Sean Woodley here, the host of the daily Locked On Raptors podcast, with your daily Locked On Raptors newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Raptors and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
Architects Beware: These Raptors are a team to run through walls for
Nov 4, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Gradey Dick (1) blocks the shot of Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson (8) in the second quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images|Isaiah J. Downing/Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Once again, the Toronto Raptors were right there on Monday night. Lungs screaming at altitude, their only hope of slowing the best player alive fouled out, and down their two lead creators, this team of lunatic tryhards came just a half cup shy of a buzzer-beating win in Denver on Monday night. RJ Barrett’s would-be winner was down, then it wasn’t.
He said a week ago, after a similar shot against the same opponent, that he’d take that shot again, because “that’s who RJ Barrett is.” He wasn’t kidding.
Eventually for RJ, and for these Raptors, the coin flips will even out. They’re too close, too spunky, and maybe just too damn talented to keep coming up on the short end, especially once some of their walking wounded start to return.
The work Barrett and Gradey Dick in particular have done this past week in Scottie Barnes’ absence could be legitimately trajectory-altering for the franchise. Barrett, though he struggled shooting against ratcheted up attention from the Nuggets on Monday, has shown that at minimum he’s got the secondary creation juice to help vary the attack and support the big guns once Barnes and Immanuel Quickley re-assume their roles. Some of the reads he made out of wildly aggressive Nuggets traps and double-teams were downright gorgeous, and there seems to be an achievable happy medium between the largely off-ball play finisher he was last year, and the probing, calculated pick-and-roll operator he’s had to be these last four games.
Dick, meanwhile, is on his way to being one the greatest bang for your buck players in all of basketball, both for paying spectators and a Raptors team in need of some rookie scale guys that truly pop. He’s a laser show, the bright lights of his incredulous shot-making repertoire dancing across every inch of the half court, and now even crossing over to the other end of the floor. The second quarter stretch where he served the Nuggets a piping hot course of Dick Two-Ways might have earnestly launched him into the national consciousness.
Neither Barrett nor Dick was totally equipped for closing time. The Nuggets sold their defensive soul to get the ball out of both their hands in crunch time, and were rewarded with a slew of stops and turnovers that gave them just enough margin to hang on. But that’s OK. Dick is 20. Even the best don’t master trial by fire on the first attempt. Same goes for Barrett, never before tasked with this level of offensive burden. Only good can come from this period of over-extension.
You can feel something with this team. They’re connected. They play for each other. They’re making incremental and in some cases gigantic strides seemingly by the game. Save for the opener against Cleveland, every game has left those watching buzzing with anticipation for the next.
They will eventually need their two big guns back if they want to truly string together a mid-season run up the shambolic Eastern Conference standings. But in the meantime, there’s no way a team playing with this much soul doesn’t tread water and earn some results.
This is a team that rewards you for watching, that affirms the choice to trade sleep for hoops when those dreaded 10pm tips near. This is as fun as 2-6 gets, and this inspired group is just scratching the surface.
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Today on the podcast I go deeper on the 121-119 loss to the Nuggets, Gradey Dick & RJ Barrett, the best defensive half the team’s played all year and more. Enjoy the show!
Here’s something I love: The Detroit Pistons with a win record of 3-5, better than the combined record of the Bucks and the Sixers. Given Detroit’s slow start to the season, and that lopsided match against the Knicks last Friday, I thought we were in for another season where the best the Pistons could hope for was besting their last season record of 14-68.
Yes, there could still be a slump; yes, the play-in still feels like an aspirational goal for this team, but neither of those outcomes takes away from the truth of the matter which is, the league is better when the Pistons are competitive.
This is a franchise with a proud, hard-fought history, a winning history, and one that’s been hard to see these last few seasons under the tarnish of poor decision making and ill-timed coaching fits. Going back to Cade Cunningham’s rookie season, coached by Dwane Casey, that team and the iterations that followed were too good to be as bad as they appeared. Casey — who transitioned into a front office role with the team last season —is a great coach, if a touch old fashioned. Admittedly, I miss being more proximal to him for the Casey-isms alone he’d offer, e.g. More than one way to skin a cat. A front office, mentorship-driven fit was always the goal of Casey even as head coach, given the rebuilding stage the team was in and how in two years its median age of players dipped to one of the youngest in the league.
Skip to last season, Monty Williams’ brief tenure and that dismal aforementioned season record, and rather than treat it as an unfortunate blip, the Pistons young talent took it as a lesson. Cade is in his fourth season and has lost more than any of his five draft contemporaries he was in the running for Rookie of the Year with. Scottie Barnes, Evan Mobley, Jalen Green, Franz Wagner — these guys have certainly seen slumps, the nature of the Draft dictates likely being drafted to a struggling or rebuilding team, but they’ve also had their share of successes. Enough to keep them growing and developing. Cade has, in almost every way, had to take it upon himself to sift the lessons from the seasonal wreckage and keep his hope alive. That takes an incredible amount of discipline and fortitude.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Home and Away
Injury
Scottie Barnes avoids surgery, delivering a boost to the Raptors’ lineup amidst injury concerns. (Sports Illustrated)
Fans
Lou Williams shares insights on a past fight involving Drake and DeMar DeRozan, recalling his Raptors days. (Sports Illustrated)
Feel Good
The Pistons had to take the subway to their game in Brooklyn because of the NYC marathon (ESPN)
Is It Truly A Zach Edey Fantasy Basketball Breakout?
Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) drives to the basket against Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey (14) and forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) and guard Scotty Pippen Jr. (1) during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center.|Photo by Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Monday’s NBA action was packed with thrilling games and standout performances, offering plenty of insights for fantasy basketball enthusiasts. Here’s a breakdown of some of the key matchups and player performances that could impact your fantasy strategy.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Bucks faced off against the Cavaliers in a closely contested game, with Cleveland edging out Milwaukee 116-114. Giannis Antetokounmpo was sidelined with an adductor issue, which opened the door for Bobby Portis to shine. Portis delivered an impressive 21 points, 18 rebounds, and three blocks, showcasing his potential when given extended minutes. Damian Lillard also had a strong outing with 36 points and seven assists, while Brook Lopez contributed defensively with four steals and two blocks.
Golden State Warriors vs. Washington Wizards
The Warriors secured a road victory against the Wizards, 125-112. Stephen Curry returned to action, scoring 24 points in limited minutes. Buddy Hield continued his hot streak with 20 points, but his current shooting efficiency may not be sustainable. For the Wizards, Jordan Poole put up 24 points, but his high block and steal numbers suggest a potential sell-high opportunity.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons
The Pistons pulled off a win against the Lakers, 115-103. LeBron James and Anthony Davis both had strong performances, with Davis scoring 37 points despite an ankle injury scare. Jaden Ivey impressed for Detroit, solidifying his status as a must-roster player with his improved play this season.
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Raptors podcasts.
Monday — Recapping Vince Carter’s retirement ceremony and a weekend split vs. the Lakers & Kings Sean is joined by Vivek Jacob to talk about RJ Barrett and Gradey Dick putting the Raptors on their backs against the Lakers and Kings, the beautiful Vince Carter retirement ceremony and more.
Friday — Toxic Positivity Friday! Mogbo’s stealth ROY path, IQ’s impending return & LeBrono: Good Actually? Sean goes solo for the second edition of Toxic Positivity Friday, where we put up the blinders to all the bad in Raptors basketball and focus only on the good. Jonathan Mogbo’s hot start, Immanuel Quickley’s impending return & some reflections on LeBron James’ relationship with the Raptors all included!
Thursday — Raptors fall to Hornets 138-133; Gradey Dick drops a career-high 30 Sean goes solo to break down the Raptors’ wildly entertaining loss to Charlotte on Wednesday night where the Raptors began life without Scottie Barnes in pretty encouraging fashion all things considered.
