Australia’s Cairns Taipans provided zero resistance on Sunday at Scotiabank Arena, but the Raptors gave coach Darko Rajakovic a few hints.
The Raptors needed to play a game so they could judge how far they’ve come, and how much work remains to be done.
A little more resistance would have been welcome.
The Cairns Taipans of Australia’s National Basketball League provided zero resistance at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday when the Raptors rolled to a 134-93 win.
There was not a ton to be gleaned from the game — Toronto’s starting five got the entire second half off — but there were some noteworthy moments, even if they came against a vastly overmatched opponent.
Siakam rolls
Much has been made of Scottie Barnes having the ball a bit more, the use of a centre to distribute the ball from the elbow and a desire for split-second decision making from the Raptors this season. But Pascal Siakam remains Toronto’s most accomplished all-around player and he’s just rolling along, doing what he always does.
Siakam played just 17 first-half minutes against Cairns, but put up 12 points, seven rebounds and a team-high five assists. He hasn’t missed a beat, despite a slightly altered role.
“I feel like I always feel comfortable out on the floor,” he said. “Obviously it’s pre-season, just trying to figure out your spots, trying to figure out how you can help … everything is new for all of us, so just continue to use these games to focus on us.”
He made a terrific spin move to befuddle a Taipans defender for an early layup, knocked down his only three-point attempt and finished 5-for-7 from the floor. It was a tidy if unspectacular outing.
“You cannot hide the talent,” coach Darko Rajakovic said, “and he is one of the best players in the league. He is going to find his spots on the court. He is going to find his opportunities. I think he’s going to be as efficient, numbers-wise. I think he’s just going to be able to do it with a little bit less dribble and more (aggressive play).”
Flynn gets in
Malachi Flynn, a forgotten man for much of three seasons under former coach Nick Nurse, has played significant early minutes for Rajakovic. And he’s done well. Flynn had 10 points, four assists and three rebounds in 17 minutes Sunday, his second straight game as the primary backup to Dennis Schröder.
Raptors countdown
The Raptors are off to a practice-heavy start in the pre-season, which is most welcome for Rajakovic as he tries to learn their strengths and weaknesses. But their first game, a week ago in Vancouver against Sacramento, was hardly an eye-opener. Neither team was anywhere close to being ready, and it was an exhibition run for conditioning as much as anything.
That leaves just two games — Tuesday in Chicago, and Friday at home to Washington — for Rajakovic to come up with an early-season rotation.
“Obviously, we want to use (the) opportunities that we have in the next three games to see different lineups, to see different guys,” Rajakovic said before Sunday’s game.
That’s when he’ll settle on what he expects to be a 10-man rotation. They open the regular season at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 25. Sunday was about keeping players engaged and challenged in a game that was never remotely close.
“The first quarter, we won 38-17, and tonight’s game is also a little bit of a test of the character as well,” the coach said. “It’s human nature when you get a big lead to put your guard a little bit off. But that was our conversation in timeouts as well, that we need to pick up our energy level and focus on what we’re doing. And I thought we were able, in the fourth quarter with those guys on the court, to get back to that.”
Each of the 17 Raptors who played had at least one basket and one rebound.
Boucher steps up
Without Jakob Poeltl (illness), Christian Koloko (respiratory ailment) and Precious Achiuwa (groin), the Raptors are a bit decimated in the frontcourt. Chris Boucher started Sunday and finished with 12 points and eight rebounds in just 13 minutes.
“He runs the offence, transition really well,” Rajakovic said. “He gets in the middle. He just makes plays on the court. Now I want him to be even more aggressive on offensive end, in the sense that he makes good decisions. He took a couple of shots that I thought were good open shots, so I’m seeing good things from him.”
