Rick Bowmer/The Associated Press
A loss in game nine of an 82 game season isn’t that significant in the grand scheme of things, especially when that loss brings your record to 7-2. But man was that a frustrating game against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. The Bulls showed the Toronto Raptors the consequences of not playing a full game, of letting up against elite competition. The game was close near the end, but the Raptors put a boulder on their shoulders with their third quarter performance. The Raptors have only played two complete games this season: both blowouts against the Washington Wizards and the Philadelphia 76ers, respectively. This team is not at the same talent level as the Bulls or some of the other top tier teams in the league. If they’re going to be among the league’s best, they need a full effort on both ends of the floor and more ball movement. They’ve done neither consistently up to this point. Jonas Valanciunas referred to the game on Thursday as a cold shower. Let’s see if that’s enough to wake the Raptors up against the Utah Jazz.
Cage’s Keys to the Game
Wake Up Everybody
The Raptors need a full effort, from tipoff to the moment the final buzzer sounds. Coach Dwane Casey has been stressing this, but the Raptors haven’t consistently responded to his pleading. The Jazz are 4-6 and coming off a buzzer beater victory against the New York Knicks. Granted, the Knicks suck, but the Jazz don’t seem to be the same punching bag from last year. The Raptors can’t play down to their competition like they did against the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic. They need to make their mark from the word go.
Swing It
The Raptors rank near the bottom of the league in assists. A big reason for the team’s unexpected success last year was improved ball movement after Rudy Gay was traded. Players like DeMar DeRozan and Greivis Vasquez need to make more of a concerted effort to feed their teammates the ball. It needs to move from side-to-side if the Raptors are going to be an offensive unit that threatens any team.
Better Looks
DeRozan’s mid-range is lethal and is a huge part of why he’s grown into an all-star. However, he’s struggled the past two games with his shots and the contested mid-range he takes so often isn’t falling. He needs to work off the ball to get cleaner looks instead of playing hero ball. The team also needs to look into Valanciunas to give the Raptors a legitimate threat down low. In saying this, Valanciunas needs to do a much better job of finishing; his shooting percentage at the rim is down by almost 10% so far this year.
X-Factor: Greivis Vasquez
His shot has just not been there so far this season. It’s early and he should be able to turn it around, but he’s a huge part of the Raptor’s success. He’s shooting 32.9% from the field and 20.6% from beyond the arc. He’s also only averaging 4.4 assists per 36 minutes. sustained throughout the season, it would be a new career low by 1.8 assists per Basketball Reference. Vasquez needs to take better shots and be more of a facilitator. It all starts tonight against the Jazz.
