Raptors find steady, consistent force in Joseph
Toronto native logging major minutes off the bench, proof he’s earned team’s trust
Seven games in, Cory Joseph is already having a career year with the Toronto Raptors.
He’s not scoring at an all-star clip (seven points, with two rebounds and assists per game), but Joseph is flourishing in his role of backup point guard. After four years with the San Antonio Spurs, Joseph is enjoying a healthy 23 minutes per game, which is eight more than his career average and five more than he played last year.
He was busy on the Raptors’ fourgame road trip, playing 20, 26 and 29 minutes against Dallas, Oklahoma City and Orlando, respectively, before getting in 23 minutes in Sunday’s loss to Miami. His 19 points in Orlando were a season-high and notable in an otherwise unimpressive night for his team.
Just 24, with young legs and the desire to establish himself playing in his hometown, Joseph won’t be looking over to coach Dwane Casey and signalling for a sub, regardless of how long he’s on the floor.
“Never, no,” Joseph said. “I think everybody wants to be out there and I try to give my all when I am out there.”
He’s steady with the ball in his hands, but Joseph’s value comes on the defensive end of the floor. Casey seems to be growing increasingly comfortable with using Joseph and Kyle Lowry in the backcourt and bumping DeMar DeRozan to the small forward spot. With the Raptors already thin at small forward and DeMarre Carroll out day-to-daywith plantar fasciitis, that trio could be logging more minutes this week.
Joseph has allowed the team to play smaller ball this season.
“Cory’s been playing extremely well, hard, efficient,” Casey said ahead of Sunday’s game. “Defensively, he’s been a pit bull. He’s helped our defence with the second unit, so we love to go small with him. He doesn’t play small.”
“I feel like I can guard a two (a shooting guard),” the six-foot-three Joseph said. “It’s just a different dynamic.”
Chasing bigger, athletic players around the court on defence and then pushing the ball on offence can take a lot out of a player. His toughest assignment this season was Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook, whose motor seems to stay comfortably set at full throttle night after night.
Joseph readied himself for this season with intense training. “You’ve got to. I run lines sometimes, sometimes hills, all that stuff,” he said.
While many might tire mentally from a simulated workout, Joseph said there’s much to be had from treadmill running, too.
“Usually I run with a trainer in here who puts you through simulations, breaks, run fast,” he said. “It’s a little different than stationary running a couple of miles. It’s harder.” One trip: Readying himself to get on the flight back to Toronto out of Miami on Sunday night, Lowry succinctly summed up his team’s 2-2 result on the road. The Raptors downed Dallas and Oklahoma, but came out of Florida winless.
“Things can be really good and then they can be really bad in one trip,” he said with a grin.
The Raptors will look to curb their losing streak when they host the Knicks on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.