Joseph ready to pack a punch

Lennox Lewis may not know who Cory Joseph is, but Toronto Raptors fans sure do.

The former world heavyweight champion and the Canadian point guard crossed paths Tuesday at TSN while in the midst of separate interview tours.

When introduced to Lewis as the newest Canadian to suit up for the Raptors, the 6-foot-5 pugilist responded with “really?”

 “I actually got your card when I was real young. My dad brought me a signed card of you, boss,” said the wiry, 6-foot-3 Joseph.

The pair had a laugh and poised for a photo.

“Seriously, basketball?” asked Lewis again.

“Yeah, basketball.”

The 23-year-old from Pickering, Ont. doesn’t have the same intimidating physical presence as the boxing legend, but the Raptors are betting Joseph can pack a punch in other ways.

The team signed Joseph to a four-year, $30-million contract this offseason, making him the second Canadian-born player in franchise history. Jamaal Magloire was the first, but only played 34 games in Toronto during the last year of his career in 2011-12.

Joseph, meanwhile, is expected to be a contributing factor for years to come as he enters the peak of his career. The former Texas Longhorn insists he doesn’t feel any added pressure despite being the hometown kid.

“Obviously, you feel like you want to do that much better because you’re playing for your country and your city, your hometown. At the end of the day, it’s a game. I feel like I’m a guy that always plays hard and learnt that with the Spurs,” said Joseph, who won a NBA championship with San Antonio in 2014, backing up Tony Parker.

“I’m just going to transfer that over. I’m going to play hard. There’s going to be bad games, there’s going to be good games. I just got to live with it. I feel like, if anything, it’s a good thing because I got family and friends to fall back on when I have a bad game.”

Joseph was raised 45 minutes east of Toronto and remembers honing his skills on neighbourhood courts at Valley Farm Elementary School and Glengrove Park.

General Manager Masai Ujiri, head coach Dwane Casey and likely the entire Toronto fan base is hoping Joseph spent adequate time on his defence during those formative years.

The lack of perimeter defence was the Raptors’ Achilles heel all year long, losing in the opening round of the playoffs for the second straight season. Toronto allowed 100.9 points per game in the regular season, the fifth worst mark in the Eastern Conference and were even worse in the playoffs allowing 110.3 points per game.

Joseph is expected to bring more stopping power from the point guard position and will likely backup All-Star Kyle Lowry, a job formerly handled by streaky shooter Greivis Vasquez. The Raptors also picked up defensive small forward DeMarre Carroll to help the cause.

The Spurs’ 2011 first round pick (29th overall) averaged 6.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists over 79 games in 2014-15, his best season as a pro. He was also ranked eighth in the NBA in defensive real plus-minus, a new stat that determines a player’s overall defensive impact.

Learning From The Best

Spending his first four years as a pro learning from the likes of Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginóbili in San Antonio proved to be beneficial for the young Joseph.  

“There were multiple moments where they helped me with my game. They taught me something that I might not have already known,” explained Joseph. “Obviously, Tony being my position helped me out a lot just by watching him and talking to him as well.

“If I had film I could go to him and show him a clip or two just to ask for his opinion. He would always look at it with me and give me stuff to work on.”

The dream of playing at home has become a reality for Joseph. Now it’s time to see how it all turns out.

Joseph will host the first annual Cory Joseph Youth Basketball Camp from July 27-29 in Ajax, Ont.