10 things from Raptors-Warriors (Summer League)

Here are 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors’ 80-71 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Las Vegas Summer League.

1) Even by Summer League standards, the amount of talent on the Raptors is low. Toronto’s best player seems to be either Jordan Loyd or Chris Boucher, two players that should dominate this level given their experience in the G League. In previous years, there were legitimate prospects in Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and Jakob Poeltl to watch for, but in the early going, there is no clear-cut NBA-level contributor among this lot.

2) It was a fairly even game until the third quarter until the Raptors lost their composure on defence and surrendered an open three every trip down. The Warriors used a 16-2 run to pull ahead, and the Raptors waited until the last two minutes to show any semblance of desperation. The results are ultimately meaningless, but it does speak to the lack of a floor general. Summer League games will naturally bend towards being sloppy and disorganized unless there’s a clear structure. The Raptors finished with just 11 assists as a team, which is almost mathematically impossible within a 40-minute game.

3) Dewan Hernandez, the 59th overall pick, was the main point of curiosity. Unfortunately, he didn’t inspire much promise in his debut, as he made a handful of poor decisions in driving to the paint through a thicket of defenders. But the upside is immediately obvious: Hernandez has an NBA-ready body, and the 7-footer is fairly mobile and has some touch around the hoop. The difficult part will be teaching Hernandez to read the game, which is why he’ll spend most of the year in the G League.

4) Boucher led the Raptors with 21 points and 13 rebounds, and his freakish athleticism provided the only highlights from an otherwise boring contest. It never ceases to amaze just exactly how far back Boucher is able to stretch his gangly limbs to flush otherwise-terrible lob passes. His activity level on both ends is also welcome, although an overeagerness at times did lead him astray in tonight’s game. Nevertheless, the equation remains the same: If and only when Boucher bulks up will there will be a path to a steady NBA job.

5) The Raptors got experimental with Boucher by having him slot into a two-big lineup alongside Hernandez. Since Boucher can shoot (in theory, anyway) he was bumped to power forward, while Hernandez played the pivot. Boucher repeatedly brought the ball up, and there was just the slightest hint of Siakam in his game when he decided to get to the rim on two long strides.

6) This was just a miserable outing after a hot start by Malcolm Miller. He drilled a 30-foot pull-up to start, recorded a chase-down block, and then proceeded to miss five straight uncontested threes. For a player known for his sharpshooting ability, Miller was far more effective putting the ball on the deck and attacking the paint, as he was able to draw contact and score efficiently. But that three-ball is his meal ticket, and he should keep striving to be automatic from the arc.

7) Loyd was uninspiring. He’s crafty and bouncy enough to create his own shot off the dribble, but Loyd is below average at just about everything else. The biggest knock on his game is that he doesn’t seem to have much in the way of playmaking chops. Even at this level, it’s unacceptable to finish with more turnovers than assists, but it really doesn’t seem like Loyd has anyone else in mind after he makes an aggressive move.

8) Lindell Wigginton, the Nova Scotia native, seemed too antsy in his first taste of professional basketball. Apart from skying for some ambitious dunk attempts, Wigginton was hardly distinguishable. He seems to lack the requisite size to finish through bigger players on his drives despite having plenty of bounce, and it’s not entirely clear if he trusts his jumper. Still, there’s some intrigue with Wigginton, as he played extremely hard and showed he wasn’t going to back down to anyone.

9) Corey Walden and Richard Solomon were the best of the rest. Walden’s pesky on-ball defence and his side-winding form were enough to make him a positive as a 3-and-D player, while Solomon showed good activity battling for rebounds. Let’s keep an eye on these two moving forward.

10) The Raptors received devastating news yesterday that Kawhi Leonard was leaving, but the important pieces still came out to watch the game. Siakam and VanVleet — a newcomer to basketball and an undrafted free agent, respectively — sat courtside as reminders that it’s possible to beat the odds. Nick Nurse was also in attendance, and was put on the spot to give an awkward interview about Leonard.

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