2024-25 Preseason: Raptors @ Wizards takeaways
This was a game that no one will want to write home about, pre-season at its finest
Erase the tapes, the Wizards beat the Raptors 113-95 on Friday night in Washington.
Toronto started strong leading 11-2 but a lot of sloppiness and some hot outside shooting for Washington (plus-30 at the three-point line) had the Wizards up one by halftime, then by three after three quarters, before both teams pretty much emptied the benches and Washington took the fourth quarter by 15.
Boston is up next on Sunday. Happy Thanksgiving!
PRE-SEASON VIBES IN FULL EFFECT
Before we get into any specifics, I have to touch on how difficult a watch this was. Both the Raptors and Wizards were at their sloppy worst, the first six minutes providing 13 combined turnovers, 0-for-8 shooting from three, and Washington going 3-for-7 at the free-throw line including Kyle Kuzma shooting an air-ball at the charity stripe.
Toronto also committed nine fouls in the first 10 minutes including three by Barnes in the first four minutes that forced him out of the game. The game ended with a combined 43 turnovers, 57 fouls, and 19 missed free throws.
BARNES PROVIDES FUN GLIMPSES
Minus the early turnovers (four in the first four minutes) and foul trouble (three in the first quarter), Scottie Barnes looked pretty good. He had some good moments going bully ball mode and the drive game seemed there for him whenever he wanted it.
Barnes did miss all five of his three-point attempts and that will obviously be a big thing to monitor this season. When speaking with media previously, he did say he feels good about how his shot is coming along.
“I feel like I’ve been shooting the ball really well,” Barnes told Sportsnet’s Michael Grange. “It feels great, it feels comfortable when I’m shooting it out there each and every single day. It’s just about preparation every time I step into the shot.”
Defensively, Barnes primary assignment was Kyle Kuzma — who RJ Barrett guarded in the first game — and the one area I felt he struggled with was screen navigation as Kuzma curled off the corner. He was fine guarding straight up and communicated well, switching effectively and getting in passing lanes for deflections and steals really well.
If you’re wondering why he didn’t have his usual assist tally, look to the foul trouble early and the fact that he was very much a primary scorer in the third quarter whether it be getting out in transition or feeding off Davion Mitchell and Jakob Poeltl’s playmaking.
BOUCHER HUSTLE IN FULL FLOW
Chris Boucher’s energy off the bench was much needed in a game like this. He was all over the offensive glass and, along with some nice finishes around the basket, knocked down the Raptors’ first triple of the game after the team missed its opening nine attempts.
Boucher finished with 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting including three triples and seven rebounds in 16 minutes. After being left out of the rotation for much of last season, it looks like he’s found his niche in Darko Rajakovic’s system and he definitely has a case for a rotation spot at least to start the season.
Shead spoke of how internal competition against Immanuel Quickley and Davion Mitchell is helping him improve and there’s no reason why Boucher can’t be used as someone to inspire hustle and intensity if he’s also fitting into Rajakovic’s style of play. No harm in pushing the younger players at his position to compete for minutes early on in the season, either.
POELTL READY FOR SEASON TO BEGIN
He was a part of the early turnover sins but other than that Jakob Poeltl has looked very good through two games. The fact that he hasn’t even played with Immanuel Quickley yet — who he already exhibited strong chemsitry with last season — bodes well for his start to the season.
A centre like Poeltl is so important to what Rajakovic wants to do on on the offensive end, and his ability to playmake from the top of the key and the elbows is going to have a huge say in the offensive success of the team.
We know what he brings to the table defensively and he must be pretty thrilled to have better perimeter defenders on the roster who will make his life that much easier on the backline.
MITCHELL PLAYMAKING COMING ALONG
Knowing how well Mitchell can defend the perimeter, the biggest tests for him this upcoming season are showing progression with his playmaking and three-point shot.
Through two games, the playmaking has looked quite solid, especially when Mitchell is able to attack the right side of the floor and use his strong hand to swing the ball over to the weakside corner or the roller.
Notes
If it isn’t a dunk, it isn’t going in is the early impression I get of Bruno Fernando on the offensive end. He was 2-for-9 on the night.
After going 0-for-4 from deep a game ago, Gradey Dick knocked down two of his five 3-point attempts in this one.
There were some interesting minutes for both D.J. Carton and Jamal Shead on the court together, both continuing to look like they can contribute. Shead-Carton-Mogbo-Boucher-Fernando was one of the funkiest lineups of the night.
News
Danny Green officially announced his retirement from the NBA on Thursday.
He hit 198 threes in the 2018-19 regular season as a member of the Raptors, the highlight coming when he nailed eight 3-pointers against the Grizzlies including seven in the third quarter alone. His seventh had the crowd erupting with “Danny! Danny!” chants.
Let’s make this a countdown of his top three regular season moments as a Raptor. On Nov. 20, 2018, Green hit a game-winner on the road against the Orlando Magic from the left baseline:
Finally, if there was an early sign to announce the Raptors’ acquisition of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green was a game changer, look no further than this double-block by the duo on Jayson Tatum when the Raptors beat the Celtics in the opening week of the season:
Green wasn’t at the same level in the playoffs but he was still an important contributor. Most signficantly, after the Warriors tied the Finals at one game apiece, Green erupted for six threes (the final one earning a vintage Mike Breen ‘Bang!’ at Oracle Arena in a crucial Game 3 victory to help the Raptors regain momentum in the series.
It will always be funny just how long Green had to wait to receive his championship ring because of the pandemic and then him changing teams and missing the game in Toronto. It also speaks volumes of how much he appreciates the city and the fans that he wanted to receive it when he returned for a game instead of just having it sent to him.
On a personal note, Green was an amazing player to cover from a media perspective and extremely gracious with his time.
Green will go down as one of best role players of his generation with three titles to his name during his time with the Spurs, Raptors, and Lakers. He is synonymous with the term 3-and-D.