Raps V. Kings - Preseason - Wed, Oct 8th, 2025 - 10PM EST

[mihaic]

Dick should have cut there

Dick cuts are not good.

[mihaic]

CMB feels like a more heady/steady Scottie with a higher IQ and quicker first step.

Yes, I’m full of hot takes tonight.

The FO might believe he has more upside. I don't know that you take him if you didn't think so given the construction of this roster.

Let's trade Scottie for Pascal. Hot take too.

[mihaic]

The offence looks much better tonight.

Of course.
Level of opponent.

[djsunyc]

Why is it like a definitive narrative everywhere that this has to be a bad offensive team?

Dont we have like 4 guys who can score 18-20ppg in our starting lineup who could in theory be much more efficient? + Poeltl one of most efficient Centers?

As well as bench guys like - Obaji / Dick /CMB who should get big mins and could all be efficient?

It seems all this "max out at 40 wins or .500" revolves around the premise this team will DEFINITELY struggle to score and be a bad offense..why?

we went 20-37 from 3 last night (57%) which is nuts. game 1 we went 10-42 (23.8%).

it will always look better when you hit 3's because the half court offense looked really bad vs. the nuggets.

in the starting lineup, i think darko's going to get BI taking more 3's and he will be good there. i think quickley's 3 will start hitting and he will play better when yak is in the lineup. i actually think this will be rj's most efficient year from 3 overall.

the key here is having plays which gets them open looks because yak is not shooting them and barnes can't shoot.

i do agree that our half court offense could look decent but imho, that is going to completely rely on yak because he's the hub that gets everyone into better spots.

[djsunyc]

The offence looks much better tonight.

Of course.
Level of opponent.

the key to the season will be how we perform against .500 and below teams.

let's say 42 games are against mediocre/bad teams and 42 are against good teams, the breakout for a solid year would be this:

27-15 against mediocre/bad teams
21-21 against good teams

= 48 win season.

[mihaic]

The offence looks much better tonight.

Of course.
Level of opponent.

the key to the season will be how we perform against .500 and below teams.

let's say 42 games are against mediocre/bad teams and 42 are against good teams, the breakout for a solid year would be this:

27-15 against mediocre/bad teams
21-21 against good teams

= 48 win season.

I agree. Good teams easily take care of business they should.

Walk before you run.

[Brinbe]

Was watching the Raps Republic recap and Es made a great point that BI/RJ/Yak will probably be matched together a whole lot as they complement each other on the court and Scottie/IQ may naturally be their own pairing and that could be a great way to stagger things and apportion out the bench guys so we can sustain a good mix of scoring and defense throughout games.

Getting that bounceback from Gradey was really great though after that rough first game and if he's scoring and hitting that 3 at a good clip, he def has a place off-the-bench. And if he's not hitting, it's good that we gave a variety of other depth pieces to call upon like a Walter who looks like he's building well off of last season and already looks improved in a bunch of areas. His jumper looks real good.

I know many are down on Scottie right now and it's clear that he'll have to work to find his fit with this grouping instead of the other way around but I think he can do it even if it resembles a lot of what he showed in his first few years and whilst there def may be some overlap with CMB in that respect, Scottie is still a plus positive player and will find ways to contribute once he finds his place. At the end of the day, wins are all that matters to me.

Now whether those potential contributions are ultimately worth his seemingly outsized price tag is a fair discussion but you can have those talks without going into hyperbolic teardown mode as is common on here. Scottie hasn't really done anything to show himself to be a bad teammate or a minus player despite how he's talked about on here. If he's dogging it on defense or being selfish, then sure, have it. But I haven't seen any of that.

[mihaic]

What are the chances we can trade Barnes for Giannis in some sort of package?

Hopefully Bucks suck out of the gate.

I'd go all in, we have all our picks a.t.m.

[mihaic]

Well I have a feeling CMB is going to be my favourite Raptor very quickly.

So far, he looked so good out of the gate. Didn't see many mistakes, his floor is quite high. He looks to be on par with Scottie's rookie season if my recollection is good.

[MEDIC]

Gradey had a decent game, but that type of game should be his baseline at this point.

He made some shots. He ran the floor hard. Played with energy on defense.

If he can do that most nights, he'll turn into a useful bench player.

[MEDIC]

I thought Jevon Sheppard did a good job..You could see there were some chemistry issues at times, but it was still pretty good all things considered.

[Duffman100]

Well I have a feeling CMB is going to be my favourite Raptor very quickly.

So far, he looked so good out of the gate. Didn't see many mistakes, his floor is quite high. He looks to be on par with Scottie's rookie season if my recollection is good.

his shot already looks better

[RaptorLakerJay]

BI is so nasty. Having him create is huge for the offense. A new weapon the team hasn't had in a while.

CMB played great too.

[markban21]

The offence looks much better tonight.

Of course.
Level of opponent.

the key to the season will be how we perform against .500 and below teams.

let's say 42 games are against mediocre/bad teams and 42 are against good teams, the breakout for a solid year would be this:

27-15 against mediocre/bad teams
21-21 against good teams

= 48 win season.

I agree with your assessment, but that is 84 games... so taking into account 2 fewer games, let's call it a 47 win season

[Pointgod]

Why is it like a definitive narrative everywhere that this has to be a bad offensive team?

Dont we have like 4 guys who can score 18-20ppg in our starting lineup who could in theory be much more efficient? + Poeltl one of most efficient Centers?

As well as bench guys like - Obaji / Dick /CMB who should get big mins and could all be efficient?

It seems all this "max out at 40 wins or .500" revolves around the premise this team will DEFINITELY struggle to score and be a bad offense..why?

Our starting lineup doesn’t have a lot of shooting. The spacing just isn’t there unless Ingram, Barrett and Quickley shoot above average. The other thing is that 4 out of our 5 starting lineup play the best with the ball in their hands, so you get diminishing returns. The most efficient offenses have guys that compliment each other. Shooting, shot creation, ball movement, finishing. Guys are efficient mostly based on the quality of shots they’re taking.

[Saul Goodman]

Its preseason so it could all be a mirage, but these guys really remind me of the beginning of the We The North era. Late blooming talents in Ingram and Barrett and a hard nosed defensive identity and quite possibly bench depth. Im excited to root for a team that is in win now mode but also has a ton of young guys who could pop in Dick, CMB, Walter, Shead etc

[Godaddycurse]

Why is it like a definitive narrative everywhere that this has to be a bad offensive team?

Dont we have like 4 guys who can score 18-20ppg in our starting lineup who could in theory be much more efficient? + Poeltl one of most efficient Centers?

As well as bench guys like - Obaji / Dick /CMB who should get big mins and could all be efficient?

It seems all this "max out at 40 wins or .500" revolves around the premise this team will DEFINITELY struggle to score and be a bad offense..why?

Our starting lineup doesn’t have a lot of shooting. The spacing just isn’t there unless Ingram, Barrett and Quickley shoot above average. The other thing is that 4 out of our 5 starting lineup play the best with the ball in their hands, so you get diminishing returns. The most efficient offenses have guys that compliment each other. Shooting, shot creation, ball movement, finishing. Guys are efficient mostly based on the quality of shots they’re taking.

Poeltl doesn't really need the ball in his hands. He doesn't hold on to the ball for very long when he gets it in the high post. His main roll is a play finisher otherwise
RJ end of 23-24 and on team canada played his best ball as a cutter/play finisher and C&S 3 pt shooter.
IQ is a 3 pt shot outlet in the starting lineup/doesn't drive or create very well.

[TheRealDeal]

I forgot how brutal our schedule is to start the season. We’re going to learn a lot about this team early on

[Van_Trump]

Dick should have cut there

Dick cuts are not good.

Any Bris needs a steady hand.

[YogurtProducer]

The offence looks much better tonight.

Of course.
Level of opponent.

the key to the season will be how we perform against .500 and below teams.

let's say 42 games are against mediocre/bad teams and 42 are against good teams, the breakout for a solid year would be this:

27-15 against mediocre/bad teams
21-21 against good teams

= 48 win season.

Well, that is also 84 games, but I get your point.