OKC Thunder vs. Toronto Raptors, 2019-20 team preview
Contract Situation by category:
Guaranteed: Kyle Lowry, Patrick McCaw, Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka, Marc Gasol, Matt Thomas, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Stanley Johnson, Terence Davis, Chris Boucher, Malcolm Miller, Dewan Hernandez
Non/Partial Guaranteed: | Cameron Payne Isaiah Taylor Note: as of Monday the last three players listed above moved to the guaranteed list
Two-Way Contracts: Oshae Brissett
Unsigned or on Exhibit 10: Devin Robinson | Sagaba Konate (the belief is he’ll get the other 2-way deal but Taylor was someone the Raptors like and if he doesn’t get signed elsewhere or play internationally don’t be surprised if he replaces Konate)
The Raptors have waived Cameron Payne, Devin Robinson and Matt Morgan. Some or all of them may end up with the 905. Roster is down to 17. 15 will make the team, they also have both of their 2-way spots open.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) October 19, 2019
Thunder performance vs. Raptors in 2018-19
The eventual NBA Champions split the season series with the Thunder including a loss at home which didn’t happen often against Toronto. Furthermore, OKC came close to winning both matches pushing the Raptors to overtime in the teams’ first meeting.
March 20, 2018, OKC Thunder versus Toronto Raptors, Overtime Loss: 114 – 123
Pascal Siakam 33 points, Russell Westbrook 42 points
March 22, 2018, OKC Thunder at Toronto Raptors, Win: 116 – 109
Paul George 28 points, Kawhi Leonard 37 points
Raptors Games versus OKC Thunder in 2019-20:
Away Game: Sunday, December 29, 2019, at 6:00 p.m. EST
Home Game: Wednesday, January 15, 2020, at 8:00 p.m. EST
Marquee matchup: Pascal Siakam versus a healthy Andre Roberson
What to expect in the two matches versus Raptors this season:
If the OKC Thunder wanted the perfect example to utilize in their film room and ball and player movement they need look no further than Nick Nurse’s Raptors. Nurse was noted for his offensive prowess but the truth is he is a two-way coach.
The Raptors coach empowers his players to all take shots but stresses ball movement. Unlike the Casey regime, there is never a mandated amount of touches having to go to a certain player (DeMar DeRozan). Nurse lets the guys all eat and leaves it up to the players to be intelligent enough to keep going to whoever is hot or make the right decisions in the offense. That has and will make for a difficult team to defend.
This year’s team is arguably even more difficult to defend given those dynamics. Already in the preseason, there are noticeable improvements with Gasol, in particular, looking more comfortable in the free-flowing offense. Each of Siakam, Anunoby and even Serge Ibaka worked on their ball handling and passing this summer so that they could take the offense to another level.
Already a decent 3-point shooting club (ranked 6th) this team may be even more dangerous this season. Toronto hit 24 triples versus the Nets (primarily against their starting unit) who notably were the third-best perimeter defenders last year.
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The addition of their G-League stars Malcolm Miller (47.6%), sniper Matt Thomas (never shot less than 45% from deep at any of his international gigs) and undrafted rookie Terence Davis (41.7% at summer league but figures to be closer to the NBA average in season). Siakam, Powell, and Anunoby continued to work on their perimeter shooting all summer and if the preseason is a precursor all three were impressive.
As for defense, the loss of Leonard and Green will hurt although Anunoby and Siakam are both ready to take a larger role while Davis again has looked impressive in the preseason. Gasol is a former DPoY, Boucher won DPoY last year at G-League and there is a multitude of others who will plug into the system.
Suffice to say the OKC Thunder will have their hands full on both sides of the hardwood. The Adams-Gasol or Adams-Ibaka matchup will be a battle. CP3 versus Lowry also a fight and Siakam will need to be addressed by Andre Roberson while one of the younger wings has to take on Anunoby. The big offensive advantage for the Thunder will likely be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander because of his length.
Next. Roundtable: Thunder lineups, rotations and reserve units. dark
Like every year there will be two games and both wil be battles. I think OKC could split the series again but it will take a concerted effort.