905 outgunned by Squadron in OT thriller
At the outset of the 2024-25 G League schedule, the Raptors 905 appeared to be in good shape. The Toronto Raptors added four players via the 2024 NBA Draft, signed undrafted players Jamison Battle and Branden Carlson, and added a bevy of young talent through seven exhibit 10 deals.
However, myriad injuries to the NBA squad resulted in the assignment eligible players and two-ways being needed there, the 905 faced injury trouble of their own, and the roster fluctuated with three major additions (Eugene Omoruyi, A.J. Lawson, Frank Kaminsky) and two significant departures (Carlson, D.J. Carton). The result was a team that started 15 different lineups through their first 16 games and posted a 5-11 record.
Before Friday’s game against the Birmingham Squadron in Mississauga, I asked coach Drew Jones what challenges this level of personnel volatility poses.
“Just trying to maintain and stay true to our identity. I think despite that being very clear to our team it’s still tougher to execute with having so many different lineups,” Jones said. “But I think the beauty in is that we know who we are, and I think there’s clarity there, but on the court, obviously, it’s tough chemistry wise.”
This kind of roster churn is inherent to the G League, with two-way players going up and down and good players getting plucked by other organizations. But even for G League standards the 905 faced a lot of roster instability through the tip-off tournament/showcase portion of the schedule.
Any team that has started a season with an optimistic outlook, only to come out the gate facing personnel issues and end up with a losing record would love the opportunity to wipe the slate clean.
The 905 got that chance on Friday, as the G League reset – records and all – for the regular season. While the result may have been a 111-108 overtime loss to the Birmingham Squadron, the process was promising.
The Mississauga squad led in paint points, second chance points, and transition scoring by significant margins, took 17 more shots than Birmingham, and played better defence. But the Squadron outshot the 905 from distance, going 15-for-43 (34.9 percent) to the home side’s 7-for-38 (18.4 percent). Similar to their parent team, the 905 were out-mathed.
The 905’s latest addition, Jared Rhoden, made his debut in the starting lineup (making it 16 starting lineups in 17 games).
Rhoden didn’t waste any time getting involved, taking it to the hoop for a running bank shot on the first play of the game, then committing a foul guarding the ball going the other way.
The 905 failed to take advantage of two wide open corner 3s early, while the Squadron made a slew of contested shots from both beyond the arc and the midrange – including a couple middys where Izaiah Brockington got to his spot, rose up, and hit –propelling Birmingham to a 22-7 lead less than halfway through the first quarter.
The 905 chipped away at Birmingham’s lead through the remainder of the frame, jumping on every transition opportunity with vigor. First A.J. Lawson sprinted for an easy lay through minimal traffic. A Charlie Brown Jr. steal turned into a slam for Qunicy Guerrier at the other end. They ultimately outscored the Squadron seven to five in fast break points through the quarter.
Brown Jr. – the G League tip-off tournament steals leader – grabbed his first two regular season steals in the first. He almost had a third on a play where he put immense pressure on Elfrid Payton (the same Elfrid Payton that put up 20 assists in an NBA game a month ago) near the sideline and eventually poked the ball out of bounds himself.
Evan Gilyard also canned a nice late-clock step-back 3.
Then it was Kennedy Chandler time. He knocked down a triple from the slot, slashed to the rim off a sideline out of bounds for a layup and took a steal the other way for a converted 1-for-2 free throw, completing a personal 7-0 run to start the second quarter.
Next, fellow starting guard Lawson tagged in, running off a flare screen and hitting a triple in the 905s frequently used Elbow series. The Toronto native missed his 3-point attempt the next trip down, but Ulrich Chomche saved it to Chandler for an offensive board, who then fed it back to Lawson on a savvy 45 cut for a big one-handed slam. Make it a 12-0 905 run.
Lawson finished with 21 point, six rebounds, and five assists and Chandler scored 15 with six dimes. The guard tandem finished second and third, respectively, for the 905 in scoring.
Yet it was another Canadian, Guerrier, who came off the bench and stole the show.
The six-foot-seven forward was relentless running in transition and making timely cuts to the rim. Late in the second, he pushed off a rebound, ran the length of the floor, initiated contact on the drive, and finished for the and-one. Later Lawson took a handoff from Omoruyi, rejected the screen and brought the ball into the lane with a measured drive. Eventually he nashed and made a great lay down to a basket-cutting Guerrier for a dunk. The Montreal native finished with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting and had six rebounds.
The Raptors 905 defence remained persistent with their activity into the third. They contested everything, made sure every ball handler faced pressure, and gambled for steals, causing the paltry (26th ranked) Squadron offence to get rattled and make mistakes. Holding everything together through the aggression were the 905’s staunch help principles, ensuring their lunges for steals didn’t result in open driving lanes.
The teams traded blows for a two minutes stretch in the fourth. Chandler grabbed another pick six. Immediately after Lawson stole the inbound pass, and Omoruyi got a putback to go after Chandler missed the kickout 3. The Squadron pushed back, getting behind the 905 defence for a dunk, then Jalen Crutcher hit a floater in the lane (he finished with a team high 25 on 7-of-12 3-point shooting for the Squadron). With the energy in the building peaking, a transition and-one lay from Omoruyi brought the exciting stretch to a climax and triggered a Birmingham timeout.
Up three late, the 905 made the interesting decision to trap after the timeout. It momentarily slowed Birmingham, and nearly caused a turnover but was ultimately broken resulting in an easy dunk.
“They’re 31st in pace, just wanted to speed them up,” said Jones after the game when I asked him about the decision to trap. “That’s not who they are, they like to slow the pace down, play in the halfcourt, really utilize their shooters.”
With the score tied at 104 and under a minute remaining, the 905 trapped once again, with pressure from Omoruyi and Lawson causing Lester Quinones to lose the handle. Lawson and Quinones dove to the ground in an attempt to corral the loose ball, and Lawson wrestled it away. Yet, he proceeded to miss a wing 3 after curling out of the corner on the ensuing possession.
Going the other way, the 905 switched everything and Crutcher was forced to take a contested pull up triple that caught rim. It was time for G League Elam Overtime.
The target score for these overtimes is seven, so it was a race to 111 for the win.
After Brown Jr. tipped his fourth steal of the game, Kaminsky threw a huge, roof-raising lob to Guerrier bringing the 905 within three points of the win. Quinones responded with a driving finger roll, knotting the score at 108.
Chandler then brought the ball up the floor, ran a get action with Kaminsky, and took a step-back that missed long. Going the other way Crutcher took a quick trigger catch-and-shoot from 30 feet out at the top of the floor, and sunk it. That was the game, the 905 missed their shot, the Squadron made theirs.
Hope everyone’s having a great holiday season.
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