Raptors finally getting defensive
Team fouling less, limiting opponents in young season
TORONTO • In his two-plus years on the job, Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey has dealt with a lot of organizational turmoil. Yet nothing was as frustrating as last year’s bizarre defensive meltdown.
Encouraged by their improvement on that end in 2011-12, the Raptors were expected to become a top-10 defensive team last year, and that was supposed to help them reach the post-season for the first time since Sam Mitchell was fired five years ago. Instead, the Raptors regressed badly, finishing 22nd in points allowed per possession, and Casey’s credentials as a defensive-minded coach were questioned.
Accordingly, defence was pretty much all Casey talked about in the pre-season. You can say what you would like about the Raptors’ 4-5 start, but that focus on defence has paid off.
“It’s been good. It’s been solid,” said Casey, likely not wanting to tempt fate with more enthusiasm.
The Raptors are allowing teams to shoot 46.1% from the field, which ranks them just 21st in the league. A closer inspection reveals they have been far better than that, however: Opponents are scoring just 98.9 points per 100 possessions against them, which is eighth-stingiest mark in the league. Chicago, the Raptors’ opponent on Friday night, is among the few teams they are behind. While some of that is a result of the Raptors’ opponents struggling from both the free-throw line and the three-point arc — defence has nothing to do with the former and has debatable impact on the latter — the early returns are promising.
That the Raptors have not fouled as much as usual is helping, and it is surprising. No team allowed more free throws per field-goal attempt than the Raptors last year. Part of their success this season comes from the growth of second-year players Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross. Casey singled out Ross for his focused defensive play against both Houston and Memphis, and said Valanciunas is becoming a more polished help defender.
“He’s getting better,” Casey said. “He’s still learning the speed of the game, when to rotate, anticipating rotations. He’s still learning. He’s much better than he was last year, but he’s not where he’s going to be.”
Like player, like team. Casey wants the Raptors to get better operating out of the zone. And he did not stop there.
“Covering the gaps a little bit better, rotating a bit better,” Casey said, critiquing the defence. “You can always get back in transition defence better.”
That could be tested on Friday. The Bulls have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league this year, but Derrick Rose always poses danger for an opposing defence. Rose, who is questionable to play because of a sore hamstring, is still trying to find himself after missing all of last season because of knee surgery. His 38% accuracy from inside the restricted area is particularly low.
The league, though, is just waiting for Rose to re-discover his MVP stride.
“He’s one of the most dynamic players in the NBA with the basketball. His speed and quickness are unprecedented,” Casey said. “The only other guy as fast with the ball that I’ve seen is Allen Iverson.”
That is enough to make a defensive coach fear for his team’s progress, surely.