TORONTO – Karl-Anthony Towns doesn’t scare easily, but you could see the fear in the eyes of the New York Knicks’ big man.
It was late in the first half of Thursday’s pre-season game, a 122-120 win over the Toronto Raptors, and the six-time all-star was looking to attack Collin Murray-Boyles off the bounce. With the sophomore forward draped all over him, at one point tying up his dribble, Towns started to survey the court for an outlet.
In that moment, Kawhi Leonard came over to double, while Scottie Barnes hedged on the opposite side, both of them swiping at the ball. All at once, Towns was surrounded by a generational defensive talent, an ascending all-league stopper, and one of the game’s brightest young stars on that side of the ball. Under duress, he sailed the pass over the head of Jalen Brunson and out of bounds.
The Raptors are going to frustrate a lot of great players this season. That was only a glimpse into what they’re capable of.
“I don’t think we have a limit to how good we can be,” Murray-Boyles said of the team’s immense defensive potential. “If we’re all dialled in, I feel like it’s going to be a nightmare for any team.”
Last season, Toronto finished as the fifth-ranked defensive club – an impressive feat considering only one of their starters profiled as plus defender. It was a credit to coach Darko Rajakovic and his frenetic style of play, which was fourth in the league in forcing turnovers, and to Barnes, who earned an All-Defensive Second-Team nod, but was inexplicably left off the First-Team.
Now, they’ve added Leonard, a seven-time all-league defender and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, who was tailor made for this – or, really, any – defensive system. Jakob Poeltl, the anchor of their defence, is healthy again and Murray-Boyles’ role figures to grow exponentially in Year 2. They’ve got a pair of pesky guards off the bench in Ja’Kobe Walter and Jamal Shead, and drafted Allen Graves, another versatile forward who prides himself on wreaking havoc defensively.
As the pre-season showed, it’s success will largely depend on personnel. With Friday’s exhibition finale on the road against the Detroit Pistons shaping up to be a rest night for the starters, the Raptors used Thursday’s contest to get a look at their regular rotation and gauge where they stand ahead of next week’s regular season opener. Overall, they had to be pleased with what they saw throughout an uncharacteristically competitive tune-up game.
After resting their stars in Toronto a couple days earlier, the Knicks took this one seriously too. The reigning champs were close to full strength, and like they did a year ago, when they swept the five-game season series with the Raptors, they knew which players to attack. With Poeltl and former Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley on the floor, New York used a heavy dose of pick and roll actions featuring Brunson and Towns. It went as you’d expect it to, that is until Murray-Boyles came in.
In six and a half minutes with their three-best defenders – Leonard, Barnes, and CMB – on the court together, the Raptors held New York to 2-for-9 shooting and outscored them 21-7. They blocked two shots, grabbed two steals, and forced three turnovers, including that collaborative effort that led to Towns’ errant pass. Over the other 41.5 minutes, the Knicks shot 51 per cent and Toronto was outscored by 16 points.
The sample was small but encouraging. At one point late in the second quarter, Barnes picked Brunson up full court, and with Murray-Boyles pressuring Towns at the top of the arc, Leonard fought through a screen and poked the ball away from Mikal Bridges.
Murray-Boyles got an extended look with the starters early in the second half – a three-minute stretch in which Toronto went on a 10-2 run and held the Knicks to 1-of-7 shooting. On one defensive possession, Leonard trapped Landry Shamet and deflected his pass to Brunson. While Brunson re-gained control and beat Quickley off the dribble, Barnes met him at the rim and blocked his shot, leading to a Murray-Boyles dunk in transition. Nightmare fuel for the league’s other 29 teams.
If he’s healthy, Poeltl will almost certainly continue to start, and that’s fine. The league’s more mobile or perimeter-oriented bigs may pose a matchup problem, but prior to his back injury, the seven-footer was a solid enough defender at his position. He’s not a rim protector, in the traditional sense, but he makes up for it with his instincts and intellect. He’s usually in the right place at the right time. At minimum, he should be serviceable as long as his back holds up.
What’s important is that Murray-Boyles, who averaged 22 minutes per game as a rookie, is on the floor for at least 30 a night this season. Even if he’s not starting games, there’s a good chance he’ll be out there to close a lot of them. The Raptors understand that the 21-year-old rising star is the key to unlocking their ultimate potential, particularly on defence.
A year ago, lineups that included both Murray-Boyles and Barnes held opponents to 104.5 points per 100 possessions. For context, that’s two points fewer than the top-ranked Oklahoma City Thunder allowed last season. Now, add in Leonard, one of the best to ever do it, and you have three unique defensive weapons – long and versatile forwards who can guard and switch one through five. Throw them out there with Walter and Shead, or Graves if you need more size, and that’s the Raptors version of a death lineup.
Having three elite defensive players at varying stages of their professional careers can only help the others, as well. Quickley and RJ Barrett are not typically known for their defence, but both players made strides playing alongside Barnes last year and shouldn’t be lacking for motivation, given the former is coming off another injury plagued campaign and the latter is going into a contract season.
Both guards have shown to be capable defenders when they’re locked in, and with guys like Leonard and Barnes setting the tone, there’s no reason not to be. Take a play or two off on that end of the floor and you’ll stand out like a sore thumb, now more than ever before.
“It’s more mental than our ability, I feel like,” said Murray-Boyles. “Even if we didn’t have the best defenders, it’s more about being on the same page. When it comes to help and rotations and stuff like that, when a player gets beat, who can be there and step up for him? I think that’s going to be our biggest thing to focus on when it comes to how good our defence can be.”
The bar has been set. At minimum, this should be a top five defensive unit once again. Internally, that’s the goal and the expectation. With good health and, as Murray-Boyles puts it, if everybody remains dialled in, the league’s No. 1 ranked defence is in the realm of realistic possibilities. Their defence isn’t perfect, to be sure, but it has the chance to be something special.