Prevailing Through Injuries | Raptors Today – Jan 31, 2024
Basketball fans welcome inter Raptors today the kids have taken over the station you got a keil Austine Javon Shephard and Warren Ward replacing the old guys let’s jump right into it first and foremost Toronto Raptors beat the Chicago Bulls in a game where things looked scary in the first half mainly
Because of the Raptors lack of size Porter out once again uh Javon let’s start with you whatjust M did the Raptors make was it tactical was it effort because the second half looked significantly different from the first half well seeing as though the theme is
Going with the young guys right it is it is no I I would say you know that game was impressive because you know the team had all reason to just pack it in right you’re underman you’re down 16 and I really thought you had a collective
Effort from this group and you you had them improve from the game against Atlanta right we’re boxing out and um fourth quarter execution fourth quarter EX ution offensive rebounds really killed them but yesterday you know they they controlled the boards right um they had an advantage on the offensive boards
But they also turned Chicago over 20 times which led to 30 they converted on the other end 30 points uh then shot the basketball well really moved the basketball I believe it was 34 assists on I believe 43 made field uh made field goals so there was a balance of the
Defensive effort which led to some conversion they got out and ran the basketball but they shot the ball well but because they were also moving it and finding and that’s been darko’s theme that’s been darko’s like identity so far with this team is just moving the basketball but to see how resilient they
Were and that they were underman that you know guys came up they stepped up and obviously it’s it’s tough times like it’s interesting times right now because you’re heading into trade deadline everybody’s playing and want making sure their stock is up um but also you know
Wara but he’s he’s been a surprise we’ll get to him let’s get warn in here cuz there’s there’s no Barrett there’s no quickly there’s no purle like there hasn’t been for a long time and we’re kind of worried because vvi had his way with this Raptor Squad but they found a
Way to kind of negate what he could do yeah well listen like the team is small you know and that’s that’s a fact and you know there’s so much that you can do against size but what I like is the Raptors finish their free throws right
They shot 18 for 20 from the line so that’s number one like you’re you’re controlling all the things that that you can actually control so that was step in the right direction also how many changes has this team gone through in the season I actually think it’s impressive that they can come out
And compete every night and win a game in Chicago after losing you know what I mean to Atlanta with all the changes this has been the first year I think I’ve been a part of the Raptors that we’ve seen two star players get traded we’ve seen a multitude of starting
Lineups we’ve seen you know like injuries happen you’ve seen you’ve seen so many different like like I would have never thought I would see stadius young starting at Center I would have never thought I would have seen that for the Raptors and for them to be like competitive every night against teams
That have full lineups have the size it’s actually kind of impressive so you kind of have to negate a bit of the things that they’re not doing well and look at the overall fact that like yaka purle showing his value now and and you’re seeing that and and for them to
Gut out that win it it’s it’s impressive they’re being coached up and let’s talk about a guy that um came in in one of those Superstar trades Pascal out three picks but Bruce Brown comes in and we’re used to seeing Bruce Brown as an ancillary complimentary player to
Superstars right when we talk about his time in Brooklyn his time in Denver um and was this the quintessential Bruce Brown game Warren because he was needed he was necessary and he was put in a position where he kind of had to times lead this group and find offense for
Them yeah no I mean he’s someone who can do a little bit of everything and like I always say players don’t practice to be a guy like him like everyone everyone practices to be Steph Curry but these are the kind of players that have 10 12
15E careers because he can do a little bit of everything and we saw that on display yesterday like that’s a 6’4 guy setting a screen and he’s being guarded by a center and goes to the basket like it’s impressive to see what he’s able to do that’s why he’s so valuable to teams
Around the league because he’s like a jack of all trades and those guys are hard to come by that’s a skill what he does doing a little bit of everything that’s a real skill especially with Messiah putting the league on notice the Raptors still open to talk and Bruce
Brown’s out there auditioning right yeah well you look at what he did right there and Warren you touched on as well 19.7 rebounds but if I ask you what Bruce Brown does well nobody knows right the the one thing is he competes he plays hard and because of that like it
Permeates throughout his team elevates everybody else’s game but he he just hustles you watch him on the court and sometimes you you have to chuckle because all you see is his feet like just scurrying like everywhere on the court like where where are you going but
He finds his way he has a knack for the basket um he sets tremendous screens and we we often think he’s bigger we underestimate how small he actually is he’s really only 6’4 at best at at best 6’4 and we’re talking about in shoes right with ext 68
69 screens big time he rebounds outside of his area and I I think he just enjoys that part of the game doing all the intangibles and it is a skill right it’s he’s a unicorn in that you know he doesn’t need the basketball to impact the game he doesn’t want the basketball
But he’s going to find his way around the ball all right now I talked to Ashley and Jonesy about this but I haven’t gotten you guys Impressions cuz I was waiting for some extended run for for for wara and it finally came the last two games super impressive Shep
I’ll start with you um he’s going to put some pressure on Darko when this team is fully healthy cuz I think he’s he’s he’s set up an argument he needs minutes well he’s he’s a bucket yeah that snatchback three he had yeah um but you know just in talking to him
As well I think PE the part about him that people don’t realize is he’s from Buffalo right so the right down the street raptors have been you know the team he grew up watching 2019 he actually came here he was in high school he actually came to the parade and was a
Part of that so I think for him right now he’s also living his dreams not just RJ playing for his home team WS playing for his home team but I just like every time he touches the basketball he puts pressure on the defense right he’s always thinking okay go another
Similarity to RJ yeah and he’s one of those guys as a coach you don’t have to like tell him we need you to play hard we got to Kickstart you don’t have to turn that switch on you got to kind of tell him at times especially when your
Rosters together completely you got to pull it back a bit need you we need you to slow it down the lights yellow not green so but those guys I mean they’re always going to be a threat in a game when you’re underand like this he can
Also win you a game by himself right and I think he’s somebody that you really have to look at and just hey he’s he’s still young like what is his ceiling really going to be like yeah he fits that 69ine operation that we’re running 69ine bucket yeah with some shoulders
With some shoulders well listen he’s a fouryear pro I mean he’s he’s Messi found another ready-made guy who was looking for an opportunity and he’s relishing in it so you know it’s it’s a small sample size but so far so good the man I mentioned he’s putting the
Pressure on his Darko let’s check in with Coach Darko right now have come through five tough losses like getting a win sort of Gets In Their Heads you got the about it yesterday a little bit like showing a a a tangible result for playing for sure um I mean I really have
To give a lot of credit to to our group of guys they really work hard they’re really into dissecting the film and and getting better we lost five games but we were in all of those games we were like you know in games and it was a couple of
Possessions that decided uh one way or the other you know you know so um keeping up their Spirits building those guys up uh you know and next next man up mentality you know tonight Ted Young with 16 points six assists and six rebounds like you know we got to
Recognize that and uh Gary of the you know started the game really well shoot the ball really well you know a lot of guys really contributed um I was happy with with u Jaylen McDaniel’s minutes there as well of the bench as well as Jordan Noir Plus in the game we lost uh
JN Porter with with some um lower back pain so um so he was not able to to come back and finish the game you guys were still able to get a fair fair bit of offense in the paint what was working for you there I saw Fair number of inter
Your passes but what was kind of key for a small team to score at The Rim Yeah we we were really looking uh to to tag certain matchups so we can attack the the paint uh obviously we have uh players um in Scott in Dennis that that
It can touch the paint uh you know on a will uh we were able to to get 20 times to the free throw line as well made our free throws tonight and uh you know when we move the ball and they find open shots like that touching the paint they
Actually open opens up shots for us you know so multiple actions multiple back door Cuts because they were trying to go and blow up all of those dhos and off ball screens and we kept talking about cutting and cutting and cutting that is going to create off for us thanks for
Watching the Toronto Raptor YouTube channel check out our latest videos and subscribe for More Trent answers back Gary side step break got it
Missing three starters, the Toronto Raptors pulled off the win against the Chicago Bulls. Akil Augustine, Jevohn Shepherd and Warren Ward look back on the game and give us their thoughts!
0:00 Introduction
0:35 Tale of Two Halves
2:00 Raptors Strengths
3:22 Bruce Brown
5:35 Jordan Nwora
7:28 Darko Rajakovic
9:30 Thanks for Watching!
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