It has been seven years since 2019. I remember where I was when Kawhi Leonard hit that shot against Philadelphia. I was eating a Jamaican patty that was far too hot for human consumption. Now, I am just tired and watching Brandon Ingram try to make sense of a secondary break.
The transition from a championship parade to this current state of affairs is confusing. It is like when you leave a party early and realize you forgot your coat, but when you go back, the house is a dental clinic. We are looking at the past seven years and wondering how we arrived at a place where net ratings feel like a personal attack.
The Point of Being Outscored
People are talking about Brandon Ingram and his minutes. The statistics say the team is better when he is on the bench, which is a difficult thing to process. He makes tough shots when the offense breaks down, but perhaps the offense breaks down because it knows he is there to save it. It is a bit like having a cousin who is a lawyer (he will help you if you get in trouble, but you might get in trouble more often just because you know he is available).
When he sits, the ball moves. People run around. They seem to find a rhythm that does not involve standing still and watching a mid-range jump shot. It is weird to see a team play better without their best individual scorer, but the universe is full of things that do not make sense. I once saw a man walking a cat on a leash near Scotiabank Arena, and that also felt statistically improbable.
Stealing the Ball to Feel Something
There is some good news, I suppose. The Raptors are generating a lot of points off turnovers lately. This is a very Raptors thing to do. We do not necessarily want to play a traditional game of basketball where you pass and cut and follow the rules. We would rather wait for you to make a mistake and then run away with the ball like we stole something from a convenience store.
- Points off turnovers are up.
- Fast break opportunities are happening.
- The half-court offense remains a mystery.
- Jamal is doing his best, but the help is inconsistent.
Looking for the Ghost of Energy Past
There is a feeling that if certain players from the past were still here, things would be different. Someone would have stepped up for Jamal tonight. We miss that specific type of heart that does not show up in a box score but shows up when someone is being bullied on the perimeter. It is like missing a specific brand of cereal that they stopped making in 2012.
Jamal doesn't deserve to carry this much of the weight alone. He looks like he is trying to carry all the groceries in one trip because he does not want to go back to the car. We have all been there. Eventually, the plastic bag rips, and then you are just standing in the driveway with a broken carton of eggs and a lot of regret.
We are just watching and waiting for the next thing to happen. Maybe it will be a win. Maybe it will be another seven years of wondering why we are here. At least the weather is getting slightly better, though it will probably rain tomorrow because that is just how the rotation works.