Darko Rajakovi believes in his starters when it matters the most. The Toronto Raptors were trailing the Charlotte Hornets by 14 points entering the fourth quarter on Friday night. To begin the quarter, they hoped to tread water for a few minutes with their typical Scottie Barnes plus bench combination.
However, the typically poor lineup ignited a run. The Raptors stormed back in the final six and a half minutes. Barnes made a three-point play. He followed that up with a couple of excellent finds under the hoop to Chris Boucher for layups. Then Precious Achiuwa, who had been providing a punch for Toronto all night, mixed in a three off an assist from Barnes, and Toronto was suddenly up by one.
At the 4:23 mark, following a Terry Rozier clutch three, the Raptors called timeout. Out of the huddle, what group did Rajaković lean towards to finish the game? The starting five. Sure, the trio from the bench was a big part of the surging comeback. But with the Hornets starting to adjust to the Raptors unforeseen offensive display, you roll with the players you trust most. “We trust those guys to finish the game they got to do their job.” Rajaković said after the game. Rajaković’s reasoning extended to Achiuwa, Boucher, and Malachi Flynn’s extensive workload in that game, which they are not used to. He also emphasized getting freshly rested players back on the court.
The brief spark from the bench and their replacement in the fourth can draw criticisms to Rajaković’s late-game decision-making. Yet, the Raptors play from their bench this year has been lackluster. The bench personnel ranks 21st in points per game off the bench this year. The Toronto starters came up short to finish the game with a victory, but that’s not because Rajaković switched back to them late in the fourth quarter; it’s because those starters did not set the tone in the first half. “We just got to come out and play with urgency from the beginning,” Barnes said after Friday’s loss.
The late heroics of Achiuwa, Boucher, and Flynn indicate that the bench group is improving. Rajakovi chose to replace them with the Raptors starting lineup because of their ability to play in high-pressure circumstances. Even in a disheartening loss, the Raptors head coach’s dedication to his starters demonstrates his position of faith in closing out close games in the future.
