Key Match-Ups
Tyrone Lue v Nick Murse
When thinking of matchups for the opening night of the season, it’s very easy to overlook the coaches but that shouldn’t be the case in this one. As both coaches are entering uncharted territory when the ball is tipped tonight in Toronto.
Lue is entering his first season as head coach without the great LeBron James. This begins a great opportunity for Lue as many have questioned his decision making over the past few season because he always had LeBron to rely on when the going got tough, not anymore. The Cavaliers roster is built towards the style of play that Lue has preached since taking over the position in 2016, which means Cavs fans should expect the wine and gold to play with a lot more pace than in seasons past. Not only should you expect the Cavs to play faster but also look for the ball to humming around as Lue doesn’t want the ball to stick with anyone for too long. Lue mentioned during training camp that in order for the Cavs to be successful this season they’ll need five maybe even six guys to score in double figures on a nightly basis, this of course should help make up for some of the play making that was lost.
Nick Murse on the other hand is entering his first season as the man in charge in Toronto. Murse is replacing long-time Raptors coach Dwayne Casey who was let go after last season despite leading the Raptors to multiple successful seasons and deep playoff runs. Reports coming out of Toronto have been positive so far between Murse and Raptors players, they too hope to play a little faster this season. It is hard to believe Murse will have more success than Casey did in Toronto but I think he will be judged on the April-June rather than October- March.
Cleveland bench v Toronto bench
Last season the Raptors had one of the best second units in the NBA, they pocessed the ability to create separation while the starters where on the bench. Lead by an influx of youth the Raptors really focused on developing guys in the G-League. Your and athleticism allows the Raptors to switch on defense and get out and run on offense which creates problems for opposing second units.
Cleveland on the other hand has a mix of youth and veterans making up it’s bench unit. Depending on what lineups Ty Lue decides to start the Cavs bench could be really fun to watch. One thing for sure is that the second unit will lead by Rookie Collin Sexton, as George Hill is the Cavs starting PG for now. Sexton has the ability to be a building block for Cleveland going forward and there really isn’t any need to rush his development. Playing aside Sexton will be the likes of Kyle Korver and Jordan Clarkson, both guys have the ability to take the pressure off the young guard by hitting open shots. While Clarkson is known as a streaky shooter, he will have the ability to light up the stat sheet on the Cavs second unit, and the pressure of no longer playing with LeBron should allow the Cavs to be more free flowing on the court.
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