feed it but you want them to and we need them to. Their greatest gift to us, though, and their role is on the defensive side and I think they have done a solid job there.”
The Raptors took advantage of an odd scheduling quirk to get in a serious and lengthy workout here Monday afternoon. They don’t play again until Wednesday, giving them a chance to go hard on Monday and spend Tuesday fine-tuning things for the game against the Hawks.
“You have a practice like today where we were really able to pick up the tempo and go hard and not be worried about getting rest for (a) tomorrow game,” C.J. Miles said. “We have two days, so you can get a lot of playing in and a lot of fundamental stuff that kind of slips away in the season because you don’t get a chance to work on it in season. Stuff like a box-out drill . . . you don’t work on regular shell defence all year because it seems so elementary.
“But at the same time you need to refresh that stuff over and over to make sure you don’t slip off it. If it’s not on your mind, it will fall to the back.”