It’s a new era of Raptors basketball (or perhaps just the preseason) when the head coach of the team offers up the starting lineup without much struggle. New head coach Nick Nurse was asked, almost tentatively, who the starters would be, and he just rhymed them off: “Delon, Danny, Norm, Pascal, and Serge.” Before quickly amending: “...I think.” Ah, there we are. The Raptors are back in Toronto today for their lone preseason stop in the newly named Scotiabank Arena. There are a lot of new things going on here — a new coach, a new stadium name, some new accoutrements around the arena (Union Station is still under construction, but we can’t have everything). And some new players too — well, sort of. As confirmed by Nurse, new Raptor Danny Green will be starting for the team tonight, but Kawhi Leonard, the reason for the season, will sit. He, along with Kyle Lowry, C.J. Miles, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby will not play tonight against Melbourne United. I feel bad if you bought tickets. Nevertheless, we continue, as Melbourne United will no doubt bring as much Aussie thunder as they can. Here’s my (comically out-of-date) preview from this morning. Below are the promised updates. And now, let’s watch. Where to Watch 7:00pm on NBA TV Canada Lineups Raptors - Delon Wright, Danny Green, Norman Powell, Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka Melbourne - We’re still taking names here. Check the roster and go for it. Injuries Raptors - Kyle Lowry, Kawhi Leonard, C.J. Miles (rest, relief), Fred VanVleet (left hamstring stiffness), OG Anunoby (personal reasons). Late update: Now Raptors MR tells us back spasms knock Chris Boucher out tonight, too We're a sprained ankle or two from @BlakeMurphyODC getting some run — Doug Smith: Raptors (@SmithRaps) October 5, 2018 Chris Boucher is out too (but Blake is coming off a rec league game last night — we won — and is not cleared to play). Melbourne - They’re all-in!<doc-sep>Not that it was of major concern for the Raptors, but seeing Norman Powell find himself on Friday night against Melbourne United had to feel like a relief. Yes, there are caveats to his three quarters of work: it was against a non-NBA team, it was a preseason game, Toronto had decided to rest or sit six of the squad’s 20 training camp players. Still, Norm came to play, and play he did. Until he suffered a right thigh contusion late in the third quarter and was forced to shut it down for the night. No caveats here: it was a bum-ass disappointing turn of events — even with the Raptors winning handily over United, 120-82. Now a contusion is really just a fancy word for bruise, and it’s likely that Norm will be fine in a little bit of time. Maintaining his confidence is the thing, though. In his 25 minutes tonight, Powell put up 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting (including 3-of-5 from three), with three assists, three rebounds, and more than a few scintillating dunks. The stakes may have been low, yet Norm was looking good (finishing at +45). The Raptors may not need him much this year, with his rank in the rotation somewhere around tenth or 11th man — but it would be a shame to lose Norm, if only for a couple games. “He was really solid tonight and that’s kind of the main thing,” said coach Nick Nurse. “He’s been impressive, I think, as far as playing a little bit more of the way we want him to play. A couple of years ago he was a really good attacker of the rim and that kind of somewhere got lost in the shuffle a little bit last year.” Powell’s ups and downs were really the only drama of the night. The Raptors started their third preseason game of the year in slow motion, giving United a feel for the floor before a Delon Wright-led 10-0 run gave the home team some juice. It was modestly close for some of the second quarter, and then the Raptors’ superior talent — even minus Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry — eventually just blew Melbourne away. As with any non-NBA (or a straight-up bad NBA) team, you can’t fault the visitors for trying. They just never had much of a chance against this Toronto squad. By the end of three quarters it was 101-58 for the Raps, Kawhi had joined his team on the bench, Lowry was chilling with his young son, and coach Nick Nurse roamed deep into his roster to close the game out. After Powell, the Raptors were led by some superlative minutes from Wright, who finished with 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while calming going 3-of-4 from deep. It never really looked like Delon was breaking a sweat out there, which is another good sign for Toronto. “It felt like a real game, as far as me preparing,” said Wright. “I knew that I was going to be playing more minutes, so I knew I wanted to just play my game and have a good one.” Wright was joined by Pascal Siakam, who definitely did break a sweat streaking up and down the floor with abandon. The rangy forward went for 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while grabbing six boards, dishing three assists, and tossing in a 3 for good measure (he was also a game-high +50). There were contributions from others too of course — Serge Ibaka had 8-and-12, Danny Green hit a pair of threes, Malachi Richardson mixed it up, Jonas Valanciunas had some fun, the deep bench got a lot of fourth quarter run (particularly Deng Adel and his 5-for-5 night). And then, that was it. The Raptors cruised past Melbourne United, with only Casper Ware and Chris Goulding breaking double digits in scoring at 17 apiece. I sincerely hope they enjoyed their time in Toronto. The Raptors move to 3-1 for the preseason, with two games left (a road back-to-back against the Nets in Montreal, and the Pelicans in New Orleans) before the start of the real NBA season on October 17th. Hopefully everyone will be healthy by then. Nothing in Friday’s game really meant anything — and for Norm’s sake, let’s hope that’s doubly true.<doc-sep>Well, that was kind of a forgettable one, wasn’t it? The Toronto Raptors rested a bunch of guys, let some of the youngsters get some run, and ran the visitors from Melbourne United off the floor. Five quick thoughts: I Dig the International Exhibition Games! They’re kinda goofy, they’re almost always blowouts (shoutout Anthony Parker) and it’s hard to really evaluate your team against less-than-stellar competition. But it’s fun to see something different! It’s got to be pretty cool for the other guys to play in NBA arenas, maybe get some visibility with NBA coaches and so on. For the Raptors this was mostly an exercise in conditioning, and getting some back-of-the-bench guys some looks. Lots of freelancing, no need to really run your offence against a non-NBA defense... for the fans it’s fun to see these guys run and jack up triples. Is it OK to rest players in the pre-season? Obviously, it is. And I do kinda dig the idea of “saving” Kawhi Leonard for the regular season one debut. On the other hand... people still pay real money for these games, ya know? They wanna see the stars! On the other, other hand... if you’re gonna rest guys, definitely better to do it at home/in an NBA arena. For the folks in Montreal and Vancouver, it might be their only chance to see these guys, ever. At least at home games, those fans will have another 40-odd chances. I’ve already used one too many hands, so I’ll just say: Buyer beware when buying preseason tickets! OK, Norm, You Showed Me I ragged on Norman Powell last game, but he pretty much dominated this one. He looked good from all over, getting to the rim and hitting triples, and his stroke does look better than it did last season; he’s not rushing it. He definitely appears less anxious out there. Of course, Powell limped off in the third quarter and didn’t return. Let’s hope he’s OK, and that what he accomplished on the floor transfers to the regular season, or at least, you know, real NBA opposition. So Let’s Talk About the Youngsters Unfortunately, the guy I was most looking forward to seeing tonight, Chris Boucher, was held out with back spasms. As for the other guys fighting for those 12-15 spots: Lorenzo Brown played as aggressive as I’ve seen him on an NBA court. My issue with Brown last year was his conservative play; he played with a lot more freedom last night. Of course, he somehow ended up a -11 in a game his team won by 38, so, you know. Still got some work to do, I guess. played as aggressive as I’ve seen him on an NBA court. My issue with last year was his conservative play; he played with a lot more freedom last night. Of course, he somehow ended up a -11 in a game his team won by 38, so, you know. Still got some work to do, I guess. Jordan Loyd canned a three, but was mostly invisible—except for getting clobbered in the final minute and somehow getting whistled for an offensive foul. Welcome to the, uh, NBL? [shrug emoji] canned a three, but was mostly invisible—except for getting clobbered in the final minute and somehow getting whistled for an offensive foul. Welcome to the, uh, NBL? [shrug emoji] Deng Adel got in in the second half, and got the crowd excited with a nice-looking pull-up jumper, a runner in the lane, a spinning layup and a sweet and-1 finish in the paint with the left. Oh, and a three-pointer too! He finished with 13 points. He looks springy and active, a 905er for sure. got in in the second half, and got the crowd excited with a nice-looking pull-up jumper, a runner in the lane, a spinning layup and a sweet and-1 finish in the paint with the left. Oh, and a three-pointer too! He finished with 13 points. He looks springy and active, a 905er for sure. Eric Moreland got three chances to score at the rim, but needs a little polish on the finish; he went 1-3, but he’s got an NBA body for sure. got three chances to score at the rim, but needs a little polish on the finish; he went 1-3, but he’s got an NBA body for sure. Malachi Richardson got up seven shots, but only hit two. He still looks like he’s rushing it out there, which he shouldn’t be—he’s got enough NBA action under his belt. He did knock down 5-of-6 free throws at least. got up seven shots, but only hit two. He still looks like he’s rushing it out there, which he shouldn’t be—he’s got enough NBA action under his belt. He did knock down 5-of-6 free throws at least. I was impressed with Kay Felder against Portland, and the same tonight. He didn’t show up in the boxscore, but he plays under control, seems to know where to go and what to do. But I don’t think this team needs four point guards. The Style Gods Smiled Upon This One This Melbourne team rocks some fine-ass looks. I’m talking about Chris Goulding’s slicked back/pony tail combo, Alex Pledger’s long-on-top, short-on-the-sides, full-beard combo, and of course, Craig Moller with the full-on wild man look. And did you see head coach Dean Vickerman’s jacket-shirt combo? Light blue jacket with a grid pattern, dark blue shirt... I want that! And that rainbow pocket square for the added shot of color? Damn. (On the other hand, Bryan Colangelo is jealous of that collar, my man.) ******** All right, so the Raptors have a few days off before a French-inspired back-to-back in Montreal and New Orleans on Wednesday and Thursday. Let’s all hope Norm is healthy and the rest of the team stays healthy as well.<doc-sep>
The NBA preseason is technically much shorter than its been historically, and yet it still feels interminably long. The Raptors play tonight against a non-NBA team, Melbourne United, in what is their lone preseason home game, and then we have to wait another 12 days for their return to Toronto. In that sense, this is the best way to satiate your desire to see the Raptors with Kawhi Leonard right now, today — even if their opponent is, as mentioned, not an NBA basketball team. The Raptors head into this one at 1-1, and while they are one of the few NBA franchises to drop an exhibition game to a non-NBA team before, it feels safe to say they’ll be 2-1 come Saturday morning. Melbourne’s lone NBA-adjace player is former New Jersey Net Josh Boone, drafted 23rd overall in... 2006. (Also, Kawhi Leonard is a Toronto Raptor.) Here’s what you need to know and watch for: Where to Watch 7:00pm on NBA TV Canada Lineups Raptors - Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, C.J. Miles, Jonas Valanciunas Melbourne - Here’s the roster, care of Real GM. Make your picks. Injuries Raptors - OG Anunoby is still absent for personal reasons. Take care, OG. Melbourne - All good, mate. ******** Kawhi Leonard is a Toronto Raptor I hate to belabour this point, but it bears repeating: Kawhi Leonard is a Toronto Raptor. He’s still working the rust off, he’s still finding his groove with his new teammates, he’s still waiting for actually basketball games that count in the standings — and yet, he remains, for all time, Kawhi Leonard. To that end, so far Leonard has looked great — on the ball, off the ball, at the rim, behind the arc, in front of dudes, in their periphery, everywhere. (Poor Jae Crowder may never be the same.) On top of that —and I don’t want to get overheated here — to see how quickly he’s developing a chemistry with Kyle Lowry, only the most important player on the team, is heartening. Tonight’s contest will be a bout of light work for Leonard and Lowry, but as always we’ll be watching to see how the two of them fit together. Can Toronto Learn Anything From A Preseason Loss? I mean, other than starting Kyle Collinsworth and telling him to try and check Donovan Mitchell? After the Raptors got beat up in Utah, let's run through a few things: Maybe don't let Danny Green be the lead ball handler in a pick and roll. on halloween im going to release a horror movie that's just a compilation of danny green inexplicably running pick and rolls while fred vanvleet and kyle lowry stand around spacing the floor and looking on in helpless terror — Friendshipcore (@Jacob_M_Mack) October 3, 2018 Serge Ibaka is out there trying things, but is still rounding into, uh, basketball form. Seriously it was a nice fake. Just couldn't finish. More of that. — William Lou (@william_lou) October 3, 2018 Pascal Siakam is a thrill to watch in the open court (unless he’s trying to do too much, e.g. amassing four turnovers in a game). And Jonas Valanciunas is having himself a time. Big fella doin' his thing | 21min - 18pts - 9reb pic.twitter.com/RK81UIoigP — Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 3, 2018 Obviously it’s preseason, everything is at half-speed, people are still finding their legs — so let’s not read too much into the good (or the bad). The Bench’s Bench When we were prognosticating on how the Raptors would fill out the back third of their roster, some names were bandied about: Chris Boucher, Eric Moreland, Kay Felder, etc. So far this preseason, most of the Raptors in training camp roster spots 14 to 20 haven’t gotten much run. Boucher, Moreland, Jordan Loyd, and Felder played 3-7 minutes in Portland, all but Loyd sat in Utah (with the aforementioned Collinsworth getting the BYU-inspired start). What we’ve seen from all of the camp invites is... not much. This is not a huge surprise, but there’s always a hope Toronto will unearth some gem in the preseason process (which we must trust). On paper, a player like Felder doesn’t have a ton of utility to a guard-heavy Raptors roster, but what of Moreland and Boucher, big men with some skill?