PG: BENCH SLOBS SHART THE COURT

[MiamiSPX]

Only half-watched this as I was more focused on my 'Canes curb stomping OSU in the CFP.

Raps doing Raps things. I'll still take 20-15 all day, every day.

Fun game. This team needs some legit 3 point specialists.

From game to game, I don't know who is going to be reliable & who isn't. Our role playera aren't strong enough.

This is why actual good teams rely on vets vs developing multiple youth. Way too unreliable game to game.

The 6 guys we had come off the bench last night, have played less combined games than Tim Hardaway Jr. And yeah, I know THJ was dreadful in this game but he's averaging 13 PPG while shooting 41% from 3pt. He was key in the DET turnaround story last season and there is a reason a team with championship aspirations like DEN, went out and got him. With all the anecdotes and stories that have come out, I have been sold on Temple being the team's "spiritual leader". But it would sure be nice to have a veteran presence on the bench that can actually play.

The only thing I don’t like about Darko is he force feeds minutes to guys that don’t deserve it (achiuwa, dick) while benching guys that are actually contributing (Boucher, battle) I’m wondering how much of it is actually his Choice though and how much the front office is forcing him to do these things. We’ve all accepted the Boucher decision was organizational for tanking and development and what not, so it isn’t unrealistic to assume that the front office is also the reason dick continues to get minutes. It sucks for the on court product though.

It's telling to me that of the 11 main guys in the rotation, Dick is the only one that hasn't started a game. Even Battle got a start this season. This leads me to believe that Darko is playing Dick at the FO's direction. DIck is proving without a shadow of a doubt that he doesn't belong on the team (probably not the league either). One would have to assume that this will not go on much longer. At this point the FO cannot argue with Darko if he benches him.

[Landomar]

One thing that I've noticed about Dick this year is that he's actually improved his defense a lot. He's playing really hard, hustling, and actually using his length to bother people. There was a play last night where a Denver player was driving to the hoop for a layup, Dick rotated over as a help defender with his arms up, and the player actually turned around and passed the ball out. This improved play on the defensive end is visible in his DBPM, which has improved from -2.2 as a rookie, -1.3 last year, and is now 0.2 this year.

He's been such an utter train wreck and a disaster on offense, though, that it doesn't matter.

[ash_k]

with how bad we started the game, it looked like a loss in the first Q. We need IQ out.

[Jerry Lucas]

We hear this every year. lol.

You should go check attendence, ratings and our allstar voting results if you think people arent tuning this franchise out. Most people I know dont give a crap about tbe Raptors after being hardcore fans for so long...

I’m referring to it being a generational draft. We hear that every year. Givony said last year’s draft class was like the best in 20 years. lol.

5 similarly outstanding production profiles from 5 different freshmen prospects. Guess which one is Freshman Cooper Flagg (a top 5 draft prospect in the last 20 years).

The other 4...are all at the top of the 2026 draft class.

Freshman 1
7.2 PRPG (Points Over Replacement Per Adjusted Game At That Usage)
30.9% USG
65.3 TS%
17.8 BPM

Freshman 2
4.9 PRPG
28.3% USG
65.1 TS%
17.7 BPM

Freshman 3
6.8 PRPG
31% USG
66.4 TS%
13.7 BPM

Freshman 4
6.0 PRPG
30.8% USG
59.3 TS%
14.9 BPM

Freshman 5
5.2 PRPG
30.1% USG
61.0 TS%
13.9 BPM

Also, I (and many other posters who know better) absolutely ripped Givony in the draft threads, for the stupid **** he said trying to artificially hype up last year's draft.

[Dennis 37]

We need to make a trade and fire Darko

The question is not if, but a when.

There were one hell of a lot of missed shots. Were they bad shots? I don't recall too many ill-advised shots, they just weren't falling in. Is that on the coach?

This team, for far too long, has gone away from quality centers. At one time we had Jonas and Jakob. Then we had Marc and Serge. Then, for quite a while, we had nothing. Now we have injured Jakob and shot in the dark Bamba.

Jonas is playing backup for f's sake. He looked pretty good out there for a backup role. Is roster construction on the coach?

[Troubadour]

This season reminds me of the 2014-2015 season in that I think this team will show their true colours over the second half of the season.

[Walid]

This season reminds me of the 2014-2015 season in that I think this team will show their true colours over the second half of the season.

? We’ve already shown our true colors

[Jadoogar]

We're headed to the play-in. To lose to this version of the Nuggets is truly troubling.
I get that we don't have Jakob but i don't know if he's going to come back looking his regular self. Back injuries are no joke, especially for bigs.

[Duffman100]

This season reminds me of the 2014-2015 season in that I think this team will show their true colours over the second half of the season.

? We’ve already shown our true colors

A 45 win team who may win a playoff round?

[Jadoogar]

0/18 from the bench on 3s but lets continue benching our best 3 point to show we're not a results driven organization. Fire Darko already.

They must be showcasing. Battle should be a staple by now.

lol showcasing what exactly?

shooting guards who can't hit shots! Don't everyone rush at once!

[VanWest82]

Mamu looks like his legs are gone. Stark contrast from the first month of the season when he was sprinting the court and finishing over and around guys at full speed.

I sincerely hope the FO doesn't think their job is done at C. Bamba was a token signing, but we need a big who can actually play 15-20 mins and not kill you. It's egregious that a quality team like this is being forced to play (again!) with no big man help for weeks at a time, especially given our lack of shot creators. This kind of group NEEDS a legit big man to carve out space for guys.

[Mikistan]

This season reminds me of the 2014-2015 season in that I think this team will show their true colours over the second half of the season.

That's the one where Lou Williams was dating two girls at the same time, our end of quarter offense was a Lou Williams iso every time because be hit one early in the season. Amir Johnson started dating a friend of the Lou will by girls, they started hot the. Played .500 ball for months heading into the playoffs, to become the first team to ever get swept when having home court advantage in the playoffs.

After which, all of coach Casey's assistants were fired and new ones hired by the front office, rather than just pounding his rock right out the door

[causal_fan]

If you can't win against a team missing 4 starters including the best player in the game and playing at home then who are in a whole lot of trouble - the atrocious state of the eastern conference is the only saving grace for this current raptors team and even more concerning is that the young talent is spinning their wheels unlike say Charlotte, Washington & Brooklyn where their is a modicum of progress with their young talent. Frustrating as hell!

[PushDaRock]

Mamu looks like his legs are gone. Stark contrast from the first month of the season when he was sprinting the court and finishing over and around guys at full speed.

I sincerely hope the FO doesn't think their job is done at C. Bamba was a token signing, but we need a big who can actually play 15-20 mins and not kill you. It's egregious that a quality team like this is being forced to play (again!) with no big man help for weeks at a time, especially given our lack of shot creators. This kind of group NEEDS a legit big man to carve out space for guys.

Mamu was coming off 14, 13, 13, 13 point games with a 24 and 18 point game a little before that. One bad game and his legs are gone now?

[VanWest82]

Mamu looks like his legs are gone. Stark contrast from the first month of the season when he was sprinting the court and finishing over and around guys at full speed.

I sincerely hope the FO doesn't think their job is done at C. Bamba was a token signing, but we need a big who can actually play 15-20 mins and not kill you. It's egregious that a quality team like this is being forced to play (again!) with no big man help for weeks at a time, especially given our lack of shot creators. This kind of group NEEDS a legit big man to carve out space for guys.

Mamu was coming off 14, 13, 13, 13 point games with a 24 and 18 point game a little before that. One bad game and his legs are gone now?

I mean, go back and watch him play a month ago. Pick any game. I'm not criticizing him. This is the biggest role of his career, and it's only natural he's hitting the wall a bit, especially after starting a bunch of games for us. Don't think it was an accident Darko brought him off the bench last night.

[JB7]

You built a bad team then if that’s the case.

Bobby gotta reassess lol.

20-15 and 4th in the East - not that bad

It is bad if you want to build on success long term wise. If you can’t afford to pay anyone for your bench because your starters make up that much of the cap without a single top 15 player on it then you have a problem on your hands. Especially considering RJ’s contract is going to be expiring next year and Mamu might walk after this season.

This is an issue all teams face, managing the cap/tax. However, I don’t expect RJ to get a big bump in pay. Probably something around IQ’s pay. With the cap and tax rising, it shouldn’t be an issue. They just need to get Yak healthy.

If the bench did anything tonight, they win this game easily.

[JB7]

If you can't win against a team missing 4 starters including the best player in the game and playing at home then who are in a whole lot of trouble - the atrocious state of the eastern conference is the only saving grace for this current raptors team and even more concerning is that the young talent is spinning their wheels unlike say Charlotte, Washington & Brooklyn where their is a modicum of progress with their young talent. Frustrating as hell!

If the bench did anything tonight, they win this game easily.

The young players on those other teams are being force fed starters minutes, so they look a bit better. Kind of like last season with the Raps and Dick.

[PushDaRock]

Mamu looks like his legs are gone. Stark contrast from the first month of the season when he was sprinting the court and finishing over and around guys at full speed.

I sincerely hope the FO doesn't think their job is done at C. Bamba was a token signing, but we need a big who can actually play 15-20 mins and not kill you. It's egregious that a quality team like this is being forced to play (again!) with no big man help for weeks at a time, especially given our lack of shot creators. This kind of group NEEDS a legit big man to carve out space for guys.

Mamu was coming off 14, 13, 13, 13 point games with a 24 and 18 point game a little before that. One bad game and his legs are gone now?

I mean, go back and watch him play a month ago. Pick any game. I'm not criticizing him. This is the biggest role of his career, and it's only natural he's hitting the wall a bit, especially after starting a bunch of games for us. Don't think it was an accident Darko brought him off the bench last night.

One game sample size to say he hit a wall seems a bit excessive

[HangTime]

We need to make a trade and fire Darko

The question is not if, but a when.

There were one hell of a lot of missed shots. Were they bad shots? I don't recall too many ill-advised shots, they just weren't falling in. Is that on the coach?

This team, for far too long, has gone away from quality centers. At one time we had Jonas and Jakob. Then we had Marc and Serge. Then, for quite a while, we had nothing. Now we have injured Jakob and shot in the dark Bamba.

Jonas is playing backup for f's sake. He looked pretty good out there for a backup role. Is roster construction on the coach?

JV does get to learn a thing or two from Jokic.


We've just had bad luck with centres, since trading Jakob to the Spurs, and JV to the Grizzlies.

I truly think Chomche was supposed to be the backup this season.

[VanWest82]

Mamu was coming off 14, 13, 13, 13 point games with a 24 and 18 point game a little before that. One bad game and his legs are gone now?

I mean, go back and watch him play a month ago. Pick any game. I'm not criticizing him. This is the biggest role of his career, and it's only natural he's hitting the wall a bit, especially after starting a bunch of games for us. Don't think it was an accident Darko brought him off the bench last night.

One game sample size to say he hit a wall seems a bit excessive

Why did he come off the bench and only play 12 mins in a game vs an actual big? It's a little suspicious.

I disagree that it's a one game sample size at this point. It looks like we tried to scale up his mins and he wore down a bit in the process.