Recognizing the Warriors: Immanuel Quickley leaves his imprint on the Grizzlies.
This is the grade card;
Emiliano Quimby: A
After the first few minutes of this one, I didn’t see the player of the game coming. Quickly appeared bewildered, making a few errors in both offense and defense, and failing to make a first-time shot before taking off. He consistently hammered the Grizzlies from deep, outperformed Ja Morant, and played aggressive defense. Although he was decent in his debut, Quickley improved against Memphis and gave the Raptors some new hope. He shoots like Kyle Lowry and is the fastest Raptor to appear in years (TJ Ford?). Not too awful.
PASCAL SIAKAM: A-
It was another Siakam clinic, save for the strange observation that he did not dish out a single assist (only the fifth time in the previous five seasons) and some foul trouble. Even with two past defensive player of the year winners (Jaren Jackson Jr. and Marcus Smart) attempting to defend, an opponent was unable to slow him down once more. He only attempted two three-pointers, making one, but he was efficient from the midrange and finished at the line.
JAKOB POELTL: A:
Poeltl’s comeback was sustained. His appearance has changed with this configuration: More assured, more dependable (except from a number of missed “bunnies” from in close), and most importantly, defensively like an impenetrable wall. Poeltl grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, set excellent screens throughout the evening to create open baskets, and blocked five shots to discourage a Memphis club that enjoys driving to the hoop at all times. Poeltl assisted on six screens, which resulted in 14 points. In addition, he challenged 16 shots—more than twice as many as any other Raptor.
Scottie Barnes: B+
Barnes had two strong quarters, a poor fourth, and an ok one. Barnes seems to be having the most difficulty adjusting at the moment because he isn’t initiating nearly as often as he did prior to the deal when Dennis Schroder moved to the bench. Barnes will benefit from Quickley’s assistance, but as of right now, Barnes is becoming less of a star player and more of a supporting role. Barnes was a monster versus Memphis on the defensive end, so perhaps it gave him more vigor.
Dennis Schneider: B
To arrive at this mark, give Schroder an A- for offense and a C- for defense in this one. When it came to defense, he wasn’t the typical obnoxious self, but on the plus side, he performed admirably. Schroder finished with five assists, zero mistakes, went to the free-throw line, and made the most of the correct plays. However, he will inevitably miss some shooters and open teammates, as Chris Boucher fairly did at one point.
As a Raptor, Barrett performed admirably in Game 2 but was superior in Game 1. His defensive play has been better than expected, and he is a threat from the outside. The Raptors will be ecstatic if Barrett can maintain his three-point shooting percentage, which is now close to 37%. Barrett is a gifted player who appears to be boosted by returning to the Raptors, but he’s still finding his footing.
Jontay Porter: C+
Given his lack of NBA experience, the young big man received a good complement he didn’t look out of place. Porter is a dynamic defensive back that can cover a lot of territory. Though he was unable to demonstrate it on his debut, he also had an outside shot. Porter might be the player Toronto’s development system needs to hit another home run.
CHRIS BOUCHER: A+
When Darko Rajakovic called on Porter before Boucher, he could have pouted, but instead he entered with his typical vigor and performed. Boucher was especially effective on the glass, grabbing three offensive rebounds out of eight rebounds in 13 minutes. Though at his age, Boucher could be a cunning trade option, I’d prefer to see him stay. He might provide a spark off the bench for a playoff squad.
GARY TRENT JR.: C
In any case, Trent didn’t particularly stick out. Trent was quiet on the attack, but his defense was likely stronger than his offense this isn’t how he usually plays. Although he should be productive off the bench with Schroder, it will likely take some time for them to click.