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OKC Thunder versus Raptors: the Canadian Bowl – preview

By Tamberlyn Richardson

Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) drives to the basket as OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2): Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) drives to the basket as OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2): Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) dribbles the ball down the court against the OKC Thunder : Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports /

Key matchups:

Between the two clubs, there are five Canadians, the aforementioned quartet plus Raptors rookie point guard Dalano Banton. Birch won’t be playing but there could be a point in the match where all four Canadians are on the court.

As much as that foursome could offer up some intriguing matchups (Banton on Giddey for example) the main players to focus on for the Thunder are Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam.

FVV has stepped into the full-time role of leader on the Raps, a position he shared with Kyle Lowry although it was less known publicly. He leads the NBA in minutes this season (38.1) partially due to the injuries they’ve suffered and partially due to the youth of the roster and the need for his leadership on the court.

Although the OKC Thunder has the youngest team in the league, the Raptors aren’t far behind and their average age is impacted by the 35-year old Goran Dragic who isn’t with the team and likely won’t return as Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster seek to find a trade partner for him.

That means 27-year-olds FVV and Siakam both in their sixth season are the vets with the most experience on the team.  Nurse is known for his complex defensive schemes and while he essentially lets any of his players assume the role of playmaker he relies on these two (and Anunoby when healthy) to carry the load.

Per Game Table
Rk FGA FG% 3PA 3P% 2PA 2P% eFG% ORB TRB AST STL BLK PTS/G
▼
1 OG Anunoby 17.7 .430 7.5 .366 10.2 .477 .508 1.6 5.4 2.7 1.5 0.6 20.1
2 Fred VanVleet 16.0 .442 8.0 .391 8.0 .492 .539 0.7 5.0 6.1 1.5 0.6 19.8
3 Pascal Siakam 15.2 .467 3.7 .333 11.5 .510 .508 1.9 7.1 3.7 0.7 0.8 19.1
4 Gary Trent Jr. 14.5 .415 7.1 .363 7.3 .466 .505 0.5 3.3 1.8 2.0 0.4 16.4
5 Scottie Barnes 12.5 .489 1.9 .357 10.6 .513 .516 2.9 8.0 3.2 1.2 0.8 15.1

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/8/2021.

An interesting takeaway is the Raptors have five players who average 15 or more points. Of their 29 peers 21 of the teams have five (and up to 7) players who score in double figures but only the Hornets match the Raptors with five who score 15 or more points and only three teams have four who score 15+ points.

In case your interested here’s how how many 15+ scorers are on each team:

  • Five: Raptors, Hornets
  • Four: 76ers, Grizzlies, Bucks
  • Three: Celtics, Blazers, Wolves, Kings, Lakers, Warriors, Heat, Bulls
  • Two: Thunder, Nets, Nuggets. Jazz, Clippers, Suns, Pacers, Cavaliers, Wizards, Hawks, Mavericks, Pelicans
  • One: Knicks, Rockets, Spurs, Magic, Pistons
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