The Toronto Raptors' bench unit was in mid-season form Saturday night against the Boston Celtics. With roster spots on the line, a motley crew of rookies and players on partially guaranteed deals clawed out of a late five-point hole to tie things up late. Sam Dekker came up big. David Johnson came up big. But with the game on the line, the group just couldn't quite convert as Dalano Banton missed what would have been a game-winning three-pointer as Toronto fell 113-111.
Precious' Game Continues to Expand
From the moment Precious Achiuwa first joined the Raptors, the organization has been encouraging him to expand his game. They saw him as this versatile multi-skilled big who could be a difference-maker on their small-ball roster. Saturday night was an exhibition in exactly the kind of difference he can make.
He was relentless in bringing the ball up the court, using his speed to blow by opposing bigs with ease. He stuffed the score sheet with 13 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, and two assists.
While Khem Birch is still the favorite to start at center on opening night, Achiuwa has certainly made that more of a conversation in the preseason.
Up & Down Night from Barnes
Saturday night had a little bit of everything from Scottie Barnes. The rookie was a step slow on defense, repeatedly getting burned when he'd pinch inside to help on defense. At one point he hesitated to take a free throw line jumper which isn't good to see in the preseason from a 20-year-old still working on his shot. But, boy, was his passing impressive. He's a true point forward, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward with the playmaking skills to help facilitate the offense. He had six assists in the first half alone before finishing the night with nine points and eight assists.
OG's Bag Gets Deeper
It turns out, OG Anunoby's off-the-dribble skills on Thursday night weren't just a one game fluke. The 24-year-old continues to show impressive new pull-up skills, nailing two off-the-dribble threes late in the second quarter. Take everything with a grain of salt in the preseason, but those pull-up skills look very real and should carry over into the regular season.
Rotation Update:
Goran Dragic once again got the start over Gary Trent Jr. At this point, it wouldn't be surprising if Toronto kept it that way when the regular season tips off. Dragic should provide a little more playmaking and ball-handling skills on the starting unit while Pascal Siakam is out. With Trent, things can be a little inconsistent. He was red-hot in the second quarter, scoring 10 points, but finished the night with just 14 on 5-for-14 shooting.
Malachi Flynn got the nod ahead of Dalano Banton in Toronto's first substitution group. Banton struggled with turnovers on Thursday and Nurse seemed to be happier with Flynn's aggressiveness.
Svi Mykhailiuk, Justin Champaignie, and Freddie Gillespie all got early playing time as well. Unfortunately for Gillespie, it was another lackluster night as he squandered two beautiful setups inside, one from Anunoby and another from Fred VanVleet.
Isaac Bonga continues to get playing time ahead of Ishmail Wainright, Dekker, and Reggie Perry. Dekker, however, did get some playing time late and nailed a clutch three-pointer to tie things up at 109-109 with less than a minute to go in regulation.
VanVleet Scare
Fred VanVleet went down in the second quarter after taking a Robert Williams shoulder to the head, but after a minute or so on the ground, he popped back up and didn't miss a beat.
Up Next: Houston Rockets
The Raptors will return home on Monday to take on the Houston Rockets in the first leg of a back-to-back.
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