Raptors @ Pelicans, Nov. 27 Takeaways: Agbaji, Battle lead way to 1st road win

Barrett's playmaking and efficiency played a big part in the win as well

Eleventh time’s the charm. After starting out the season with a franchise-worst 0-10 road record, the Raptors finally broke through with a 119-93 drubbing of the Pelicans.

New Orleans were just as shorthanded as Toronto, missing Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Trey Murphy, though Dejounte Murray did return to the lineup after missing every game since the season opener on Oct. 23.

Trailing 40-34, the Raptors finished the first half with some exhilarating play that resulted in a game breaking 22-6 run and a 10-point lead to carry into the break. From there, Toronto used the momentum to completely obliterate New Orleans in the third quarter and went up by as many as 30.

Here are the game’s takeaways:

Agbaji bounces back

Darko Rajakovic didn’t mince his words when asked about Ochai Agbaji’s struggles against Detroit.

“He needs to be better, simple as that,” Rajakovic said. “Both ends of the floor, he needs to be better. He needs to bring more effort. When you spend 23 minutes on the court and end up with one rebound, that’s not good enough.”

Agbaji received the message loud and clear, racking up 24 points on 9-of-10 shooting including 6-of-7 from beyond the arc while also adding six boards, two assists, a steal, and a block.

How does one manage such an efficient night? All seven of Agbaji’s 3-point attempts were catch-and-shoots (shoots 44.4% on C&S vs. 28.6% on pull-ups), while all three of his 2-pointers were transition layups. Impressively, three of Agbaji’s 3-pointers were non-corner attempts, from where he shot 25% entering Wednesday night’s action.

A hot night shooting the ball is one thing, what was really important for Agbaji was to make a big impact on the defensive end especially when matched up against Dejounte Murray. Below are some clips of the terrific defence, and that has to be a constant regardless of whether Agbaji’s shot is falling or not.

Removing Davion Mitchell from the starting lineup probably helped simplify the playmaking responsibilities between Scottie Barnes and R.J. Barrett, and Agbaji seemed to thrive off it. Gradey Dick’s absence definitely hurt Agbaji against the Pistons, and so the change in lineup to a more dynamic offensive option worked wonders at least on this night.

Walter’s first start

This was the surprise of the night. Having arrived in Detroit too late to be involved in proceedings after spending time with the Raptors 905, Ja’Kobe Walter was handed his first NBA start in place of Mitchell.

You can’t argue the kid doesn’t have stage presence as Walter knocked down a 3-pointer to open proceedings for the Raptors before finishing the night with 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and two steals. He missed all but one of his eight 3-point attempts after his opening triple, but that was the only blemish on an otherwise strong performance.

The highlight of the night was his second bucket, running the floor in transition to catch a Barnes no-look lob from the left side of the basket and finish with an up-and-under while getting fouled. Half Michael Jordan, half Kobe Bryant indeed.

While the game was already a blowout in the fourth quarter, it was good to see Rajakovic have Walter in the game and give him an opportunity to make some plays. Walter was able to finish a couple opportunities for himself but also created some good looks for teammates, showing his ability to make the right read.

It remains to be seen how much time Dick will miss with what the Raptors have listed as a calf contusion, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Walter get another start against Miami on Friday to close out the road trip.

Battle in a rhythm

Leaned on in a big way against Detroit and delivering, Rajakovic entrusted Jamison Battle with minutes again in New Orleans and reaped the rewards.

Battle finished with 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting including 6-of-8 from deep with that silky smooth lefty stroke. He becomes a virtual necessity in the absence Quickley, Dick, and Olynyk as the Raptors search for resources that can provide 3-pointers at volume.

“Coming off the bench, you have to bring a spark and you have to bring something,” Battle said after the game. “That’s what my mentality is but I think that’s what everyone’s mentality is.”

On the season, Battle’s productivity has been a bit up and down after a hot start, and that’s par for the course with any rookie let alone one whose minutes aren’t guaranteed. His approach hasn’t changed and that’s healthy to see. While the jumper will be his money maker, what’s intriguing about Battle is that he also falls into that “not just a shooter” category with his nose for the ball on the glass, and he can find the open man every once in a while, too.

Barrett’s playmaking comes up huge

No one was finding the open man more than Barrett on this night. There were some absolute dimes from the Sauga man on Wednesday night and, naturally, it always helps when teammates are knocking down their open looks.

What stood out in this game was that of Barrett’s 11 assists, 10 were either threes, layups, and dunks. Even if he’s not taking the most efficient looks, it’s great that he’s setting up his teammates for great shots.

There’s been a lot of inconsistency in terms of who Barrett has shared the court with of late, and that’s certainly a factor in some of the inconsistency we’ve seen as far as his efficiency goes. Over the last six games, Barrett has had three games where he’s shot a combined 31-for-50 (62%) and in the other three games he’s shot a combined 23-for-64 (35.9%).

Some of it absolutely comes down to some bad decision-making as well in terms of shot selection, and that’s something he’s going to have to look in the mirror at some point and acknowledge to maximize his potential.

Notes

• Barrett took a hard fall on a drive in the second half but, after looking in discomfort initially, continued to play.

• Barnes quietly struggled with his own offence in this one, shooting just 7-of-23 from the field including 2-of-12 from deep.

• There are no NBA games on Thursday, Nov. 28 owing to American Thanksgiving.

• Toronto’s next game is against the Heat in Miami on Friday night.