Official Game Thread: Hawks at Raptors (1 of 2)

[lethalweapon3]

“Actually, no, I’m not THAT Darko, you’re thinking of… Masai! They will build you a statue, man. Relax!”

 

As Atlanta Hawks fans, we should all know less about the Toronto Raptors.

Thanks to a fruitless but highly speculative offseason, centered largely around Raptors big Pascal Siakam, both teams have been rosterbated to death since the last postseason ended. Up until now, the interest in a two-team trade was not mutual.

They got screamed out of the Play-In by the Bulls, and Masai Ujiri allowed their championship coach Nick Nurse to bail, eventually to division rival Philadelphia. Yet Toronto still thought too highly of themselves to be engaging in talks with lowly rivals like Landry Fields’ Atlanta Hawks. Champions, after all, only negotiate with champions.

Ujiri will give up draft capital to say he dealt with teams with a championship pedigree, like the Spurs – anybody seen Thad Young lately? He’ll go after players on the periphery of title-bearing teams like the Warriors – where have you gone, Otto Porter? You want Kyle Lowry, Miami? We’ll take Precious Achiuwa off your hands. But the Hawks calling us? Tuh.

Now there is fanbase pressure on not only the Hawks (9-13) but the Raptors (9-14), each losers of four straight, to shake things up on the floor, specifically along the starting lineups. Depending on how things go, or don’t go, during Atlanta’s three-day, two-game stay in Ontario that kicks off the Raps’ four-game Scotiabank Arena homestand tonight (7:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, SportsNet in TOR), I suspect one of these teams will find themselves more receptive to the exclamations of season ticket-holder consensus.

What to do with the Raptors’ starting five? Scottie Barnes, 2022’s ROY, has pulled about even with 2023 All-Star Siakam as the main go-to guy, and even leads the team with 9.0 RPG and 1.2 BPG. Once deemed essential only for defensive purposes, OG Anunoby leads the team in three-point attempts, and makes (team-high 39.4 3FG%). Center Jakob Poeltl doesn’t blow many bunnies (72.4 FG%, 2^nd in NBA, 1-for-2 FGs outside the paint).

So for a shakeup, prior to any Siakam trade, that leaves our old hookah-smoking pal Dennis Schröder (11 points shy of 10,000 for his career). The Menace is blowing past his Hawks-era peak with a career-best 7.0 APG (10^th in NBA). Couple that with a career-low 1.7 TOs/game, and 15.1 PPG being his highest since 2021, and there should be no question that he deserves to be a mainstay along first-year head coach Darko Rajakovic’s top line.

Yet questions persist as to whether Dennis’ defense, or lack thereof, is dragging the Raptors down. While not getting ridden into the ground as Nurse did in his final season there, the starters together have taken a large share of the total lineup minutes (over 270, as per bball-ref) and are presently at a negative-3.8 points per 100 possessions. (Atlanta’s most used 5-Man combo, 171 minutes at minus-4.6 per 100, was back when Jalen Johnson was healthy. With Bey subbed in, for 142 minutes, they’re at +1.4).

While his shooting has been an uptick over last year’s messy season with the Lakers, Schröder (42.0 FG%, incl. 33.9% on threes) could probably stand to jack up shots a little less, and spread the wealth even more. Much like Daniel Theis had to learn the hard way, once the 2023 FIBA World Cup champion figures out that, here in North America, he’s Otis, and nobody is here to see him, things will go much smoother.

Still, what are you gonna do? Make longtime Raptor hanger-on Malachi Flynn your new starter at the point? Garrett Temple? Sorry, but no.

Ultimately, there haven’t been enough reliable three-point threats (NBA-low 33.4 team 3FG%), particularly any perimeter punch from the reserves (31.7 bench 3FG%). My foolish preseason pick for Rookie of the Year runner-up, Gradey Asterisk, has been Raptors 905 level all season long (28.1 FG%), and he was only recently recalled up from Mississauga. Just about as bad has been Gary Trent, Jr. (38.2 FG%), and he has been the top recipient in playing time off Toronto’s bench.

Free throw shooting has been quite the adventure (73.5 team FT%, 29^th in NBA), something that hasn’t been a problem in Atlanta (83.8 team FT%, 3^rd in NBA) aside from clutch moments in games. Further, Mr. P’s rim protection has never been all that spicy, but it is really low on the Scoville scale of late (career-low 0.2 BPG), relegating a team that was top-ten in blocks last season to bottom-seven so far.

It’s enough to make a GM, like Toronto’s Bobby Webster, give a guy like Bogdan Bogdanovic (NBA-high 17.1 bench PPG, his 40-point night vs. DEN pulling him just ahead of Timmy Hardaway. and NBA-high 1.5 bench SPG) a second take. Same for a looks-the-part forward like De’Andre Hunter (questionable, sore knee; 89.9 FT%, last 8 games: 18.6 PPG, 40.0 3FG%), who hasn’t missed a charity shot in his last 11 games.

If Siakam doesn’t feel much like guarding inside and help-defending these days, maybe an Onyeka Okongwu can. Or perhaps a Clint Capela, shifting to a sixth-man role behind Poeltl. Either scenario’s an upgrade over Achiuwa, or Chris “turn sideways and you might miss me” Boucher (questionable, contused quad).

Ujiri wants winners, and he only wants to deal with winners to say he went out and got winners. Fields would do well to negotiate first with a ring-bearing third-wheel, be it Draymond’s flailing Warriors, or the Lakers, and have them be the ones to reel the Raps in on a multi-team deal that suits all parties.

If the Raptors at least split this pair of games to stem their skid, Ujiri can play coy with teams like the Hawks for a little longer, at least up until the Trade Deadline. After all, they still have a winning record versus everybody outside of their treacherous Atlantic Division, where Monday’s loss in New York dropped them to 0-7. (Knicks, I think your super-double-secret proprietary data is safe. Chill.)

If Toronto comes up empty against Atlanta, with the last non-division opponent that beat them, Charlotte, coming into town seeking a double-scoop of victory on Monday? If the Raps face a five-game home losing streak, with Denver following suit to maybe make it six? Webster may soon be spending the weekend encouraging Ujiri to finally take Landry’s call off hold.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Trae and Dejounte teamed up to end Toronto's season-long six-game homestand with a 114-103 victory last January, knotting up the all-time head-to-head series once again, at 51-51.

Along with Boucher, Otto Porter remains Questionable due to a bruised foot. Second-year backup big Christian Koloko (Out) came down with one of these annoying respiratory illnesses floating about, and he hasn't been able to shake free of it all season long.

De'Andre (sore knee, which answers the quad tendon question) remains Questionable as of this morning's Boo-Boo Report. Trae Young is usually fine so long as he isn't goaded into fussing with the refs, and he's Probable despite a sore shoulder. Two-way players Seth Lundy and Trent Forrest appears to have made the road trip.

~lw3

[Dnice]

Griff is out ( personal reasons) so have at it.

[ShooterSays]

29 minutes ago, Dnice said:

Griff is out ( personal reasons) so have at it.

O.o

[JayBirdHawk]

No Hunter. No AJ. .....let the trades begin . 

[macdaddy]

13 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

No Hunter. No AJ. .....let the trades begin . 

Exactly.  I think the deal is done.  just waiting on the 15th probably.  

 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

Refs for tonight:

[Spud2nique]

Thanks lw3! Screw Pascal.. tonight.. stay healthy though  

Vegas has Raps -1.5

2k has Hawk by 15

GO HAWKS!!!

[Spud2nique]

2 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

No Hunter. No AJ. .....let the trades begin . 

That’s who I have going out and Capela, is he in tonight? Sorry Clint, your legs up and enjoy the show, or we are trying to showcase the crap outta Cap, watch he gets 20 boards tonight!  

December and January becomes showcasing time I love it. #paddedstats

[JayBirdHawk]

1 hour ago, Spud2nique said:

That’s who I have going out and Capela, is he in tonight? Sorry Clint, your legs up and enjoy the show, or we are trying to showcase the crap outta Cap, watch he gets 20 boards tonight!  

December and January becomes showcasing time I love it. #paddedstats

No, not CC in this deal - you include Patty Mills to make the salaries work.

Then if you want to do a followup trade with CC going elsewhere, do that - say to LAC for Zubac and PJ Tucker.

[Spud2nique]

9 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

No, not CC in this deal - you include Patty Mills to make the salaries work.

Then if you want to do a following trade with CC going elsewhere, do that - say to LAC for Zubac and PJ Tucker.

Yesssss yesss the why not both program created by you! We need a mini makeover here  

[JayBirdHawk]

18 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Yesssss yesss the why not both program created by you! We need a mini makeover here  

[lethalweapon3]

Trae's a yea, while Dre is no-play.

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

More Mat(t)hews....yeah - 

[JayBirdHawk]

So, some Bruno time? @TheNorthCydeRises

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

Thought Lundy would get minutes last game, he didn't. Should definitely see minutes tonight, no?

[HawksNWaffles]

[JayBirdHawk]

Two Ts with the start tonight.