OKC Thunder: Giddey stays in top 5 of TI’s week 3 rookie ladder

Raptors – Dalano Banton:

The less known Raptors rookie Dalano Banton deserves a nod on the honorable mentions list. Let’s start with the fact he impressed Nick Nurse so much he earned consistent playing time leading the reserve unit. This is from a coach who notoriously is stingy giving minutes to rookies or players who don’t bring defensive effort.

Just as OKC Thunder fans get giddy for Giddey in terms of his passing skills and moxie the same can be said for Banton. He’s not at the same level as Giddey but for a player drafted 46th to be garnering minutes ahead of veteran Goran Dragic and Malachi Flynn it is telling.

The minute the 6’9″ guard steps on the court he impacts the game in a positive way. Banton pushes the pace, makes smart decisions (high I.Q), rebounds well and while he’d prefer to set up his teammates will shoot, especially when he has the mismatch. In every one of his 11 appearances, he’s done something to positively impact the game.

In the Raptors system, he’ll be developed with a view to gaining strength and improving his shooting but at this stage, it’s already a huge win for the franchise that he’s knocked two rotation players down the ladder.

Banton’s per-game averages don’t pop off the page: 5.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.7 steals while shooting 37.5 percent from deep on a limited 0.7 attempts. Like teammate Barnes, he was cited as not having the shooting touch but once again the Raptors coaches are proving if a player is a worker and has high I.Q. they can turn that diamond in the rough into a gem. To be fair, he’ll need to put in work at the charity stripe where he shoots an abysmal 58.3 percent.

Since his 12-minute average doesn’t afford him much leeway to land on the leaderboard of the rookie statistical rankings, a quick glance at his per 36 minutes offers evidence to prove my point:

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/10/2021.

It’s easy to see why Nurse was impressed given Banton is also a whirling dervish on defense with his wingspan and speed causing fits for prototypical shorter guards. Although he’s the backup point guard even in situations facing starters he’s been equally effective. On more than one occasion when the Raptors starters fell behind subbing in Banton immediately shifted the momentum.

He’s still raw and has plenty of room for growth but he fits the direction of the Raptors who are seemingly intent on building a team predominantly comprised of 6’8 and 6’9″ players who can defend and initiate the offense.

Several of the top rookies are playing substantial minutes so his per 36 of 15.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists., 2.2 steals and high efficiency demonstrates just how productive Banton could become with time in the lab and Raptors system.

One more intriguing stat – in John Hollinger’s PER it’s Banton who ranks highest of this year’s rookie class followed by teammate Barnes then Mobley.

Kudos to the Raptors scouts who took advantage of gaining knowledge about a local player who flew under the radar but would most assuredly have been a lottery pick in 2022 had he remained in college. When we look back at the talent-rich 2021 draft I wonder if Banton will be considered the biggest steal of the night.