"Toronto has made a rapid turn around from the depths of the league to the upper end of the middle of it. They've improved, greatly, on the offensive end of the floor. Even more so than they have defensively, by ranking. Picking the low hanging fruit. Balancing diets. But, it's a lot more difficult to elevate out of the middle and into the tippity-top than it is to fight midde from the bottom."
"Before we begin, it's important to remember that the Raptors opened the season as one of the NBA's worst defenses. They were embodying the catch phrases from training camp and preseason. They were, aside from the Portland Trailblazers - who were at the very forefront of all the ball pressure - the NBA's number one ball pressure team. They chased and overextended."
The Raptors improved markedly from one of the league's worst defenses to a top-tier unit while also raising offensive output. Early-season overextension and relentless ball pressure created downhill drives and transition breakdowns. The team previously pressured on dead balls, free throws, and made shots and often got caught out of position. Coaching adjustments focused on smarter, situational application of pressure and better timing to avoid exposing the defense. The roster experimented with long-range pressure and different personnel deployments, and the team prioritized balancing aggression with discipline to become more consistently effective.
Read at Raptors Republic
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