Raptors See the Importance of Depth in Loss to Kevin Durant & the Brooklyn Nets

The shorthanded Toronto Raptors hung around with the Brooklyn Nets for a little while but Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving prove far too much to handle

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

It's hard to see Kevin Durant playing in Toronto and not think about the possibilities.

He's simply magical. Even at 34 years old, the Brooklyn Nets superstar remains exactly that, a superstar, at the very top of his game and a threat from everywhere on the court. Even on a relatively quiet offensive night, his mere presence on the court wreaks havoc for hyper-aggressive defensive schemes like Toronto's. It's what opens everything else up for Brooklyn, creating opportunities for everyone else.

On the Raptors, like virtually every team, Durant would solve so many problems. The issue is the cost and as Wednesday's 112-98 loss to the Nets showed, Durant can't do it on his own.

Take the first half of Wednesday's game night, for example. The Nets cruised to a 15-point lead in the first quarter while shooting 71% from the floor all with Durant on the floor. That lead, though, vanished completely in the second quarter with Durant on the bench, as Toronto came storming back on an 18-2 run. 

It wasn't even that Toronto played so well in the quarter. Gary Trent Jr. broke loose for a trio of jumpers, briefly breaking out of his shooting funk for 12 of his 19 points on the night in the second quarter. The bigger reason was the Nets' lack of offense without Durant. They mustered just 6-for-18 shooting in the frame with one three-pointer, fumbling away their lead with their superstar on the bench.

For the Raptors, the past few injury-plagued games have shown not only how important depth is these days but exactly how talented Toronto's bench truly is. It's not bad, certainly not as bad as last year's, and nowhere close to the drek that hit the court in Tampa. But it's not a roster bursting with talent.

Malachi Flynn struggled as Toronto's primary point guard, stepping in fill the voids left by Fred VanVleet, Scottie Barnes, and Dalano Banton. He nailed a pair of three-pointers to open the game, including one a fallaway over Kevin Durant. But after that, there wasn't much else.

Thad Young once again was the star that shined brightest for Toronto. As VanVleet put it earlier in the week, Young has been the Raptors' most valuable player as they wade through these injuries and Wednesday was no different. He finished the night with 12 points and eight rebounds, two shy of his first double-double of the year.

"He's been good. I think that [he] just kind of continues to do the same thing, you know, eight or 10, 12 shots, shoots a pretty high percentage, gets a solid number rebounds, is doing a good job leadership wise too. He's good in the huddles and he's trying to keep those guys going," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "He's been a true pro."

The problem for Toronto was Durant and Kyrie Irving came right back in the third quarter, playing every minute of the frame and sticking the Nets back to a double-digit lead. Irving nailed a trio of three-pointers by Durant's side, scoring 19 of his game-high 29 points in the frame. Durant, meanwhile, finished with just 12 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, but was plus-30 in 33 minutes. The Nets, therefore, were minus-16 in the 15 minutes he sat.

"He's always been a guy that makes the right play," Nurse said of Durant. "When we send schemes at him, when he shakes loose [of a] one on one, he usually shoots it and if he's double-teamed, he gets off it. That's what he did tonight."

For the Raptors, any attempt to acquire that kind of player is going to cost a ton. Virtually any trade involving the Raptors and Durant has to include Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, or O.G. Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. if only to meet the financial requirements of acquiring Durant's $44.1 million contract for this season. That's just the start, though. From there, Toronto would have to start adding contracts from Thad Young and Otto Porter Jr. on the higher end to Khem Birch at a lower value. 

That's where things get complicated. Durant is a ceiling raiser, there is no doubt about that, but let's not forget he has two championships in his career, both with possibly the greatest supporting cast in NBA history. It's not as simple as throwing Durant on the court and suddenly you're a championship squad.

The Raptors are building something right now. When they're healthy with Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, VanVleet, Trent, and Anunoby on the court, they're a very good team. But this isn't 2018 when Toronto traded for Kawhi Leonard. The price for Durant is going to be much higher and Toronto's roster isn't built to withstand that ask.

Injury Updates

Nurse sounded terrible after the game either from yelling all evening or from whatever sickness is playing the team.

As for the rest of the team, it sounds like VanVleet is sick again with a non-COVID illness. He was healthy enough to play in a couple of games after recovering from his last bout with this virus, but is sick again, Nurse said.

Up Next: Dallas Mavericks

The Raptors will have two days off to get healthy before returning to Scotiabank Arena on Saturday evening to take on Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks at 5 p.m. ET.