Masayu Jury's organization is an NBA 3rd best 11-2 since March 9th, with attacking players who can drop buckets from any area of the floor. The trade steal of a lifetime in 18-point-per-game score in Gary Trent Jr. can win the RAPS playoff games with his perimeter shot creation, OG, Scotty, plus Spicy, or 3 versatile 2-way wings with an overwhelming combination of playmaking and shooting chops for their size, all while some precious upside has evolved from the Raptor's center spot. Despite Fred Van Vliet fighting through lingering knee soreness, here's how the RAPS are still dominating the NBA, and it's not even close. Right before that, 90.4% of you watching right now aren't subscribed, so if you haven't already, please subscribe and turn on notifications. Also leave a thumbs up, it takes a few seconds and makes a massive difference. You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter at DFLOW Hoops, and I'll give you a follow back. Link is down below in the description for those two platforms. He's not only the rookie of the year favorite, but Scotty Barnes may be the best rookie defender in NBA history. Scotty's combination of lateral quickness, timing, IQ, and reach, with his ridiculous 7-foot 3-Wingspan, allows him to make flawless rotations. Whether it's pressing up in one-on-one scenarios, then reaching into swipes some cookies, or rotating over to the weak side for block shots, Scotty's defense isn't only elite. It's elusive, which often makes attacking players look silly. In just his first season, Barnes already ranks number 6 at his position in defensive rating, averaging over a steal, and just under a block per game. But those numbers don't come close to justifying the type of impact the 20-year-olds legitimately had for Toronto's defense. If you haven't heard, Barnes became the first rookie since Magic Johnson in 1980 to play all five positions this season, and that versatility helps him out offensively. Barnes has an extremely polished post-game, with an array of moves ranging from drop hooks to drop steps, along with smooth post-fat away as when he's cooking. You almost never see Rookie's enter the league and play bully ball, but Scotty's stature and footwork allow him to dominate like a 5-year pro. While the kid's long strides in the open court and ability to go downhill off the dribble, resemble a less developed yonness, the mix of Scotty's post-game, passing lane awareness, and speed in the open court as well, gives me flashbacks of LeBron James in his rookie year. Scotty's offensive versatility is astounding, as one possession he can set a screen acting as the big man in a pick and roll, and the next he can pull up for a 3 off the dribble. Barnes has been a massive factor to Toronto holding the best record in the Eastern Conference over their past 13 games. The Raptors are peaking at just the right time to be fair. They needed OT to beat the Celtics who were missing Tatum, Brown, Hordeford, and Williams, give credit to Boston's depth, with players that can shock you, like Marcus Smart, Derek White, Grant Williams, and Peyton Pritchard. The reason I bring up that win against the Celtics is because it was only one of three Raptor wins out of their 11 in March that hasn't come by double digits. The cohesion and trust within Toronto's offensive system has been a big reason for their dominance, in a blowout win over the breakout Timberwolves, all of the Raptors' 18-3s were assisted on, an incredible stat. But whether it's Ananobi, all NBA, Siacum, Gary Trent Jr., Thaddeus, Young Legs, or even Precious, Achoa, the Raptors have a ton of options to turn to. Having said that, with five games left on the schedule, Toronto wouldn't be close to fighting for Homecord Advantage. If it wasn't for their first time all-star in 2022, the Rockford Illinois-born Fred Van Vley, whether it's his peskiness, speed off the dribble, or quick, naturally gifted shooting release. FVV has cemented himself as a top 10 point guard in the association at the very least. You hear superstars and post-game interviews talk about Toronto's defense throwing the box in one at them, but the reason that method works so perfectly is because of Van Vley's relentless activity and blisteringly fast, championship winning defensive rotations. With the return of Raptor goat Lowry looming in the next few days, given he left the franchise in good hands after mentoring Steadie Freddie, that just elevates Kyle's legend status in Toronto even further. While Van Vley recently credited Steph Curry for changing the game with his three-point shot and carving a path for the type of player that he is, strictly in terms of hustle, that aspect of Fred's game was heavily influenced from what he watched from playing behind and next to the NBA's league leader in charges drawn for many years now. And an elite floor general in Kyle Lowry. Coach Nurse broke down Van Vley's 12-point 8 assists in five-steel effort against Minnesota, saying, I thought that was as fast as Fred's move than a few games, and his hands were unbelievable tonight. It seemed like there was a stretcher he was going and pulling it out there time and time again. Yeah, he was incredible defensively tonight. But with Van Vley inspirationally fighting through a bad knee and which will have surgery on this offseason, another one of Mesa's draft steals from way back in 2016 has stepped up. Over his last 11 games, Pascal Ciacum's averaging 27.2 points, 8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists on 54.3% shooting from the fields and 46.5% from three-point range. Spicey has 4-30-point games during that stretch, including a season-best 40 points and an overtime W against Boston to open the week. Pascal's 1-7 players in the NBA averaging 20 points, 8 boards, and 8 dimes. Luca, Yanis, Yochich, Hardin, and Lebron are the only others. Ciacum's recent play has helped vamp the Raptors' 2021-22 record to 45-32. I thought Pascal Ciacum broke down the Raptors' mix of attacking players' best, responding with this in an interview after his team's blowout win over Minnesota. Toronto's trade deadline acquisition of a veteran journeyman stretch big, the product of Georgia Tech and Thaddeus Young, continues to pay dividends as the 33-year-old clearly has a lot of game left in the tank despite the mileage he's built up over his 15-year pro career. Against one of his former teams on Wednesday, that threw down a poster that made him look 10 years younger to which Coach Nurse reacted to Postgame with this. Quote, they were calling him Thad Young Legs. Overall for Toronto, it's evident they're well-equipped one through 10 with the bench editions of Thad Young and Armani Brooks to do some damage in the postseason. It all starts without Ciacum for forms, who just dropped his second career triple double and has been playing the most consistent ball of his career, which is perfect because the playoffs are right around the corner. Ciacum's methods of demolition have been diverse all year. We've seen this week alone that he can swing a game with his individual scoring punch or with his wildly improved playmaking. If the guys around him hit shots and stir up mayhem the way they did against the wolves, one of the Eastern Conference's top seeds is going to have some problems come mid-April. What's Toronto's 2022 ceiling in your opinion? Best answer down below in the comments gets next video showed out. Top 5 commenters by June 21st receive free NBA merchandise this summer. So leave your take on today's question to compete in community speaks. Today's speaker is Irvin Alex Arguera, who says the maps can win the championship this year as they have a legitimate chance of having the Hawks 2021 playoff run. Appreciate every answer. I hope you have a great one. Deflow signing off. Thanks for watching.