Title: Examining how Raptors’ defence could evolve under Darko Rajakovic
Date: October 19, 2023
Original Source: Sportsnet
Synopsis: In my latest at Sportsnet, I took a look at changes the Raptors could and should make defensively this year after a once-great scheme eroded in 2022-23.
Midway through the 2019-20 season, the run-it-back Toronto Raptors were surprising the NBA by maintaining most of the regular-season success they’d experienced in their NBA Championship season the year prior. When it came to their defence, “surprising” had gone out the window, replaced instead by dumbfounding, flabbergasting, or, at mildest, perplexing.
That Raptors team was doing something no NBA team had ever done before; allowing opponents to take 13.7 per cent of their field-goal attempts from the highly valuable corner 3-point area. That blew away the existing NBA record and still stands as the record today.
In isolation, that’s not too difficult to comprehend. After all, plenty of defences in NBA history have been mad, and maybe this was just Toronto’s own particular brand of ineffectiveness, allowing opponents to funnel their possessions to one of the most efficient spots on the floor.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 