The Rap-Up: Canada basketball takes centre stage this week

The Raptors welcome a bevy of homegrown talent as they continue their season-high 7-game homestand.

As the calendar flips to December and thoughts of the new year start creeping in, my mind usually reflects on the year that was.

The Toronto Raptors did not provide many positive highlights this calendar year. Two more members of the championship roster were traded (leaving Chris Boucher as the last man standing), as the team finished in the lottery, but without a lottery pick. As promising as this season has started — from a development and a pro-tanking standpoint — the casual fan will only notice wins and losses. And there have been plenty more losses (42) than wins (19) this calendar year.

The bright spot for Canadians this year was the Senior Men’s national team. They entered the Olympics as medal favourites and, while they ultimately fell short against the host country, left Paris with heads high and a very promising future ahead.

If you hung around Hotel X or the OVO Centre, maybe you were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the team as they prepped for the Summer Games. If you’re attending a home game this week, you will be lucky enough to catch the past, present, and future of Canada Basketball.

When the Indiana Pacers roll in on Tuesday, they’ll feature 2 Canadians who are, at worst, rotation players for the foreseeable future in Canadian basketball: Andrew Nembhard and Ben Mathurin. On Thursday, the Oklahoma City Thunder visit Scotiabank Arena with Canada’s MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and one of the world’s best defenders, Lu Dort. Finally, on Saturday, the Dallas Mavericks come to town with a Senior Men’s team legend, Dwight Powell, and a promising Canadian prospect, Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

The weather outside is nothing like early July, but it will feel like Canada Day inside Scotiabank Arena this week!

December 3 vs Indiana Pacers

The round-robin portion of the NBA Cup wraps up with a pair of teams on the opposite ends of the “expectations” spectrum.

In last season’s inaugural version of the In-Season Tournament, the Indiana Pacers swept through the round-robin games with an average margin of victory of 9.75 points. They would carry that momentum through the knockout stage with a 10-point win over the Boston Celtics, followed by a 9-point win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Only a legacy-driven, LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers kept the Pacers from making NBA history as the first in-season champion.

This year, the Pacers are winless heading into the final round-robin game and have the worst point differential in the league. Has anyone told them this does not count towards the Cooper Flagg draft?

Fun fact that may only interest me

Ben Mathurin remains one of the lone bright spots for Indiana this season. He’s averaging 18.5 points on 49/43/84 shooting. Only 3 other players currently reach those statistical benchmarks: Karl-Anthony Towns, Kyrie Irving, and Darius Garland.

That’s 13 combined All-Stars. Possibly 16 by February.

Or 17???

Prediction

The Pacers are down two rotation players, as neither Ben Sheppard nor Aaron Nesmith are near returning from their injuries. Indiana has also lost both backup Centers, Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman to season-ending injuries.

The Pacers’ defense has fallen off a cliff, giving up at least 129 in each of the last 5 losses, including a 136-121 defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday and 130-119 loss to these Raptors two weeks ago. With Gradey Dick nearing a return, and Bruce Brown not far behind, the Raptors are in better shape to grab the lone victory in NBA Cup group play. Toronto covers the +2.5 spread.

December 5 vs Oklahoma City Thunder

I remember watching Bill Wennington and Rick Fox as a basketball-thirsty teenager and beaming with pride as they won NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively.

I remember watching Steve Nash with slack-jawed expressions and marveling as he won 2 MVPs while orchestrating the most aesthetically pleasing offense I’d ever seen.

When I’m old(er) and grey(er), I will remember Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the best this country has ever produced. Even if Nikola Jokic never allows anyone to touch the MVP trophy again, SGA has already cemented himself as one of the best players on this planet. I’d go as far as stating Shai is better than any American or any other human who doesn’t average a triple-double while simultaneously tending to ponies.

Fun fact that may only interest me

The Thunder have 5 players in the top 20 in Defensive Rating. FIVE!

• Jalen Williams (2nd)
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (6th)
• Cason Wallace (10th)
• Lu Dort (13th)
• Aaron Wiggins (19th)

You’ll notice that the list does not include Chet Holmgren (2.6 blocks per game), Ousmane Dieng (15th in steals per 100 possessions), or Alex Caruso (All-Defense in each of the last two seasons).

This is a terrifying defense!

Prediction

Is this the part where I remind you that the Thunder could have as many as FIVE (there’s that number again) first-round picks in the upcoming draft? I don’t know where else to put that in this post. Sam Presti is building a juggernaut with an embarrassment of riches.

After a Tuesday home game against the Utah Jazz, the Thunder cross the border to kick off its second four-game road trip in two weeks. Oklahoma City has the 2nd-youngest team in the league, so there shouldn’t be any concern over road weariness.

The Thunder are #1 in forcing turnovers, while the Raptors are bottom-5 in turning the ball over. This could get ugly very quickly. OKC covers the -10.5 spread.

December 7 vs Dallas Mavericks

It can be very difficult to live up to expectations following a surprise run through the playoffs (see: Minnesota Timberwolves), especially one that leads to a trip to the Finals (see: Indiana Pacers).

After starting the season slow, including a 4-game losing streak in mid-November, the defending Western Conference champs have found their footing. Dallas has won 8 of its last 9 games, including impressive wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, and New York Knicks.

The Mavericks are one of two teams, along with the Memphis Grizzlies, that have a top-7 offense AND defense.

Luka Doncic (more on him in the next section) and Kyrie Irving are putting up All-Star numbers. The Klay Thompson/Naji Marshall platoon at Small Forward appears to be working fine. Dereck Lively (8th), Dwight Powell (13th), and Daniel Gafford (15th) are all in the top 15 in blocks per 100 possessions. I refrain from calling them a 3-headed monster because PJ Washington also ranks 20th in rebounds per game. There is a TON of talent up and down this roster!

Fun fact that may only interest me

Before this season, there have been 11 instances where a player averaged at least 28.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists — Luka Doncic’s averages this season.

Three of the previous 11 instances were accomplished by Doncic.

In other words, Doncic’s current season average would NOT rank in the top 3 when compared to other seasons on his resume. Folks, he’s 25 years old!

Prediction

Dallas’ bevy of big men will make scoring in the paint — Toronto’s strong suit — a difficult task for the Raptors. Throw in the Mavs’ 2nd-ranked transition defense and the Raptors may be in for a long night. That doesn’t even mention the impossible task of trying to slow down Doncic and Irving.

Dallas covers the -7.5 spread.

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Last Week’s Record: 4-0

Season Record: 9-12