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.
Toronto’s loss to Cleveland highlights how much guard play matters
Nov 24, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Toronto Raptors forward Jonathan Mogbo (2) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze/Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Each year, the modern NBA gets bigger. Huge dudes make the world go round for the league’s best teams. Without positional size and interior beef, you can probably put to bed any notions of playing in June. But if it’s a high floor you want, you’d better have some kick ass guard play.
Toronto learned this the hard way Sunday night. While the Cavs’ enviable ball-handling trio of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and the inexplicable Ty Jerome kept Cleveland steadily pouring in buckets throughout, the Raptors’ bottom fell out for a few stretches within an otherwise noble effort, and their guards — or straight up lack thereof — were largely the culprit.
Cleveland’s three ball-handlers combined for 68 points and 8 turnovers; Toronto’s traditional guards just 12 points and the same number of giveaways as the Cavs guys. Of course, Toronto only has two such players available right now — Davion Mitchell and Jamal Shead, both of whom have been relegated to bench duty as the Raptors have experimented with a bulky, guard-less starting five.
This was a game screaming for the injured Immanuel Quickley. RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes are doing their best, but their brand of bruising drives won’t do it against a team as big and menacing as the Cavs. Speed and stretch are huge assets against a team built like Cleveland. Quickley’s pull-up game would have done wonders helping to pry some size away from the paint, where the Raptors ran into trouble all night (50% shooting despite 42% of their attempts coming at the rim). Without IQ, Toronto too often got mired in trying to play the half court game with a team that’s simply a lot better at it than them — and everyone else, for that matter. Cleveland is the number one half court offense in the NBA by nearly 2.5 points/100 possessions per Cleaning the Glass. Without guard juice, Toronto never had a chance to win that fight.
Toronto’s best moments came from open court chaos on Sunday night, either attacking quickly in semi-transition as Gradey Dick, Jakob Poeltl and Ochai Agbaji each did in spots, or by forcing live-ball turnovers with their absolutely menacing transitional lineups featuring a heavy dose of Barnes, Shead and defensive phenom Jonathan Mogbo. In 10 minutes together, that trio went a +4, played a part in forcing six steals, and planted the seeds of some recurring nightmares for the guys they each guarded.
That’s the kind of thing that is gonna win the Raptors games, even without their best guard, against teams that don’t sport .900+ win percentages. But against this Cavs team, the margins are thin. Offensive micro-naps within the flow of 48 minutes like we saw in a stagnant first quarter, or the opening stretch of the fourth where the better D. Mitchell and Jerome went nuclear, just aren’t palatable without the creative guard power to punch back. Without a doubt, the current iteration of this team can hang with most opponents. But for Toronto to take aim at the truly elite, a healthy Quickley is a necessity.
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Today on the podcast, Vivek Jacob joins me to break down the Raptors’ 122-108 loss to Cleveland. See you after Raptors-Pistons tonight!
It was the three second violation heard round the world. Kidding, but it was strange enough that you looked to confirmation of what you were seeing to those around you, and/or rewatched the replay of it several times.
Posted up under the Raptors basket, Rudy Gobert had Scottie Barnes on his back in a mismatch and was calling to Julius Randle for the ball. Beyond the arc. Randle dribbled the ball, unhurried, as the shot clock ticked down. He’s eyeing the lane, would clearly prefer to drive, and even plants a foot to take off from when the whistle finally comes for Gobert, strolling out of the key nonchalantly, with all the urgency you’d approach a dental appointment.
Still frustrated, Gobert then needlessly hip-checked Barnes at the other end, sending him to the line and sending the Raptors up in the match and in momentum. Toronto won 110-105.
You can take your pick for what’s more worrisome, because the perspective shifts depending on the root of a few problems the Wolves face.
That Gobert opted to showboat his frustration is definitely the most obvious, in terms of visibility. It isn’t the first time he’s let his petulant side out on the floor. That Randle saw Gobert — impossible not to with his long arm up and waving — and chose to ignore him, dribbling the ball into oblivion instead, is another concern. The biggest question around the Randle and Karl-Anthony Towns trade was fit — for playing style and chemistry. A slight detail that nearly gets lost in the sequence is that Jaden McDaniels hustled for a really long rebound, swung it to Randle, and the urgency of that move was immediately sapped by what transpired.
Taken individually, these would be wrinkles for a working team to smooth by the next match. And yes, both Randle and Gobert addressed the sequence, with Randle prompting media to “name a perfect family” and Gobert saying “people think great teams are the teams where the sky is always blue”. Normally, I’d enjoy an athlete beginning with a euphemism, in this case, it feels like aversion.
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
Preview The Toronto Raptors face a tough week with matchups against the Pistons, Pelicans, and Heat. Discover what to expect in these upcoming games of the week. (Raptors HQ)
Watch Despite a valiant effort, the Raptors fell to Cleveland 122-108. Relive the highlights and key moments from the game against the Cavaliers. (Raptors HQ)
Preview The Toronto Raptors will face the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena at 7:00 PM ET. Read the preview.(NBA)
Legacy Nikola Jokic continues to redefine basketball creativity with his full-court swat attempt against the Lakers, nearly achieving an incredible buzzer-beater despite the constraints of the Trent Tucker rule. (CBS Sports)
Biz NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill discusses his investment in women’s sports and managing Team USA, highlighting his active retirement and commitment to sports development. (The Ringer NBA Show)
Rumor Western Conference coaches and executives are reportedly frustrated with the East’s playoff picture, suggesting a shift to a 1-16 seeding format to enhance fairness and competition. (Bleacher Report)
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Ja Morant Is Set To Return And Impact Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Nov 17, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) takes videos with his phone after the game against the Denver Nuggets at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas/Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
As we wrap up another thrilling week in the NBA, it’s time to reflect on the standout performances and crucial player updates that could impact your fantasy basketball strategy. With six games on the slate this past Sunday, there was no shortage of action and intrigue.
Player Updates and Injury News
One of the most significant updates this week involves Ja Morant, who has been upgraded to questionable. The Memphis Grizzlies have a consistent pattern of moving players from doubtful to questionable before they return to play, so Morant’s return seems imminent. Marcus Smart is also off the injury report, ready to make his comeback. However, the Grizzlies are still without Vince Williams Jr., who is sidelined for weeks, and Zach Edey.
In New Orleans, the return of key players is on the horizon. While Herb Jones remains out, Jordan Hawkins is back, and CJ McCollum is expected to play soon. Dejounte Murray has been upgraded to doubtful, indicating he might return later this week. These returns will undoubtedly shake up the rotations and fantasy implications for players like BJ Boston and ElfridPayton.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been idle since Wednesday, and Alex Caruso, who aggravated a hip injury, is out again. This extended absence is concerning for fantasy managers holding Caruso. Meanwhile, Ousmane Dieng’s fractured finger will keep him out for three to four weeks, opening up reserve minutes for Dillon Jones until Jaylin Williams returns.
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Raptors podcasts.
Monday — Raptors fall to Rockets for 7th-straight loss, but the sky ain’t falling Sean goes solo to talk about the Raptors’ 114-110 loss to Houston, Scottie Barnes’ recent struggles and why they’re probably nothing to be too alarmed about, Ja’Kobe Walter’s career-high and more!
Dec 17 — Raptors comeback vs. Chicago falls short; Jakob Poeltl hurt Sean and Vivek Jacob recap the Toronto Raptors 122-121 loss to the Chicago Bulls, discuss what Jakob Poeltl’s injury means and more.
Dec 16 — Raptors Trade Season Primer! Sean is joined by Joseph Casciaro (The Score) to preview the NBA’s trade season from the Raptors perspective, from Jakob Poeltl being too important to trade, to what the Raptors can get for their pending free agents and more!
