Resting Lowry was right move for Raptors who needed his teammates to show up (they didn’t)

In resting Kyle Lowry, the Raptors took a chance Sunday in Detroit. The hope was having hitched a ride on Lowry’s back and letting him carry the load against Cleveland, the rest of the gang could hold the fort against the Pistons, with Lowry getting a much-needed rest.
It was the right idea – the team desperately needs to find ways to get Lowry some time off, since all that matters is what happens in the playoffs and he needs to be as fresh as possible, however, his teammates didn’t step up.
DeMar DeRozan had a nice start, then got completely shut down by Marcus Morris (generally, DeRozan has his way with other shooting guards, but when a big, athletic forward like Otto Porter or Marcus Morris can stay with him, he tends to have a ton of problems). After several excellent outings, Cory Joseph wasn’t great in his first start as a Raptor, though Delon Wright impressed at times. The Lowry break was also beneficial because it allowed Wright to get a nice run. They might need him if foul trouble for Lowry or Joseph arise down the line.
Given how little experience he has, Wright impressed. Credit to Jesse Mermuys and his staff in Mississauga. Raptors fans scream about passing on Bobby Portis, but have always maintained Wright will be a solid pro as well.
Meanwhile, it’s smart for the Raptors to get Lowry some breaks now, while there are still many games left to play, rather than scratching him for two or three games just before the playoffs, which could lead to rust and timing issues.
Perhaps the weirdest takeaway for me from this game was Jonas Valanciunas getting absolutely throttled by Andre Drummond. In the past, Valanciunas has usually totally dominated the all-star at both ends of the floor. Not this time. Not even close. Pistons players have noted Drummond’s improvement the past few weeks, particularly defensively and they might be on to something.
Valanciunas has improved as a rim defender, but he was atrocious in this one (Detroit went 5-for-5 at the rim against him and a silly-good 20-for-23 overall).
Toronto’s defence was far too soft inside and Detroit’s was excellent (Toronto shot just 13-for-22 at the rim)
BAD MATCHUP?
Reading too much into one game is a mistake, but this one created some doubt in my mind. Before it, felt a Raptors-Pistons playoff matchup would result in a five game Raptors win. Now, after seeing Drummond turn the tables on Valanciunas and Morris solve DeRozan, far less certain. Still think Lowry (and a healthy DeMarre Carroll) would make the difference, but this scenario might not be the walk it felt like it would be earlier.
Still think it would be better than facing Chicago or Indiana though. Actually, Charlotte (despite Toronto’s historic struggles against the Hornets) is the only potential matchup of the six likeliest opponents that I think is more favourable for the Raptors than the Pistons.
Perhaps the point is any series in the East is going to be tough this year.
AROUND THE RIM
The only starter that had a good game? James Johnson, who seems to love playing in Detroit. He was solid, although like all of the Raptors, he was far better offensively than defensively … Terrence Ross was probably the best Raptor and was particularly good with a hand up on him, hitting half of his contested attempts, per NBA.com (DeRozan only hit 5-of-14) … Toronto only had five turnovers and hit 10 three-pointers on 21 attempts. Usually, that combination is going to win a team a game, only the defence was hideous (Detroit shot 57.7%).
All of the wins have covered up a few warts, but Toronto has some things to work on. Most troubling? The team’s defensive efficiency over the past 10 games ranks 23rd in the NBA (the offence tops the Association, hence all of the wins despite the shoddy defending).
As we’ve seen, offence alone isn’t going to get it done in the playoffs when the whistle changes and scoring becomes a lot more difficult. The defensive issues need to be corrected, or else getting to the second round and beyond becomes unlikely.