Raptors investing in new people, technology with hopes of improving shooting I feel like with these guys looking for me in my spots, helping me play to my strengths and trusting me and being there for me as a young guy has been great for me and my development.” I just feel like a lot of live reps in the summer helped get me going and I’m going to continue running with it. “And then definitely the play over the summer – a lot of games through Summer League, playing at Rico and then playing in Brazil with Team Canada. “I definitely feel like just confidence-wise, I feel like the guys out there are trusting in me to do what they believe I do well,” said Banton afterwards.
So that part's been good to see, his defence and his kind of on and off the ball success.”īanton credits a busy off-season where played on the Raptors Summer League team in July, scrimmaged with the Raptors against other NBA pros in runs organized by assistant coach Rico Hines in August and they played for Raptors assistant Nate Mitchell for Team Canada at the AmeriCup in September. He's done a good job, I think using that length and he also has really good instincts about where the ball is going maybe a little bit ahead of time, right, so he can get his hands on ‘em.
He's really noticeable, getting his hands on the basketball and poking it away or reaching in from the weak side or whatever stripping one away. But he's really been good at the defensive end, right.
He's running the team pretty good, He's executing the sets, those kinds of things. “He’s playing at the tempo he wants to play at and I think he's doing a little bit of everything, not only at the offensive end. He’s now shooting 65.5 per cent from the floor, mostly on his trademark swooping drives, but with just enough jump shooting to hint at what the future might hold. “I think the big thing is he just looks so comfortable out there, “ said Nurse after Banton chipped in 11 points, five rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes of court time. Well, check that: after Dalano Banton turned in yet another impressive performance – he’s been the Raptors most consistent player in the pre-season – the rangy guard from Rexdale is all but assured of starting the regular season with his hometown team and having his second-year option picked up. Much more interesting is the battle for the final two guaranteed contracts on the 15-man roster. (hamstring) is available, but it’s tough to watch at the moment.
Shooing that poorly won’t continue and should improve when sharp-shooting free agent Otto Porter Jr. Toronto was 4-of-15 from deep in the half and 8-of-37 for the game. The Raptors led 57-47 at half but that was mainly on the strength of forcing the Bulls into 16 turnovers through the first two quarters. Shooting continues to be a problem for a team that struggled to shoot the ball last year. The Raptors have another day off Monday and will be home until they make the quick trip to Montreal for Friday’s game, and hopefully some time in their own beds will help. “I mean we really put them through a tough coming back off the west coast, like a real long physical tough one going into Boston because it's training camp mode, … if that was the regular season it wouldn't have looked anything like that we still got some guys trying to get in condition and putting a lot of time and energy and physicality into a lot of the practices and that kind of doubles the effect of it I think.” "I mean, listen, we've probably done things a lot differently than we would have done in the regular season,” said Nurse. Part of the issue is the Raptors have been plowing through their schedule with a focus on getting as much practice time in as possible, travel issues aside. Take away Gabe Brown, a camp signee, who was 4-of-9 before Sunday and Khem Birch who was 2-of-3 – neither of whom will likely be launching triples for the Raptors when the season starts – and Raptors who will actually be expected to make threes are stumbling along at 22 per cent. They came into Sunday’s game shooting 25.5 per cent from deep. “It’s been a lot of travel and a lot of late nights already but that’s okay, we’ll be just fine.”Ī case of road legs could explain the Raptors woeful three-point shooting through their first three exhibition games. So in return, we have to go return those at some point and that’s just how it lands sometimes.
“We still have obligations of playing teams because most of them are in the States and we still have obligations down there once in a while … and the reality is it’s not that easy to get the teams to take a far trip and play us somewhere in Canada. “I would never complain about being Canada’s team but part of it is we’re going to go play these games in other cities in Canada and that causes us to have a heavy travel schedule,” said Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.