The Toronto Raptors are playing the Houston Rockets tonight. Jakob Poeltl is out because he has an illness, or because it is a back to back game, or perhaps because the universe requires a certain amount of center-less wandering.
Jonathan Mogbo will likely find himself in the rotation. It is a strange thing to be a basketball player. One minute you are sitting on a bench, and the next, you are responsible for stopping a very large person from putting a ball in a hoop.
The Immobile Quickley Problem
Immanuel Quickley is having a strange year with his jump shot. If he is standing still, or doing a step back, he is quite good. He is shooting over 40 percent on his step back jumpers, which is a very difficult thing to do.
However, when he starts running, things go poorly. He is shooting 22.5 percent on running pull up jumpers. It is as if the act of forward momentum confuses his metaphorical internal compass.
Historically, he has been much better at this. Perhaps the air in Toronto is heavier this year. My uncle says it is the humidity, but he also thinks the shot clock is a suggestion.
Scottie Barnes and the Defensive Machine
People are talking about Scottie Barnes for All-Defensive honors. He has spent his season guarding Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. That sounds like a very stressful way to spend an evening.
The Raptors propaganda machine is working hard to make sure everyone notices. It is a bit like when my cousin tried to convince everyone his 2007 Ford Focus was a vintage collectible. If you say it enough times, eventually people just get tired of disagreeing with you.
Nikola Jokic apparently had some things to say about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recently. It is always interesting when the best players talk about each other. It reminds me of two high-end chefs discussing the merits of a specific type of salt while the rest of us are just happy the fries aren't cold.
Things That Are Happening
Basketball is a game of statistics until it isn't. You can look at the shooting splits and the defensive assignments, but at the end of the day, someone has to win.
- Poeltl is resting his lungs or his legs.
- Quickley needs to stop running while shooting, maybe.
- Scottie is bothering everyone on the court.
- The Rockets are here, for some reason.