The Raptors definitely came to a sad moment. They are 12-18 and 11th in the East, 21st in offensive efficiency and 17th in defensive efficiency. They really can't do anything on the pitch.
They lacked three-point shooting ability next to Scottie Barnes. The skill points of the trio of Barnes, Siakam, and Anunoby almost overlapped. We've known about this before, but unless the Raptors change a lot of things early in the next month or so, I'd be very surprised if I didn't see some team-changing trades at the trade deadline.
The Raptors had the opportunity to do so at the trade deadline last season, but they went in the opposite direction — trading old friend Poeltl from the Spurs for a protected first-round pick. The deal helped them make the play-offs (fantastic!).）。Poeltl and VanVleet rediscovered their pick-and-roll chemistry. The Raptors put their best players on the court and can destroy the opponent.
Van Vliet ran away in the free market;Poeltel is no longer what he used to be. He shot a league-best 70 percent shooting, but you can barely feel it. It's not entirely his fault, but on many nights it's hard to remember what Poeltl did on the pitch.
Schroder is VanVleet's replacement, he's a below-average shooter who can't unlock Poeltl's role in the VanVleet way, especially with the Raptors having too much space around them. (The Raptors started in place of Schroder in Trent's win over the Wizards on Wednesday and strengthened their shooting at the cost of losing some playmaking.) ）
Poeltl's playing time has dropped. His free-throw percentage dropped to 51 percent. Opponents would cut him in the fourth quarter, and Poeltl would turn his head and look for a push finish — a shot he was good at, but he still shouldn't play — instead of creating physical contact.
His defense is just a mediocre level;When he's the closest defender, he's shooting 61 percent from the field, which is just the best for a starting center. Achiuwa is in a fierce state, and now may be the time to do experiments to see how Achiuwa's outside-based style of play may be compatible with the Raptors' core starters.
The flip side of the Grizzlies' two exciting comebacks: the Pelicans, who are 6-8 in games within five points in the final five minutes of the season, are the third-lowest in offensive efficiency in those periods.
The Pelicans were 7-of-25 from three-point range in the critical ball period. They made 24 mistakes in 55 minutes, including a number of unexplained mistakes – messing up the throw-in, clumsy hand-to-hand coordination, and losing the ball.
And in the Pelicans' key ball malaise, one thing that stands out is that their whole team will stagnate. They'll wait too long to get into the game, and a lot of key players will spend all their attacking time in place.
Williamson and Valanciunas did nothing this round. McClom didn't do anything between his symbolic feeding the ball inside and playing a 1-on-1 solution at the end.
The Pelicans' key shot problems include poor shooting luck, as well as a lack of game experience, a lack of run-in, and perhaps even a distrust of the players — or at least a lack of clarity about the Pelicans' offensive sequence. And on a macro level, Williamson, Ingram and McCollum haven't played much together. There's no natural fit for their skill points — at least not in this roster — so it takes time to build chemistry.
If three of the five-man group at the critical ball stage are completely unthreatening from beyond the three-point line — that is, with Williamson, Valanciunas and Jones all on the floor — the Pelicans' run-in process will only be more difficult.
As for the team-wide stalled round, it's worth mentioning that Murphy replaced Jones. Earlier in the fourth quarter, the Pelicans used Murphy to play an oversized lineup without a point guard — Murphy, Ingram, Jones, Williamson and Valanciunas. Murphy played the entire overtime. In the Pelicans' pivotal win over the Jazz on Thursday, he played almost the entire fourth quarter.
The early season results are uncertain, but it would certainly be a healthy move if coach Willie Green tried to put Murphy in place of one of the current starters. Quite simply, Murphy just needs to play more time. He brings so much to the table on both ends of the floor.