Panic does not come easy with these Toronto Raptors and maybe that’s a good thing.
The team has dropped three of its past four, including two lackluster efforts last week in New Orleans and Brooklyn.
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There was a modest rebound Saturday with a win over the undermanned Orlando Magic and then another opportunity lost Monday when a road-weary Boston Celtics club down a starter, down its sixth man and still without the starting centre that has yet to play this season, played one dominant quarter and got out of town with the win.
Toronto’s best shooter Fred VanVleet hasn’t struggled like he is now since his rookie year and is shooting just 25.5% over his past four games. From three-point land, he’s shooting just under 18% for the same time period.
Under normal circumstances with that kind of team run and VanVleet struggling, panic might be setting in, but none of that is occurring right now within the team framework.
Twitter and social media are handling the scenario as you would expect, but within the team the view is one of incremental progress.
“I don’t know quite where we are right now — but I think going into (Monday)’s game we were two games ahead of where we were a year ago,” head coach Nick Nurse said. “I know it doesn’t feel like that to anybody because maybe expectations are so much higher or whatever, but I would say we are really on the right track. We are making some progress. We have had, and still do have, tons of impact guys out. We have had a rough year injury wise. So, I think on one hand you can look at it and say we are doing OK. We are hanging in here with a lot of tough breaks and if we just hang in there and keep improving a little bit, we will get things squared away and be really tough to beat.”
Whether it’s Nurse or VanVleet or 16-year vet Thad Young talking, the message is consistent.
It’s a good team, that has a lot of talent and right now, perhaps because of all the injuries and the revolving door of lineups, things are just a little out of kilter.
“I think we’re trending in the right direction,” VanVleet said. “Again, we had a tough stretch of guys being in and out and unhealthy and a tough schedule and now we’re getting back and everybody’s, you know, we’re trying to figure out what it’s going to look like all together.
“So, it’s early, man, we’ve got a long way to go. It’s a long season and I’m confident that we’ll turn out to be who we think we are at a certain point and just patience is easier said than done. So, it sucks in the moment sometimes, but you just have to trust the bigger picture.”
As for his personal shooting struggles, VanVleet has absolutely zero concerns that they will linger for very long.
It’s the kind of confidence only one who knows his craft and knows what he has put into it can have. VanVleet almost seemed amused at the level of concern and the line of questioning he was receiving regarding his current struggles.
“It’s just one of those things, they’re not going in right now and I just need a spark to turn it around,” VanVleet said Tuesday. “I’m not really concerned about it. Obviously, nobody wants them to go in more than me, trust me. But it’s just the way it goes sometimes. So, just can’t get too high or too low with it. Just keeping working and try to find ways to get better.”
VanVleet admits teams are paying him a little more attention these days and that’s forcing him to hunt scoring in a manner in which might not be his first choice.
“Yes. I mean there’s a lot going on,” VanVleet said. “I mean, like, a lot going on all across the board. I’m not really going to run down the list with you guys, I’ll just play better and then you’ll have better things to talk about.
“But there’s definitely a lot of reasons for the situation that I’m in,” he said. “I’m going to continue to keep working, being professional and giving everything I’ve got when I step out there. So hopefully I’ll turn it around soon.”
LAKERS COMING IN HOT
For the first month of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers were the laughingstock of the league.
The vaunted Lakers lost 10 of the first 12 they played. Since then, they have won eight of the past 10, flipping the script on the season thanks in very large part to Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
One of the two multi-time all-stars have led the Lakers in scoring in every game this season save three.
Davis has scored 99 points himself in just the two games leading into last night’s contest in Cleveland.
James has a combined 57 in the past two wins.
Russell Westbrook has found and accepted a home in the second unit and the Lakers are better because of it.
Perhaps the schedule will catch up with the Lakers Wednesday which will be their third game in four nights and second in a row in two different countries, but Nurse and company are expecting a battle.
“The hardest thing with both of those guys (Davis and James) is they will hurt you from all over the court —inside, outside, shooting, both involved in tons of screen and rolls in all ways, setting and handling, especially LeBron,” Nurse said. “It’s a long list of things you’ve got to get ready for with those guys.