The Raptors bench scored eight points last night. I once saw a guy at a YMCA in Etobicoke score nine points while wearing work boots and jeans. It makes you think about what a professional basketball player actually is, or what the word professional even means anymore.
We used to have a bench mob back in the day (Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and those guys). Now we have Sandro Mamukelashvili, who is struggling to find the basket from three point range. He is shooting 29 percent right now. That is a specific number that suggests the ball is hitting the rim and going anywhere but through the net.
Mamu has only had one game in double digits since the All Star break (which feels like a long time ago). It is hard to win games when your substitutes provide the same offensive output as a medium sized family meal at Swiss Chalet. Everyone is a little worried about the first round of the playoffs because a bench that scores eight points is not a serious operation.
The Big Man Rotation
We are getting beaten on the glass, which is the basketball equivalent of losing your car keys in your own house. It is frustrating and feels like it should be avoidable. People are asking why Trayce Jackson-Davis is not playing more, especially with Chris Boucher out of the lineup.
There is a theory that Scottie Barnes functions better at the power forward spot. Moving him there would require playing a real center (like TJD) to help with the rebounding. Instead, Julian Reese just signed with Washington, so that is one less large person available to help us out.
I sometimes think about the backup centers of my youth (like Rasho Nesterovic). They just stood there and were tall. It was a simpler time before everyone was expected to shoot three pointers and have a podcast.
The Problem With Being The Star
Scottie Barnes is the highest paid player on this team, but sometimes he plays like he is trying to be polite. He looks like the fourth option on offense lately. He does a lot on defense (and maybe he is tired or hurt) but we need him to want the ball more.
Being aggressive is a weird thing to ask of someone. It is like telling someone to be more interesting at a dinner party. You either feel like doing it or you do not. If Scottie does not start demanding the ball soon, this season might just slowly dissolve like a vitamin in a glass of water.
We are all just watching and waiting. My uncle says we should have never traded for certain players, but he says that about every trade. He also thinks the weather is getting more suspicious. He might be right about both things.