FanPost

Dwane Casey: Mid-Season Progress Report

Dwane Casey
2014-15 Raptors: 49-33, 4th in the East

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The narrative guiding the Toronto Raptors this season seems to be their ability to overcome obstacles.

Currently on pace for a franchise record 55 wins, the Raptors continue to get better and their head coach, Dwane Casey, continues to improve his case for coach of the year.

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After yet another disappointing first round flameout, Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri had a difficult choice to make: re-tool for another run at the Eastern Conference in 2015-16, or make drastic roster moves under the impression that their core has reached their ceiling.

The 2014-15 season ended in heartbreak for the Raptors. After starting the season with a franchise best 36-17 record, the Raptors plummeted; only managing 13 win in their last 29 games. Their downward spiral followed them into the playoffs, subsequently getting swept in the first round by the Washington Wizards.

During the offseason, management didn't hesitate to shack things up, adding talent to complement a core of youngsters that includes Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. The new look Raptors - include DeMarre Carroll, Bismack Biyombo and Cory Joseph - all were brought in to shoring up the defensive side of the ball, last season the team had the fifth worst defense in the league. A weakness that came back to haunt them in the playoffs.

" [Joseph] is an energy bunny," Casey said. "Defensively, he changes things. He can guard bigger guards, smaller guards, shooting guards, point guards. He's been a godsend."

There are three big reasons why the Raptors have been one of the most consistent teams in the East this season - Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and Dwane Casey. Dwane Casey is lucky. His backcourt consists of two elite scorers in their primes.

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At the point guard position, Kyle Lowry - the two-time All-Star - is having a career year. On the offensive end, he's averaging a career high 21 points per game (ppg), shooting a ridiculous 39% from behind the three-point arc. On the defensive end, Lowry has shown improvement, averaging a career high 2.2 steals per game (spg), while sporting a career best 103 defensive rating.

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The high-flying shooting guard - DeMar DeRozan - has been lights out for Dwane Casey and the Raptors; averaging a career high 23.5 ppg with a tremendous player efficiency rating (PER) of 21.6. DeRozan and Lowry have been outstanding for Casey this year, providing scoring from all over the court. But injuries have been the narrative for the Raptors thus far.

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Casey has done a wonderful job juggling line-ups this season. DeMarre Carroll - the Raptor's ‘big' offseason acquisition - has only played 23 games and recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, which will sideline him till at least March. But Carroll's replacements have been getting the job done. With Carroll out, James Johnson - the 6-year veteran - has been consistent, starting in 23 games, averaging a solid 16 minutes per game. Jonas Valanciunas - the Lithuanian center - has been in and out of the starting line up due to injury, only starting in 38 games. Without Valanciunas, Biyombo has helped the Raptors stay on track, wining 11 of 17 in the 23-year-old's absence.

Without Valanciunas and Carroll, the Raptors haven't missed a beat and refuse to lose more than three consecutive games. Casey continues to run one of the most effective offenses in the league, even though they've played most of the season without their skilled big man, Valanciunas. Casey has also done a great job with their defense. Without defensive savant, DeMarre Carroll, the Raptors have sported a top ten defensive rating all season long - an impressive improvement to a shaky defense a year ago.

Offensive Rating: 109.4 (5th out of 30)

Defensive Rating: 104.2 (10th of 30)

The Raptors offense has the ability to score in bunches, but the system Casey runs can become predictable. With Valanciunas and Carroll injured, Casey has had to revert back to last year's offensive strategy, which involves a lot of isolation for Lowry and DeRozan. This offensive strategy showed its vulnerabilities in last year's playoffs, when Washington embarrassed Toronto in the first round. This year, their offense hasn't been much different, effective, but among the worst teams in the league in assists per game. Their isolation offensive becomes predictable and repetitive. For example, they usually run some type of isolation for DeRozan or pick and roll for Lowry, in the playoffs; teams have an opportunity to prepare for these situations. In the regular season, teams can get away with relying on their stars.

Fortunately for the Raptors, their offense should continue to improve as soon as they are fully healthy. Valanciunas' minutes continue to increase as he's been put back into the starting line up. Carroll is working to come back sometime in March; he's been preforming other on-court activities. When fully healthy, the Raptors have one of the deepest benches in the league

"We're a complete team," Lowry said. "Fifteen deep. We always say that and we really mean that. You never know whose time it's going to be."

The Raptors are going to be scary in the playoffs. It's worth noting that the best still be yet to come for Toronto's defense: Carroll, Joseph and Biyombo have shared the court with Lowry and DeRozan for just 31 total minuets all season. On paper, that lineup looks solid for the postseason, matching the Raptors' top defensive tools in a five-man lineup that includes multiple playmakers, multiple ball- handlers and multiple three-point shooters.

Casey has his team playing well, winning 14 of 16 games before the All-Star break. The month of January was magical for the Raptors. Besides winning 11 straight games, and going 12-2 throughout the month; Casey was also named coach of the month.

In a season that has been filled with plenty of positives the ability to correct things in a timely fashion and not let bad habits become ingrained might be the biggest accomplish for Casey thus far. Casey also does a great job of spacing the floor, keeping enough shooters/scorers on the floor so teams don't overload on Lowry or DeRozan.

If Casey and the Raptors can secure the second seed in the East and increase the franchise record for number of wins in a season, Casey should definitely be in the conversation for coach of the year. Casey is in the final year of his contract, with two straight first round exits already under his belt, he cannot afford another first round exit.