Raptors a defensive juggernaut despite lowly record

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In 20 games below 0.500, teams are usually not close to passing in defense, but this year’s Toronto Raptors are an exception.

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The victory was won on Friday with the Charlotte Hornets and despite having exhausted the already bad Hornets, the team improved the Charlotte Hornets’ victory by 27-47.

Toronto entered the NBA’s 16th night with defensive efficiency (scoring per 100 games allowed). Even more impressive, Toronto has been the best defensive team in the league, and yes, it’s not a Toronto coincidence in those games in 18 games since Friday’s All-Star Game. 500.

Head coach Darko Rajakovic was asked about the turnaround (Toronto ranked 26th in 55 games before the break, although it has been steadily rising since January).

“We’ve done a lot of work since training camp started to develop habits. We’re trying to execute all these different programs, different from the daily NBA engagement and really trying to maximize the potential of every player on the defensive end,” Rajakovic said. “We’re trying to make people very active. We’re trying to get opponents to play on their heels. We always want to be in attack mode. To develop these habits, this doesn’t happen overnight. So, a lot of work, a lot of work, a lot of impact on the rocks. Then we can finally see the product of this work.”

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Jakob Poetl, who is in line with his coach, noted that the team played an unconventional defense that took a while to learn.

“In the beginning, you won’t be on the same page as you did before, especially for those around you. You’ll make mistakes because you’re not used to being in those positions, but the idea is that you’ve done it long enough that we’re really comfortable and then we can put the team in a uncomfortable situation, which I think has started to show up,” Poeltl said. “It’s great for us to be able to put a lot of pressure on men and force them to make mistakes. This moves us forward, which makes us run on the offense. ”

Toronto has kept his opponent at a low effective shot rate (only Cleveland has been more stinging since the break), by making a lot of defensive rebounds, by defending the rebounds, and keeping his opponent trying 33% with three-pointers since the All-Star break.

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Scottie Barnes and Poeltl led the charge. If the Raptors have better records, both have a strong full-defensive team consideration. Barnes has always been a monster, and Poltel has always been a stable force.

Rajakovic was also asked why he sometimes maintains confidence in his team when defending earlier.

He said: “Twenty-nine years of coach. I’ve seen it before. Things (don’t) happen overnight. I don’t believe in instant gratification. I don’t live in that world.”

“I live in a hard work, dedication, and indeed a commitment to principles in my career, and I have seen it work for me. I have seen it work for many other coaches. And, every time I try to get the program over-completed and simplify it into a program, it’s a shortcut, it’s a shortcut. For a long time, I’ve thought it was a shortcut, without success.”

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It will be fun to see how Brandon Ingram fits into everything next season. His length and athleticism can be a passable defender, but never excels on that end. That said, RJ Barrett has a worse reputation on defense, but has performed much better this season as his level of effort improves, especially in the past few months.

Grizzly bear shocked

Memphis fired head coach Taylor Jenkins last Friday since the Luka Doncic trade, perhaps the biggest NBA surprise. The team ranked fourth in the West and second in the conference two years ago. Jenkins has had a lot of success in his six years with the team, even though star player JA Morant and others were frequently injured.

The team has been struggling lately, especially on the defensive end, but the move with only nine games left this season is still shocking, especially against Rajakovic, who has been intimate with Jenkins, who served as top assistant for three years at Memphis.

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“It’s not surprising to me. It’s shocking news for me,” Rajakovic said. “I didn’t see that. We’re close. I know Taylor is a man. I know Taylor is a coach. He’s the first lesson of everything he does. Unfortunately, that’s business, that’s the life of the coach. I’m from another system. I’m from Europe. I’m from Europe. In Europe, we have two types of coaches – those who get fired and those who get fired.

“What I know, what I can tell you is that Taylor will be good. He will be in a good position. I’m sure there are a lot of teams who would love to see that guy coach their franchise. He was the first lesson in everything he did and I wish him all the best.”

At this point in a season, it was very rare for a coach to have a competitive team to be let go.

The surrounding rims

Charlotte’s losses have made the Hornets the third team the Raptors can no longer end. Even if the Hornets won every game, Toronto lost all games, and in the worst case they would tie with 27 wins and 55 losses… Jamal Shead was third out of all rookies per assist, seventh in steals in a matter of minutes, with seventh in seventh in seventh. Shead is also fourth in all NBA reserves for assists.

@wolstatsun

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