"Chaos": NBA stars describe what it's like playing against Raptors

No matter who’s on the floor, it doesn’t seem like anybody really likes playing against the Toronto Raptors.

Sure, the Raptors might not be the NBA’s most naturally talented team, or the league’s top title contender.

After 24 games this season, they’re sitting at 12-12, average both in their record and in their standings position, sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference.

But it’s rare you’ll ever consider a night against the Raptors an easy game, no matter what their record is or who’s in the lineup.

Ten of Toronto’s 17 rostered players this season measure in between 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-9.

Due to their unique roster construction, Toronto plays a brand of largely “positionless” basketball, an observation that opposing coaches have been quick to point out every time there’s a loss.

While players technically do slot into any of five spots on the offensive side of the court, it’s a bit of a free-for-all on the defensive end, with Toronto’s head coach Nick Nurse trying out all sorts of schemes and switches that most NBA teams simply don’t have the personnel to accomplish.

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“The energy level never drops [when you’re playing Toronto],” Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum said following Monday night’s 116-110 victory over Toronto. “It’s been like that for the last couple of years.”

Jayson Tatum on the biggest challenge on playing against Nick Nurse’s #Raptors schemes:

“The energy level never drops (no matter who’s on the court)… it’s been like that for the last couple of years.” pic.twitter.com/eOfCq1uJwe

— Adam Laskaris (@adam_la2karis) December 6, 2022

Tatum, who’s earned MVP consideration for this strong play this season, was one of the key figures in a hard fought 2020 playoff series against the Raptors, which the Celtics won in seven games.

Including that playoff series, he’s faced off against the Raptors 26 times now since coming into the league back in 2017.

“They’re capable of doing so many different things. They throw a lineup out there and five guys are basically the same [proportions]. They switch everything, [sometimes play in] full court press,” Tatum added. “They all play hard, they all compete, they’re physical… you just got to be prepared. They force a lot of turnovers and things like that. So you’ve got to take care of the ball or it’s just gonna be a long night.”

Brooklyn Nets forward Ben Simmons, who faced off as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers against the Raptors in the infamous 2019 Eastern Conference semifinal ended by an iconic buzzer beater from Kawhi Leonard, also had plenty of complimentary things to say about the challenges of playing against Toronto.

Asked Ben Simmons what he’s learned about playing against Nick Nurse over the years in his battles against the #Raptors:

“I never know really what to expect. Even at that jump ball, I had three guys coming at me.” pic.twitter.com/GlRdCwpOT0

— Adam Laskaris (@adam_la2karis) November 24, 2022

“I never know really what to expect. Even at that jump ball, I had three guys coming at me,” Simmons said following a recent Brooklyn win at Scotiabank Arena. “Toronto, as an organization, they’ve always been a tough team. Defensively, they’re in the passing lanes, they’re up on the ball pressuring. They bring that every night.”

Simmons, who’s faced the Raptors 23 times in the regular season and postseason, has noticed a continuity when it comes to the team’s defensive energy.

Toronto is first in the league with 10.0 steals a game, which conversely has helped them control the possession battle on nearly every night. The team is allowing a league low 82.3 field goal attempts from their opponents each game, while putting up 90.2 field goal attempts of their own. That difference of +7.9 is a league high, and more than double than every NBA team except the Phoenix Suns and Atlanta Hawks.

“Something that I’ve learned playing Toronto over the years, they’ve kept that culture of playing physical, being in the passing lanes and defensively just being great,” Simmons said.

While he doesn’t quite have the same flowers as multi-time All-Stars Tatum and Simmons, 76ers forward Matisse Thybulle — a two-time All-Defensive team member — admitted that playing against the Raptors can feel “lawless” due to their high-energy style.

“[It’s] chaos. They just create havoc,” Thybulle said in October when asked by Daily Hive about what it’s like playing against the Raptors. “They’re just so long and athletic out there, they cover for each other. When you speed up teams offensively, they tend to make mistakes. You see how it works for them to create runs.”

If there’s one thing clear about this iteration of the Toronto Raptors: players come and go, but chaos is forever.