Unchanged Raptors look new in cathartic win over Bulls

What does freedom look like?

Does it look like a breath of air, a burden evaporating in the revitalizing light of day? A chance to, finally, breathe. Simply breathe.

Yes. It also looks like Immanuel Quickley scurrying into a corner to hit a jumper when his teammate is in trouble under the rim, Quickley jumping a dead ball to rip it away, jumping a live dribble to force a turnover. It looks like Ja’Kobe Walter curling around a screen, catching the ball, and going up to dunk two-handed in traffic. It looks like Brandon Ingram gathering the ball over his head like prime Dwyane Wade before apparating on the other side of the rim for a reverse layup. It looks like Collin Murray-Boyles looking for his own shot, tossing in a hook, putting the ball on the floor, even dunking on the roll. 

It seemed clear, early on, that the Raptors were tasting freedom against the Chicago Bulls. The trade deadline has been hanging over the heads of a team that in truth has been overperforming this season. But exceeding expectations sets new expectations, which means the team has new needs, has short-term goals, has urgency that may not have existed a few months prior. And so each Raptor but one has found uncertainty creep into his life, his mindset. That, perhaps more than anything, could be the reason for Toronto’s textbook string of recent late losses. 

The only Raptor who knew, for absolute certain, that he was safe this trade deadline was comfortable letting his teammates thrive in the spotlight. Scottie Barnes didn’t attempt a shot for his entire first shift in the first quarter. He played terrific defence and just let the team shine brightly around him. 

Toronto built a double-digit lead early against the undermanned Bulls. And let’s not mince words; the Bulls were not fielding an NBA-caliber team. But with losses this year to the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, the Raptors have experience losing to the worst in the league. It’s not so much that the Raptors were winning. It’s how they were winning. Free and easy. 

When Chicago got hot — Anfernee Simons, committed Raptors-killer, is now a Bull — Barnes dialed up his role with an easy mid-ranger and then a shovel pass from his hip for a Murray-Boyles layup. He even answered a Bulls triple with one of his own. He finished with a very modest stat line, but he was the backstop, ensuring that if Chicago ever made things too competitive, he could shift out of first gear and set things right post haste.

It’s not like players became other than they were. Quickley was still picking up his dribble in the middle of the floor and pivoting backwards rather than making plays on the move. Gradey Dick was still struggling. The defensive effort in general was somewhat laxer than it has been for most of Toronto’s season. That’s life when you’re playing a Frankenstein’s G-League monster of a team. But offensively — and the offence has been Toronto’s only Achilles’ Heel on the season — the Raptors started noticeably freer than prior to the deadline. 

Okay, maybe Ingram actually transformed into a new type of player, at least briefly. He made four first-half triples, his season high. He attempted oodles of shots at the rim, too. In fact, only four of his 13 first-half shots came from the midrange. He was hitting everything, and for a time it seemed like he would chase his career high in points. He didn’t get there, largely because he didn’t chase it. But he finished with a ho-hum 33 points on only 20 shots, a casual display of otherworldly dominance.

When the Bulls turned to a zone late in the second quarter to try to slow Toronto’s fiery offence, Jamal Shead hit a straightaway 3-pointer to kill that idea dead. Toronto’s offence was not going to be slowed in this one.

Sometimes freedom results in sloppiness, such as a fourth-quarter five-second violation on an inbounds play after a Raptors’ timeout. But generally it resulted in sharp offensive process.

It was Quickley who snatched the mantle of freedom and ran furthest with that baton. Which makes sense, given how prominent his name in particular was in trade rumours for the Raptors. He crossed halfcourt on one possession and sprinted into a handoff with his fellow guard Walter, just to pull from 26 feet before the possession had hardly begun. He drilled it. He threw an entry pass from near half court to a sealing Murray-Boyles under the rim for the layup. He pulled up from deep in a virtual 1-on-0 look in transition, Coach Carter-style. (And, yes, that was a bad shot, and he did miss. But it was free and easy!)

For virtually all of this season, Quickley’s success has been dictated by his accuracy from deep. When he hits his triples, he plays well. When he doesn’t, he doesn’t. But in this one, he actually shot 3-of-11 from deep but still found his way to impact. In Quickley’s five worst-shooting games of the season (his five with zero 3-point makes), the Raptors outscored their opponents in his minutes by far less than the game margin. Meaning they were better with him on the bench than on the court in those contests. That wasn’t the case here, as Toronto won his minutes on the court by 14 points and on the bench by two.

The passing and defence were better than usual, and as a result he won his minutes by a wider margin than usual despite the misses. At one point he missed an open triple in transition (which, bad, let’s not sugar-coat that), but grabbed his own miss and found Sandro Mamukelashvili for a layup. He doesn’t have to be just a shot-maker. There is more meat on that particular bone. And ultimately, his taking 11 triples, which tied a season high, is also an incredibly positive mark for Toronto’s star shooter who has at times struggled to find his way to 3-point volume.

The Raptors didn’t solve anything against Chicago. They beat a much lesser team, which is what’s supposed to happen. And because of their defensive inattention for wide swathes of the game, they actually did so in a somewhat unconvincing fashion. But they still found catharsis. Like hitting a pillow when you’re upset. It doesn’t solve anything, and sometimes it feels silly. But sometimes it feels pretty good.

Your next read: How the trade deadline impacted the Raptors’ positioning within the conference, by Es Baraheni

All that to say, the Raptors can’t stay idle for long. This summer will be a crucial opportunity to stave off stagnation. Armed with all of their first-round picks, Barrett’s expiring salary, Ingram’s defacto expiring (He has a player option in 2027-2028 he likely opts out of), and one more year off Immanuel Quickley’s deal, the Raptors will have what it takes to make a big splash or upgrade.

The offseason also gives them more options. There are too many hopeful teams in the middle of the season. Everyone likes their teams, every team believes they have a chance, and every chance to make a move comes at a hefty cost.

In theory, if they wanted to, the Raptors could re-ignite conversations for Sabonis or LaMelo or anyone else that piques their interest in the summer. Virtually all the same opportunities that were available to them at this deadline, will likely be available to them in the summer, if not even more.

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