Raptors Remain Focused on Development as Warriors Show Lots of Work Still to be Done

The Toronto Raptors continued to struggle with defensive rotations allowing Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins take advantage for the Golden State Warriors

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

OK, the hyper-aggressive defense isn't working right now for the Toronto Raptors.

It's not that it won't work, it's just not working now, at least not against the NBA's best as the Raptors found out again Sunday night in a 119-104 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

The formula has become too simple: Drive to the rim or come off a screen, get the Raptors scrambling, wait for confusion to ensue, and then find the open man. It's a game plan that's been executed flawlessly by Toronto's opponents as of late. But, for now, the Raptors will live with it.

"We’re making some progress," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said pre-game "Some of the things we had on command aren’t quite there but we’re getting there. ... I think everyone understands, from me to the team that there is a process of getting some of this stuff figured out. We've still got to teach it and if it’s not quite right we got to teach in again and try to polish it up as much as we can."

That process is why Toronto isn't just giving up on its defensive strategy. It's why the Raptors continued sending two to the ball, trapping Steph Curry, and trying to wreak havoc all while the Warriors racked up assists like a well-oiled machine. Sure, Curry was held to just 12 points on 2-for-10 shooting  — credit to Fred VanVleet — but Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins lit up the scoreboard for 33 and 32 points, respectively, taking advantage of Toronto's miscommunication and chaotic rotations. The Warriors as a team tallied up 22 three-pointers, shooting 49% from behind the arc. 

"I think a couple of times we were slow getting out there when we probably should have anticipated getting out there a little sooner," Nurse said. "Then a couple of times, I thought we ran them off unnecessarily. We were there too soon and we ran right past them when we probably could have sat right down and guarded them.

"I thought we did a great job on Curry I think our rotations, we need to look at them, but I think we’re making some progress on some of this stuff as far as some of the things we want to do."

Sunday night showed just how far the Raptors are from being title contenders. The Warriors jumped by 20 in the first quarter and never really looked back. But the Raptors are learning, or at least that's the hope, and when it does come together, if it does, Toronto should have the kind of versatile, lockdown defense that spurred Golden State on to its dynastic run.

"The experience but the reps need to be there. They need to get the feel of how fast the ball’s moving out of some of those double teams," Nurse said.

Barnes Nails 3s on Off Night

Scottie Barnes nailed a pair of three-pointers, heeding Nurse's advice to take more threes to get a feel for the shot. While things haven't been great for Barnes lately, at least not compared to his incredible first seven games, but his ability and willingness to take shots from behind the arc is an important next step in his development.

He's now played 558 minutes this season, rapidly closing in on the 595 minutes he played in total last season at Florida State.

“He’s gonna play a lot more than that," Nurse said. "He’s gonna play a lot of minutes. He’s really, really young and he needs the court time to get better.”

Siakam Stays Hot

Aside from the horrendous four-point performance against the Utah Jazz, Pascal Siakam has looked pretty good offensively as of late. He posted his fourth 20-plus point performance in his last five games, shooting 8-for-16 from the field for a team-high 21 points.

Anunoby (potentially) Nearing a Return

It was just a few days ago that Nurse said OG Anunoby could be out for "a while." Now, it seems Anunoby could be back any day now.

“He’s getting better," Nurse said pre-game. "They certainly see some improvement. Just wasn’t quite ready to go today. Hopefully he’ll make the next one."

Up Next: Memphis Grizzlies

The Raptors will have a couple of days off before heading to Memphis to take on Ja Morant and the Grizzlies on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET.