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Can Cory Joesph win Sixth Man of the Year for the Toronto Raptors?

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Corey JosephMasai Ujiri made it known that he was going to get a Canadian product on the Toronto Raptors this past off-season. He did that, and in a big way.

Cory Joseph signed with the Toronto Raptors, on a 4 year, $30 million dollar deal, which will sign him through the 2019 NBA season.
Through 26 games, the Raptors are at 16-10. currently third in the Eastern Conference. After more than a quarter of the season, Joseph’s play has been recognized as one of the biggest catalysts for the team’s success.

More importantly, he’s developed as the team’s number one guy off of the bench.

Joseph has proved that he’s capable of filling the void left by Lou Williams last season, but he a Sixth Man of the Year candidate?

Absolutely.

Like Williams last season, Joseph is easily the best offensive option off the bench for the Raptors. He’s already won games single-handedly for the Raptors, shown his ability to make big plays down the stretch, and has taken advantage of his new-found sixth man role.

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

What the difference between the two, however, has been on the defensive side of the ball. Williams was and still is an absolute atrocity on the defensive end. Williams lacked size, had terrible defensive instincts, was a poor rotational defender, and didn’t have the lateral quicks to stay with his man.

On the other hand, Joseph is arguably the team’s best perimeter defender behind DeMarre Carroll and Kyle Lowry.

To illustrate the comparison, we used on/off court statistics to show Joseph’s worth and impact as the new sixth man of the team, versus Lou Williams last season.

NBA: Preseason-Toronto Raptors at Los Angeles LakersWilliams played an average of 25 minutes a game off the bench, and the Raptors had a +/- of 3.7 when on the court, whilst having a -0.5 +/- when he was off the court. During his short stint as a Raptor, and eventually the Sixth Man of the Year, he averaged a career best 15.5 points per game on 40% shooting while adding 2.1 assists, 1.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.3 turnovers on 40% shooting  (34% from beyond the arc) and 86% from the free throw line.

Joseph through 26 games, is playing slightly more, approximately 26.8 minutes per game, with the Raptors 5.0 +/- on the court, and being -0.4 +/- off the court. He’s averaging 9.5 points, 2.9 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 0.9 steals a game, and 1.2 turnovers on 47% field goal shooting and 74% from the free throw line. However Joseph does shoot a less than desirable percentage from the perimeter at only 28% but he averages just 1.2 attempts per game.

Lou Williams no doubt is a much more polished offensive player, considering his talent and natural abilities to put the ball in the basket however Joseph has proven to be a much more efficient option overall.

NBAE/GETTY IMAGES
NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Looking at the advanced statistics, Joseph has fared much better defensively in comparison to Williams. Joseph is three percentage points better then Williams in terms of the Raptors’ defensive rating. The Raptors also rebound the basketball at a significantly better rate with Joseph on the floor in comparison to with Williams last season. Joseph is currently 22nd among point guards in +/- rating and tied for 20th in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Williams was a very ball dominant player who ended up killing any sort of ball movement once the rock was in his hands. A lack of touches for the other players led to a lot of ball watching essentially hindering the Raptors’ offensive chemistry.

Williams individually was a terrific talent, but just didn’t suit what the Raptors organization was, and currently still is trying to create and build.

downloadJoseph, so far, has proven to be  fantastic. He plays systematically; – so you know what to expect from him night in and night out – consistent drives to the basket, movement without the ball and a whole lot of energy. Although Joseph isn’t the best shooter, he’s still able to keep defences honest. Joseph is an overall threat offensively, and does a lot of damage through his teammates; there’s been very rare occasions where Joseph has had to take things himself. Although, Joseph has been successful when called upon considering his ability to attack the paint.

Defensively, he has been tasked with the opposition’s best guard; Casey has continually closed games with Joseph and Lowry on the floor, which has also proven to be – again, so far – the most impressive, dynamic, and effective point guard duo in past years. Joseph not only is a terrific defender, but is an adept rebounder and communicator on the floor.

What’s even more impressive, is his composure and poise; taking that Spurs’ knowledge to further his current career. Joseph is a learner, adapts to a new environment, and makes the right adjustments to his individual game.

There’s no question, that Joseph in 26 games has had a huge impact overall on the Raptors’ current success. After a full 82 game season it’ll be easier to gauge Joseph against Lou Williams – who in his own right had a marvellous season with the Raptors.

Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

 

So to revisit the question; is CoJo a Sixth Man of the Year candidate?

We certainly think he is.

 

 

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