Raptors make impression in NBA Summer League
When rosters came out for the NBA Summer League, nobody was doing backflips over the Toronto Raptors‘ lineup.
Yes, the team‘s two draft picks — Delon Wright and Norman Powell — were expected to play, and second-year players Bruno Caboclo and Lucas Nogueira were going to be in Las Vegas. But the Raptors appeared to have the usual hodgepodge of undrafted free agents, guys who had played overseas and in the NBA Development League.
In other words, not exactly championship timber.
But when the games tipped off last Friday and Toronto defeated defending summer league champion Sacramento 90-68, people took notice. And when the Raptors defeated Chicago 81-66 two days later, it got the attention of more fans. And when the tournament seeds were announced Tuesday, guess who was the No. 1 seed?
"We‘re trying to build a winning culture," said Jesse Mermuys, the Raptors’ summer league coach who also will coach Toronto‘s D-League team this season. "These guys have all bought in, and it’s been a fun group to coach. But we came here with the idea of winning the summer league."
The Raptors began tournament play Thursday at Cox Pavilion with a rematch against Chicago. But this time, the Bulls turned the tables, winning 84-80 and ending Toronto‘s goal of playing for the league title. Instead, the Raptors (3-1) will play in a consolation game against Portland at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Thomas & Mack Center.
How did the Raptors make it this far? Defense. The team had allowed just 77 points per game in the summer league before Thursday.
"We just took it game by game," said Wright, a former Utah guard who was taken in the first round with the 20th selection in last month‘s NBA Draft. "We focused a lot on defense, and we‘ve shown we’re one of the top defensive teams, and that has a lot to do with us winning."
Powell, the team‘s second-round pick and No. 46 overall, said the team‘s unselfishness has been a key.
"Guys want to see each other succeed," said Powell, a former UCLA guard. "It‘s a very unselfish team. It‘s always fun to see a group of guys put together in a short time root for each other and play hard for each other.
"We know as a team if everyone is doing well, everyone is going to be successful and get what they need out of it for themselves. When you are out there on an island playing for yourself, everyone looks bad. We don’t have that with this team. Everybody helps one another."
Wright and Powell have played well in Las Vegas. Powell leads Toronto in scoring with a 19.3 average, and Wright has 11 assists against two turnovers.
"I think I did pretty solid, but I could‘ve done better," said Wright, who didn‘t play Thursday. "It hasn‘t been too much of a transition. They do a lot of the same things here that we did in Utah. But there‘s still a lot to learn playing at this level.
"I have some areas where I need to improve. But it‘s a little glimpse of what I can expect during the regular season, so it was good to play here."
Powell said he didn’t change what worked for him at UCLA.
"It‘s how I go out and compete," he said. "I lay everything on the line to win. It goes to my work ethic and whatever the coaches ask me to do to help this team."
Mermuys said when he coached the Raptors in Las Vegas last summer, he overloaded his players with information and they were stagnant on the court, thinking way too much instead of just playing. This year, he simplified things.
"Coaches learn, too," Mermuys said. "I didn‘t throw a lot at them this time, and it seems to have worked.
"I really like this group of guys, and I wish I could take them all with me to the D-League. But it‘s been great watching them come together and see the chemistry in such a short period."
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.
