Quick Reaction: Heat 129, Raptors 105

Miami Heat

129 – 105

Toronto Raptors

B+	RJ Barrett 17 MIN, 15 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 3-9 FG, 2-4 3FG, 7-8 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 7 +/- Best starter for the Raptors tonight. He was one of the few guys creating consistent offense. Continued to slice, dice, and bully his way through the paint and got to the free throw line eight times. The most encouraging sign is that he hit seven of those eight attempts. Would be massive if he can convert free throws at a higher rate this season.
B	Scottie Barnes 12 MIN, 11 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL, 5-11 FG, 0-1 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, -16 +/- For the most part Barnes showed increased scoring aggression throughout his minutes, and in particular showed an emphasis to push the ball in transition and looked to score more often. There were times where he settled for contested mid range jump shots or sought fouls on drives but his energy level was high throughout.

C	Jakob Poeltl 18 MIN, 9 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 3-3 FG, 0-0 3FG, 3-4 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 8 +/- He looked healthier tonight, but still not the rebounder the Raptors need. Gave up a few offensive boards. Showed some flashes of his finishing off cuts and pick n’ roll and made a nice second pass off the short roll to Murray-Boyles who attacked the closeout strong.
C	Immanuel Quickley 12 MIN, 5 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 2-6 FG, 1-4 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -8 +/- An okay game for Quickley, his only made three was nice but then he threw up a quick three in transition the next time down the court that he missed. Turned his back and had a turnover on a blind double, had a couple good paint touches that led to buckets. Missed a midrange jump shot really badly.
B-	Ja’Kobe Walter 18 MIN, 8 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 3-8 FG, 2-6 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 8 +/- Had a really nice deceleration, pirouette floater off a drive, and in general showed a little more confidence in his dribble. Only made 33% of his three point attempts but a couple of his misses barely rimmed out. He showed a lot of confidence in his shot, but still took smart shots, which can’t be said for the entire team.
B+	Collin Murray-Boyles 20 MIN, 6 PTS, 9 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 3-10 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-1 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -7 +/- If you didn’t already hear, Collin Murray-Boyles is a lean runner now. He showed off his agility from the moment he stepped on the court, immediately grabbing an offensive rebound upon checking in. Not his best finishing game but showcased a couple of sweet moves around the rim, including an and-one finish through Bam Adebayo after attacking a closeout. His new found explosiveness only amplified his ability to grab rebounds, as he had four offensive and five defensive rebounds.

B+	Tyreke Key 16 MIN, 15 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 5-9 FG, 4-7 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -11 +/- Ummm… I don’t know if the Miami Heat didn’t watch the Raptors 905 last season, but I did, and Tyreke Key is a sniper. In the fourth quarter alone Key had three made threes and the Heat seemed to leave him open over and over. When they did start to close out, he did a good job of attacking and getting to the paint.
C-	Malachi Smith 31 MIN, 7 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 3-11 FG, 0-4 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -31 +/- For a guy signed to a two-way contract for his shooting abilities, he didn’t show much of that tonight. He did have a solid finish attacking a corner closeout and ran well in transition. Contained a few drives but at times lost his man off-ball, if the shot starts falling can definitely see the value he brings
C+	Jamal Shead 28 MIN, 3 PTS, 5 REB, 8 AST, 3 STL, 1-7 FG, 0-3 3FG, 1-2 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, -17 +/- Unfortunately, Shead did not show anything promising in terms of scoring the basketball. He was committed to looking for his own shot at times, but couldn’t find his rhythm. His steady playmaking and defense continue to carry his minutes.
C	Jaden Bradley 20 MIN, 9 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 3-4 FG, 1-1 3FG, 2-4 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -20 +/- Towards the end of the game Bradley had a beautiful up and under layup in transition. He was certainly better than in summer league, but still didn’t impress me much. Think he should be firmly behind both Shead and Hepburn in the rotation

D-	Nimari Burnett 24 MIN, 6 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 2-10 FG, 1-8 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 4 TO, -20 +/- I don’t know who gave Burnett the green light but I think we should at least set it to yellow for the time being.
B-	Chucky Hepburn 25 MIN, 11 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL, 4-6 FG, 1-2 3FG, 2-3 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -13 +/- High intensity, efficient performance for Hepburn. He’s so good at creating plays on both offense and defense. He can drive and create open looks, and is always a tenacious and pesky defender on the other end. Will be a real force with the Raptors 905 this season.
Inc	Darko Rajakovic I’m not going to evaluate Rajakovic off the first preseason game. Not sure how you evaluate a coach in a game like this anyhow.