There are only so many levers that can be pulled.
The NBA can fine a team for over-resting a player who they deem could be playing, only for the team to play him just a half and sit him down from there. A team can begin to semi-regularly rest otherwise healthy rotation players with an eye toward the lottery, only for their replacements to step up admirably. A coach can even close with a lineup that’s not his best five, and see a group of rookies, call-ups, and late signings close out a victory nonetheless.
Wherever the league, the lottery odds, and teams shift the incentives and responses to those incentives, there will still be games to be played, often with players for whom the individual results mean the world. Players just play. If, this late in the year, the players you play — after sifting through injuries, rest and tanking levers — are hungrier, sharper, and just better, there’s not a whole lot else you can do, day-to-day.
Such is the story of the last two weeks for the Toronto Raptors, who have now won six of their last seven after defeating the Utah Jazz 126-118 on Friday. Doing so despite a half-dozen injuries, some rest days, and closing lineups that almost literally closed G League games this year.
It was a rematch from a week ago, but not exactly Amanda Serrano versus Katie Taylor when it comes to series you’d like to see become a trilogy. Last Friday, the Raptors weathered a historic offensive rebounding night from Walker Kessler and played a few of their key pieces late to secure a win. This time, they weathered an early spark from Lauri Markkanen before he hit the bench for the night, then closed out the Jazz with Garrett Temple, a second-round pick, an undrafted rookie, and dual centres on prove-it or tryout contracts.
The Raptors now have 24 wins and are in sole possession of seventh in the lottery standings, right as we all tune in to a bit more college ball for the next few weeks. They were fifth not long ago, and there’s a real chance they’ll catch a woeful Spurs team for eighth. That all matters (really matters), and while you can argue that the Raptors could have made development and chemistry trade-offs earlier to lose a few more games, their path further down the standings is now tougher than their peers.
With six players injured, Jakob Poeltl resting on a non back-to-back, and a handful of fringe players overdelivering, they’ll have to find joy in a process that’s paradoxically returned “too many” good moments.
And yeah, it feels weird writing things like that. Even sportswriters have trouble holstering the competitive drive or a desire to evaluate things through a competitive lens. There is a larger league issue for a discussion another time. For now, here are some notes and takeaways from a victory at altitude.
• So, about Markkanen. The Jazz were fined $100,000 earlier this week for violating the league’s player participation policy, as the league deemed Markkanen’s injury status didn’t warrant the amount of rest he’d received. In other words, the league said this is a bit much.
On Friday, Markkanen played 19 first-half minutes, scoring 16 points and finishing a plus-10. Naturally, the Jazz didn’t play him in the second half, something I’m not sure the league has any recourse for under the language of the policy. (The subsequent fines if you’re punished again get quite aggressive, so Utah surely knows where the line is here to toe.)
If that wasn’t enough, they also listed Kessler as active but didn’t play him. Kessler has rested somewhat regularly despite being young and without an injury designation. While Kessler doesn’t fall under the participation policy, it’s the type of rest that is perhaps more egregious than resting an established star, sitting down a fresh and still-developing player.
• Now, how does this apply to the Raptors? It doesn’t, really. The NBA’s participation policy only governs star players, defined as those who made an All-Star or All-NBA team in the last three seasons. Scottie Barnes is the only player who satisfies that criteria, and he is (mostly) playing while dealing with a visible injury we watched happen (a finger/hand sprain). Brandon Ingram was an All-Star in 2019-20, and while someone like Poeltl is a very good player, he doesn’t fit the policy.
Having said that, the league probably doesn’t love Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley, and whoever else getting rest nights. People can argue (and are) about how a policy like this should apply — 76ers fans feel aggrieved that their All-Stars are being monitored by the league, but they are All-Stars. So, for now, it is what it is.
• There’s also Chris Boucher, who has sat out for eight games in a row. Wisdom teeth explained a few of those absences, but it’s otherwise DNP-CDs (coach’s decision). While the reality is that Boucher can swing a game quickly, and the Raptors have a couple of young bigs they’re trying to get a look at, it really stands out on nights when Toronto only has eight or nine players available. Given Boucher’s relationship with the front office, it stands to reason everyone is on the same page and Boucher is confident this won’t impact his upcoming free agency. Here’s hoping. I miss seeing him out there and slowly climbing up the Raptors record books.
• Jared Rhoden was absent from this one, too, though that has a more straightforward explanation. Because Rhoden was signed to a two-way contract late in the year, he can only be active for 12 games, and he’s already used five of those. On a night where Quickley and RJ Barrett were both available, it made sense to pocket one of his days for use later.
Rhoden is expected to suit up with Raptors 905 in Mississauga on Saturday, where the 905 will try to snap a nine-game losing streak. That’s come in large part because all the 905’s best players, save for Eugene Omoruyi, have been up with the NBA Raptors.
• A.J. Lawson has enough NBA days left on his two-way contract that he should be a staple in the rotation from here. He had another strong game Friday, scoring 18 points off the bench on 6-of-10 shooting with good activity on the glass.
Lawson’s 78 points off the bench over the last three games tie a franchise record shared by Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall for most bench points over a three-game span.
• Colin Castleton’s 10-day contract expires on Saturday. After getting a couple of starts and playing well — including 13 points on perfect shooting, with his first career three on Friday – I’d imagine he’ll get another 10-day deal. The Raptors have just enough room beneath the tax to continue filling their 15th roster spot with 10-day deals or a rest-of-season minimum.
Orlando Robinson also had a strong night against a thin Jazz frontcourt, with 14 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks.
• Quickley and Barnes both had strong individual nights, scoring 20 points each in 25 and 24 minutes, respectively. Quickley had a complete takeover stretch late in the first quarter, sparking an 18-3 run by getting into the paint in semi-transition on four consecutive possessions for buckets or free throws against a very inattentive Jazz defence. Barnes, meanwhile, got to the rim more or less when he wanted, with seven of his eight baskets coming with a foot in the paint.
Head coach Darko Rajakovic has continued to tether those two together in order to continue building their chemistry. As I broke down on a Sportsnet broadcast recently, Quickley and Barnes had played fewer than 800 minutes together over their first 98 games, and barely 50 per cent of Quickley’s minutes during that span came with Barnes. That makes some sense — staggering them keeps one primary ball-handler on the floor at all times — but their chemistry really needed more reps.
Since Quickley’s return on Jan. 31, 86 per cent of his minutes have come alongside Barnes. Quickley’s shooting percentages are up in that time, as is his driving efficiency. Barnes hasn’t seen quite the same numbers boost, and there’s still some hesitation in their pick-and-roll actions, but there are signs of progress, and Barnes is developing a nose for finding off-ball screen opportunities to free Quickley for threes.
• Jamison Battle started and shot 3-of-11 overall, and 1-of-6 on threes. It was also one of his strongest defensive games, and he added six rebounds. As I broke down on the broadcast before the game, cold night aside, Battle’s shooting versatility has really stood out: He’s shooting well on middle threes, corner threes, and wing threes; on stationary threes, off-dribble threes, and movement threes; on spot-ups, off screens, and on handoffs. He’s more than just a knock-it-down-open-in-the-corner guy.
• Temple was plus-seven in 20 minutes and is now plus-22 on the season. Blame him when your next Tankathon simulation doesn’t go your way.
• The Raptors have the toughest three games left on their schedule next, with road contests at Portland, Phoenix (on a back-to-back), and Golden State. After that, I’m not sure how else to rewrite this lede a dozen times.
Hope you all have a great weekend!
