"The Toronto Raptors have been losing for a long time. Scottie Barnes has been mired in the depths of a rebuild, and the team finally peeked its head above water this season and took a breath of cool, fresh air. Second in the East! Top-10 offence and defence! Only to plunge back down under the surface, to sink, to drown. The Raptors drowned against the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup. Are drowning."
"Toronto's offence requires remarkable focus and intent. Cuts are precisely timed, angled, paced. And there are many of them. Screens have to come at just the right moment. Players have to push pace, always, even after opposing makes. For a quarter, that was all there. Barnes pushed after a make, received a screen from Ochai Agbaji, and then threw a no-look rocket to Agbaji as he slipped the screen. And-1."
The Raptors endured a long rebuild centered around Scottie Barnes and briefly achieved notable success, reaching second in the Eastern Conference with top-10 offense and defense. The team ultimately regressed, succumbing to a decisive loss against the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup and reverting to prolonged inconsistency. The first quarter of the loss featured precise offense, sustained pace, timely cuts, and effective screening, with Barnes, Ochai Agbaji, Jakob Poeltl, and Brandon Ingram all contributing. Jalen Brunson produced an early scoring explosion that was met with immediate response. Offensive rebounding battles and Ingram's scoring masked deeper issues that resurfaced as the game progressed.
Read at Raptors Republic
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