| Early Impressions Authored by Patrick J. Austin - November 7, 2005 - 6:58 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Merry Christmas, Raptors Fans The Raptors might not be playing good basketball right now, but there are plenty of things for Toronto fans to be thankful for this holiday season.
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In the first game we got to see that long, athletic line-up of Joe Johnson, Josh Childress, Josh Smith, Al Harrington, and Zaza Pachulia. Unfortunately, as the final score indicates, this group didn’t fare too well. The biggest problem I saw was redundancy. The four-some of JJ, Chill, Smoove, and Harrington all do similar things on the court and when you put them together, the opposing defense doesn’t have to do much to stop them. But hey, this was the first game so all-star performances shouldn’t be expected from such a young group of guys.
In the second game we weren’t at full strength with the loss of Al Harrington to a sprained left ankle. On the bright side, we got to see Marvin Williams enter the starting line-up. Though, his performance was less-than-spectacular (6 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal in 35 minutes). His rebound total was solid, but we need more from him on the offensive end. However, I need to keep reminding myself that Marvin is a long-term project and can’t expect too much from him this season.
Major line-up changes took place in the third game with Tyronn Lue starting in the backcourt with Joe Johnson, Josh Childress moving to small forward, and bringing Marvin Williams and Josh Smith off the bench. Surprisingly, these changes brought about positive results. Joe Johnson had his best game as a Hawk scoring 23 points and dishing out 7 assists. Salim Stoudamire made his presence felt off the bench with 15 points, as did Josh Smith with 14 points and 4 blocks. But most importantly, the team was competitive. We didn’t get the win, but we certainly came close. If the refs hadn’t made a very questionable call on Pachulia against Zach Randolph, the end result might have been different.
From what I’ve seen in these first 3 games, it’s obvious Joe Johnson benefits from having another ball handler on the court. I don’t think it’s a coincidence J.J. put up his best stats yet primarily playing the off-guard position. The two biggest disappointments so far have to be Josh Smith and Josh Childress. These guys played so well at the end of last season—what happened? I’m especially concerned with Josh Smith. He seems to just drift during portions of the game. It’s almost as if he’s looking to make that one spectacular dunk or block and nothing else matters. He needs to do a little bit of everything to truly be considered a rising star in this league. Josh Childress hasn’t changed his awkward shot and you’re seeing the results. He’s supposed to be our shooting guard, but if you can’t shoot consistently you don’t belong at that position.
On the bright side, Zaza Pachulia has been playing great posting averages of 12ppg, 8rpg, and 1bpg. I love his intensity on the court. He may not be the most talented big man, but his hustle makes up for it. If he can maintain this kind of production, I’d vote for him to be in the all-star game.
I know this isn’t the kind of start we were hoping for, but we need to remember that the Hawks are the youngest team in the league. Growing pains are to be expected. And let’s not forget the Chicago Bulls started 0-9 last season and went on to make the playoffs. I’m not saying the Hawks will do the same, but it’s not impossible. |
