Casey looking for more intensity with Raptors
The Toronto Raptors kicked off what head coach Dwane Casey has deemed a second training camp in Toronto on Friday with a marathon practice.
Casey put his charges through an extra- long session, a rare luxury he is taking advantage of, since the Raptors do not play again until Thursday in Cleveland.
He wasn’t apologizing to the players for making them work.
“One thing we’ve got to do is pick up our intensity. I think we are kind of in exhibition season mode and we can’t do that,” Casey said.
“We ramped it up in the Golden State game, but in the Denver game, we’ve got to ramp up the intensity and that was the theme of practice today: Everything’s hard. Even when we are doing some of the monotonous drills that we are doing here in training camp, we have to carry our drills in that intensity to games.
“We are still in the mode of creating winning habits. The only way you create them is doing them on a consistent basis.”
Casey is looking for crisper defensive work, as well as better offensive play. Working in several new faces is a challenge, especially with top free agent acquisition Jared Sullinger in and out due to a minor injury.
One of the key camp battles is for the 15th and final roster spot. With secondyear point guard Delon Wright sidelined, Fred VanVleet and Brady Heslip are considered the most likely candidates to stick around, with VanVleet regarded as the front-runner.
The Wichita State product who did nothing but win games for that school over the years, is undersized, but plays extremely hard and always seems to be in the right spot.
The Raptors considered VanVleet basically an extra draft pick, working quickly to sign him up after he wasn’t drafted in June.
“He’s an NBA player, I don’t think there’s a question,” Casey said. “All he needs is some seasoning and experience like he did the other night. He does some subtle things ( like getting physical with big centre DeAndre Jordan). He does all the little things you want from your point guard.”
That said, Casey believes Heslip belongs in the NBA as well, even though the VanVleet praise indicates it might not be here.
Heslip, a Burlington, Ont. native who owns the NBA Development League’s record for most three- pointers made in a game, put on a show against the Clippers, nearly sparking a Raptors comeback victory. Heslip caught fire and delivered 13 points in his nine minutes, giving the team a brief onepoint advantage.
“When you are trying to make a team you do what you do best and he’s done that,” Casey said.
“He’s shown the entire league and I think the league knows he’s one of the top shooters in the league. I was proud of the display he put on.”