Raptors film room: Jakob Poeltl returns in a blowout loss to Pistons

"The Raptors, so accustomed to teams not bothering to challenge their jumpers, found the Pistons flying towards them at all times. Shots that are usually open turned into rushed looks. What are usually straight up-and-down jumpers turned into side-steps, or deferred shots that ended up in reset offence. Drives turned to floaters, and floaters were erased. The Pistons' defence was good. And the Raptors' defence, which is pretty darn good itself, wasn't able to keep pace. It wasn't quite as snarling, as toothy, as gripping."

"Shead especially struggled with Detroit's increased physicality and attention to details. Shead usually thrives with his home-run passing, but more of his passes resulted in turnovers than assists. He tied a season-high in turnovers with four. Everyone on Toronto's bench struggled to score, but much of it flowed from Shead's inability to create offence for his cohorts. Late in the third quarter, Shead ran a pick and roll and got off it far too early, which is unlike him."

"The Raptors got their starting big man back! Jakob Poeltl returned to the lineup for the first time in 24 games and played 20 minutes, scoring nine points and adding six rebounds. The Raptors still got absolutely destroyed by the Detroit Pistons in a non-competitive game. I broke down Poeltl's return, what it all means, and why the Raptors can't beat good teams: From Louis Zatzman:"

Jakob Poeltl returned to the lineup for the first time in 24 games, playing 20 minutes, scoring nine points and grabbing six rebounds. The Toronto Raptors were thoroughly beaten by the Detroit Pistons in a non-competitive game. Detroit's defence aggressively attacked jumpers, turning open looks into rushed, sidestepped, or reset attempts. Drives often became floaters that the Pistons erased, and the Raptors' defence could not match that intensity. Shead struggled with increased physicality and attention to detail, tying a season-high with four turnovers. Bench scoring lagged largely because Shead failed to consistently create offence for teammates. A late third-quarter pick-and-roll featured an early pass that led to Dick being stripped, and the lead swelled while key players sat.

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