Sad news for Toronto Raptors: He will not return.
Despite a close loss to the Hawks, the Raptors see signs of hope.
After a close loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Jontay Porter and Jordan Nwora of the Toronto Raptors appear to have a bright future.
The Toronto Raptors were unmatched in their ability to scout and develop prospects not too long ago.
From 2015 to 2017, the Raptors were almost flawless. With each and every draft selection, they signed Fred VanVleet as an undrafted free agent and added rotation players. It was an incredible distance.
However, things haven’t gone as well after that.
With the exception of Scottie Barnes’ choice, Toronto is stuck in a rut. Their league-renowned developmental program has stagnated, and none of their other recent draft selections have performed well. As a result, the team has lacked depth for far too long.
However, there may be cause for some hope.
In addition, Sunday’s 126-125 loss to the Atlanta Hawks hinted that Jordan Nwora and Jontay Porter might also have long-term value for Toronto. Gradey Dick, Toronto’s No. 13 pick from the previous year, has been playing better lately.
It appeared for a brief moment as though Nwora would save Toronto. With seven seconds left, he forced a poor pass from Trae Young, giving Toronto a one-point lead. Dick
However, Toronto’s feel-good tale was not to be.
Young missed a shot, which gave Saddiq Bey an offensive rebound and the opportunity to sink the Raptors with a reverse dunk.
With Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett out, Toronto appeared to be in trouble right away. Taking advantage of Thad Young’s size inside, the Hawks went 12-for-14 in the paint in the first quarter and led by as many as 12.
Everything changed when the bench checked in.
Porter assisted in converting a 10-point Raptors deficit into a four-point Raptors lead in the course of nine first-half minutes. Dennis Schröder found him for a catch-and-shoot three, which he nailed, and Dick found him for another three following an inbound pass.
Porter’s playmaking was equally remarkable given his position. He drove the paint and threw the kick-out to the corner, setting Dick up for an easy three. In the second, he found Dick once more, creating another corner three by making the extra pass out of the pick-and-roll.Porter had a plus-14 performance for the evening with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in 19 minutes.
Just by being in the paint, he was able to slow Atlanta’s offensive momentum and help Toronto pull ahead by nine points in the second.
The fact that Nwora played well in his first game for Toronto also helped. For the most part of the evening, Toronto’s offensive engine was the fourth-year forward that the Raptors acquired from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Pascal Siakam.
Before the half, Nwora made an outstanding and fiercely contested three-pointer to start the second quarter. He then displayed his isolation skills by going after Garrison Mathews for a layup. He finished the game with a season-high 24 points, nine rebounds, and six assists after nailing three three-pointers.
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