Quick Reaction: Raptors 108, Hornets 97
Jamison Battle (C-) Battle got the starting nod and over 32 minutes of playing time, but had a poor shooting night, going 0-for-5 from behind the arc. He did, however, have the highest plus/minus of anyone with a plus-10.
Scottie Barnes (B) – Barnes put up 18, 6, and 6 in less than 30 minutes of play. In a game like this, Barnes’ presence helped the Raptors maintain a sense of respect, competing against lowly Hornets. He had a beautiful jab, jab, jab, three-pointer in the first half.
Jakob Poeltl (A+) – Putting up a double-double when Mark Williams and Tidjane Salaun did too might not mean much. But Poeltl put up 24-12 on 12-for14 shooting, which is also indicative of the Hornets’ lack of interior presence. Poeltl had great chemistry with IQ, and threw down a monstrous dunk over Charlotte.
Ja’Kobe Walter (B-) – Walter attempted as many 3s (seven 3s attempted) as Shead this game. Walter hit three of them en route to a 11 point game.
Immanuel Quickly (B+) – An easy 19 points and nine dimes game for IQ. He recognized the lack of POA defence and used it to his advantage. He had a poor shooting night (6-for15) overall, but did knock five of his eight 3s down.
Jonathan Mogbo (C) – At this point, we know Mogbo can play D. This was a good opportunity for Mogbo to continue experimenting on the offensive end. He attempted four 3s and hit one of them. For the rest of the season, the more reps Mogbo can get on the offensive end, preferably as a 4 or 5, will help him grow for next season.
Orlando Robinson (A-) – Robinson’s monstrous performance from last game wasn’t sustainable. He shared the load with Yak this time and had a much quieter performance, though he did grab 10 boards (three offensive) in the 22 minutes of playing time he received.
Jamal Shead (A) – Shead continues to impress. He came off the bench and dropped 17 points on 7-for-16 shooting, though his trey ball wasn’t going in this game (1-for7 from downtown). Shead continues to prove to the league that an undersized guard drafted in the second round shouldn’t ever be overlooked.
Cole Swider (C) – Swider is on a super short leash on a 10-day. He didn’t get much of a chance to showcase his talent, though he did attempt four 3s in 19 minutes. Swider’s swing skill was three-point shooting, so he’ll need to continue to prove the FO and the league that he can knock 3s down if he wants to keep an NBA job.
A.J. Lawson (Inc.) – It’s hard to give Lawson a grade with limited minutes. He was pretty irrelevant this game.
Darko Rajakovic (B) – Rajakovic didn’t face much of a hurdle when his team’s only threat was really Miles Bridges, who had a terrible shooting night (4-for-20). He ensured that the Raptors maintained some respectability at home after being blown out by San Antonio last home game.
Things We Saw
- Most importantly, winning against the lowly Hornets at home was a must. Even for Team Tankathon, losing against an even weaker Eastern Conference team, marred by injuries, would have been a new low in a tanking season.
- Raps shot 14-for-44 (32%) from downtown, which is a lot of three-point attempts, and still managed to get the dub.
What’s new on RR
Games like these can frustrate Team Tank and Louis Zatzman delves into the why.
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