"I feel like last year, toward the end of the season, we kind of picked out how we're guarding on ball, and then we went more into it as we got steals ... whether it was sneaking behind somebody or when they went for a lay up thinking it was wide open, we'd smack the ball out and get even more steals. So it kind of led over to Summer League,"
"And I remember, Ja'Kobe (Walter, who Mogbo said has been dubbed "Ja-cobra" by his teammates) was getting a lot of those, we all were, and I was like 'oh, this is like a cobra strike.' So that's where it started off ... something that just came to the brain, and I continued with it."
"changed the game and brought energy on the defensive end of the floor."
Scottie Barnes has dominated the first half of the season, embracing new roles and responsibilities to help push the Toronto Raptors back into playoff contention. The Raptors currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference, strengthening the case for Barnes or Ingram to earn an All-Star spot. Defensive intensity has been crystallized into a "cobra mentality," represented by a six-foot staff awarded to the player who "changed the game and brought energy on the defensive end of the floor." The cobra approach grew from late-season and Summer League defensive habits emphasizing on-ball pressure, sneaky help, forced turnovers, and increased steals.
Read at Raptors Republic
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