The Toronto Raptors are seeing their young players shape the team’s defensive identity, particularly through a focus on ball pressure. The team generated 63 turnovers resulting in 84 points during Summer League games, signaling their intended aggressive defensive strategy. Coach Rajakovic emphasizes the importance of the ball defender, or 'MIG', focusing on forcing turnovers while conceding some corner threes. This strategy led to a strong defensive rating as the team pressed frequently during the season, showcasing their intent to maintain an active defensive style characterized by chaos and energy.
The Raptors stressed the importance of forcing turnovers and causing deflections, even at the cost of conceding corner threes, a formula similar to what we saw in the Finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers.
Ball pressure is the name of the game. Coach Rajakovic started the 2024-2025 season stating that the 'MIG' or 'Most Important Guy' on the floor for the Raptors defensively will be the player guarding the ball.
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