"The Raptors did their homework. They were redirecting the Magic away from their pet actions. Rebuffing each attempt at piercing the lane. Intention, intelligence, intensity. Controllable things. Things they often control. It's fuelled their run to a top 8 defense, despite many people observing that they probably don't grade out that high in terms of defensive talent. If a guy loses the thread at the point of attack? A teammate will plug the hole. If the ball moves on after that? Another hole to plug."
"(At this point in the season the Raptors are 9th in how often they stunt on defense, 2nd in trap frequency, and 4th in loading up.) So, the Raptors held well against the Magic early on. Despite helping the Magic offense a fair bit with some clunky turnovers, when the Raptors got to set their halfcourt defense? Sublime results. They do this as a vastly undersized defense, but a hyper mobile one. Led, largely by Scottie Barnes' DPOY level performances."
Toronto employs deliberate defensive schemes that redirect penetration, rebuff lane attacks, and plug openings through coordinated help, producing a top-eight defensive result. The team emphasizes intention, intelligence, and intensity and ranks highly in stunting, trapping, and loading up. The defense is undersized but hyper-mobile and is largely driven by Scottie Barnes' DPOY-level performances. Offensively, the Raptors struggled to navigate the paint against a larger Orlando front and experienced a significant three-point drought. Brandon Ingram delivered one of his better halves driving the ball for Toronto, but the team overall had difficulty converting in the halfcourt. The front office has operated with uncertainty around trade-deadline posture.
Read at Raptors Republic
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