Raptors Offensive Start, Win Over Heat Show Glimpses of Post-Siakam Era
All it took was the starting lineup being introduced to usher in a new era in Toronto Raptors basketball.
As Scotiabank Arena public address announcer Herbie Kuhn called out the home starters against the Miami Heat, Scottie Barnes came last.
An honor often left to a team leader or veteran; it was Pascal Siakam’s throughout most of the 2023-24 season. With Siakam traded to the Indiana Pacers in a blockbuster transaction, Barnes became the Raptors frontman midway through his third NBA season.
It left him with the last-man honour, and while the final result won’t have massive repercussions in what has become a largely rebuilding campaign for Toronto, it marked the first step in the Raptors’ growth away from the 2019 NBA Championship-winning core.
Yet, to him, it didn't matter too much. "I just wanted to start the game," he said post-game.
Having not officially confirmed the trade by tip-off, the Raptors were relatively shorthanded to start, unable to draw on Bruce Brown Jr. and Jordan Nwora, but that didn’t matter to them -- they balled out.
Who would have thought a Siakam-less Raptors team would push aside doubt, securing a 121-97 victory over a Miami Heat team well inside the playoffs at the midway mark of the season?
By the end of the second quarter, the Raptors had put up a 36-point lead on the Heat and hit 78 points, their second-largest first-half score of the season, only trailing a November win over the lowly Detroit Pistons.
Every starter finished a three-point shot, and the thought to be rebuilding Raptors pushed expectations aside and played the Heat off the court through the first half before adding another 43 points in the second.
While the largest lead of 37 points quickly dissipated throughout the second half, getting down to 14 points at one point, the Raptors did enough to stop their slip, securing the victory despite unnerving moments.
Gary Trent Jr. led team scoring with 28 points, and went 10-for-13 from the field, while RJ Barett followed him with a 26-point performance.
With the victory, Toronto ended the first half of the season with a 16-25 record, but now approach the second half without Siakam.
"He meant a lot to me; he meant a lot to this organization; he had been here his whole career, all the dedication and hard work," Barnes said of Siakam. "I love him as a brother. It hurts, but you got to keep moving on, keep fighting; the better is gonna come for him.”
“I watched him come in every day ready to work, show up and be happy. Just bring a joyful spirit...always gonna be talking to those guys, FaceTiming those guys… those guys are like family to me.”
Raptors new look continues developing
Amid the offensive outburst, the Raptors continued offering glimpses of what the future could hold under head coach Darko Rajaković, with key players in new positions through transition and attacking plays.
Despite several Raptors needing clarification and help with new patterns early in the game, Toronto pushed through and continued scoring. Immanuel Quickley, who ended the night with 17 points, immediately made cuts inside the paint before dropping back and hitting threes off Barnes’ assist.
The Raptors had an emotional start to the game, tipping off with a drawn-up play once used by Rajaković's longtime friend, Dejan Milojević, an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors, who passed away earlier in the day.
"Opening play in the game... Decky, my friend, I learned that play from him, and that's what he brought to the NBA, that's what he brought to Golden State," Rajaković said post-game. "I stole that play from him, and that was our opening play tonight, and we were able to score on that one."
"I dedicated this team win to our team and to Decky."
Throughout the night, there was an evident focus on setting up Barrett to catch the ball in motion, allowing Toronto more fluidity and rhythm on offence, showcased by a second-quarter steal from Gradey Dick, who made a grabbed possession and spun before sending Barrett through for the dunk.
Despite bright moments and the first game of the full post-championship team era for the Raptors, the win is essentially a novelty for a team that, barring a miracle, won’t have a shot at the NBA Championship this season if they are even a playoff team.
It took just over an hour after the final buzzer for Siakam to officially make his way out of the Raptors organization, with the long-rumoured transaction going through at just past 10:30 pm ET.
"Pascal is a champion, an integral part of winning teams, and an example of what can be achieved with dedication, perseverance, hard work and tenacity," Raptors president Masai Ujiri said in a release.
"We're lucky to have seen Pascal develop into the man and player that he is today -- and we're grateful for everything he has done for our city and for our franchise."
Even after the trade, a novelty win doesn’t take away from the rest of the season, nor the processes that led to victory on Wednesday, as the Raptors continue building towards the next stage in their evolution, having hit the halfway mark.
