SAN FRANCISCO—The skill level has never been better throughout the NBA and the rules have never been more of a benefit to gifted offensive players.
It is not at all conducive to the preferred style of Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic but there’s not much he can do about it.
Fans like baskets, they love great shooting and highlight-reel dunks.
“I think the offensive skill of players and the rules that are in place, they are making it really hard to be physical because offence is protected,” Rajakovic said. “Every little contact, it’s a foul.
"You’re trying to avoid fouls, not send them to the free throw line and now the skill level of players shooting off the dribble … that’s the tendency to how the league is developing.
“I guess that’s also what fans want to see.”
Even if he doesn’t.
“Personally, I prefer a more physical game, I prefer more a grind-it-out kind of game but this is the reality we are living today, we got to adjust.”
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The adjustment is, in no small part, because of Stephen Curry, generally considered the greatest shooter in NBA history and a mystery Rajakovic had to try to solve in Sunday’s Toronto-Golden State game.
Curry has been in the front of Rajakovic’s mind for almost 20 years; the coach is more than familiar with the Warriors guard's otherworldly shooting skills, which have revolutionized the game. Rajakovic first saw Curry at a FIBA under-18 world championship in Serbia and knew he was seeing greatness at a young age.
“It’s not necessarily the size, it’s not necessarily physical attributes, it’s really shooting ability and skill ability,” Rajakovic said. “That’s where the league has changed the last seven, eight, 10 years in that ability for players to be amazing shooters off the dribble, off the move, great skill finishing at the rim. That’s where the league is going.”
The Raptors gave up 77 points in the first half in a loss to the Kings in Sacramento on Friday, matching a season-high in last month's loss to Detroit. It tied a franchise record for the sixth-most points a Raptors team has given up in any half of any game. The most: 84, to Golden State in March 2011.
But scoring is off the charts throughout the league this season. Hardly a night goes by that some team doesn't rack up 140 points in regulation. Last week presented one of the wildest scoring nights ever.
On Wednesday, Utah beat Detroit 154-148 in overtime, Indiana beat Milwaukee 142-130, Atlanta beat Oklahoma City 141-138, Cleveland beat Washington 140-101 and Sacramento edged Orlando in double overtime 138-135.
The previous record for teams scoring 140 or more points on the same day was four, according to The Associated Press, done on Jan. 16, 2019. The four teams to do it that day were Brooklyn, Houston, Golden State and New Orleans — the Nets beat the Rockets 145-142, the Warriors beat the Pelicans 147-140.
Teams are on pace to have more than 310 games with one side scoring more than 130 points in a game, obliterating the previous high of 266 set last season.
It’s dizzying.
And it’s been going that way since Curry, teammate Klay Thompson and the five-time champion Warriors unleashed an offence predicated on deep shooting.
Now everyone is trying to mimic them.
“Literally, Steph Curry and the style of play and them being pretty much unguardable for a long time (sent) other teams to go and look for the next guy: Who is the next guy that can do that?” Rajakovic said.
Everyone wants to Be Like Steph now.
“It’s interesting that in this league, who’s going to really inspire kids and young players is guards because they are going to identify … much more (with players) who are six feet tall and 6-2 than when you have seven-footers out there,” Rajakovic said.
“They’re going to look at the Steph Currys of the world as their examples and role models.”
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