Samson Folk does a film room on Allen Graves.
From the QR’s:
Allen Graves | Grade: A
I’m ready to admit that Graves is much better than I thought he was coming out of the draft. I liked his pick-and-roll creation early on, as the Raptors had him handling with Chucky Hepburn out with injury. He picks up his dribble a touch early, but he has the size and timing to find his rollers deep in the paint. He did fantastically to minimize turnovers. And he just reads the floor and the rotations of the defence so smoothly. It looks like he’s trying to speed up his jumper, which is a very nice sign; he’ll need to shoot faster at the NBA level. He shot well against Miami, too. He even cut backdoor when he was off ball. Hunted offensive boards, and even if he didn’t put any in the box score, he drew fouls doing so. His finishing wasn’t fantastic. Another offensive negative was that he couldn’t create for himself in isolation, but that simply won’t be an element of his job in the NBA, so it doesn’t matter at all.
Defensively, he had some elite rim protection as a helper with a fantastic swipedown in the second. Those hands, man. In the third, he swatted a shot as a helper when Bittle got lost chasing the ball-handler and gave up and easy lay-down pass. Those hands, man! The broadcast was gushing over him.
Allen Graves | Grade: A
26 MIN, 13 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST, 4 STL, 5-12 FG, 3-5 3FG, BLK, 3 TO, +15 +/-
Graves keeps making it harder and harder not to get excited about him. It was a classic “do a little bit of everything” game from the Raptors’ first-round pick. In the first half, he turned back the clock and showcased his playmaking talents from when he played point guard back in his high school days, creating for teammates and leading the team with six assists. In the second half he reminded everyone he can score too, knocking down three triples in the second half — including a huge wing three that cut the lead to one late.
The defence was all over the place in the best way. Four steals, and a team-best +15 while he was on the floor.
Allen Graves | Grade: B
It was a quiet game, though he found his way to impact in a variety of paths. The hands remain an insane weapon, as he picked a pocket within the first minute or two of the game. He cuts well. He even dimed Bittle in a pick and roll (though Bittle smoked the layup only to put it right back in). He didn’t get many shots up, as his teammates weren’t creating anything for him, but his first bucket came on a clever screen, slip, catch, post, and hook wombo combo. He opened the second half with a little isolation, which created a tough mid-range fadeaway. He later drove for a soft lefty finish, then hit a standstill triple.
27 MIN, 9 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 4-7 FG, 1-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, +9 +/-
Allen Graves | Grade: A-
Graves was as good as advertised if not better. Showcased his physicality, hands, and disruptiveness to the fullest degree. Started knocking down some threes at the end, took a couple possessions handling in the pick n’ roll and was just working his butt off all night on both ends. Lots to be happy with for the Raptors 19th overall pick.
29 MIN, 22 PTS, 13 REB, 0 AST, 3 STL, 9-16 FG, 3-8 3FG, 1-1 FT, 2 BLK, 2 TO, +8 +/-
Have a blessed day.