"Why? Because getting down early and rallying from behind has become somewhat of a trademark for this year's 905 squad. In each of their showcase games en route to losing in the Final, they trailed after the first quarter. And it was that same habit of starting slow that ultimately cost them in a loss to the San Diego Clippers - the 905's only loss on record to this point."
"And it's not to say that the message has fallen on deaf ears necessarily. But, when there's an abundance of talent - namely three highly-skilled two-way stars in Chucky Hepburn, Alijah Martin and A.J. Lawson - routinely turning early deficits into wins, there's not exactly a sense of urgency. This is a team that's lost all of two games in just over two months of G League action this season, after all. They haven't really needed to worry about their slow starts."
Drew Jones repeatedly instructed Raptors 905 to "throw the first punch" to avoid falling behind early. The team developed a habit of rallying from first-quarter deficits, which contributed to losses in showcase play, including a Showcase Final defeat and a costly loss to the San Diego Clippers. Without any two-way players, the 905 opened a seven-game road trip by dominating the Birmingham Squadron 118-73, finally starting fast. Multiple role players produced strong scoring, rebounding and playmaking lines. The win improved the team's record to 8-1 and reinforced the value of establishing early intensity.
Read at Raptors Republic
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]