Cheap Travis Kelce Jersey . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. Womens Christian Okoye Jersey .
In Winnipeg, the Jets kick off their exhibition schedule when they host
the Minnesota Wild at MTS Centre.TORONTO - Raptors forward Steve Novak
doesnt exactly blend into the crowd these days.
In support of prostate cancer and the Movember campaign, Novak has been
wearing his contribution to the cause on his face.
"Everyone who sees me, theyre not sure [whether] to take me seriously,"
Novak joked prior to Fridays win over Washington, his moustache
22-days-old.
A few weeks into his eighth NBA season, Novak is still getting
comfortable with a new team but his presence is hard to ignore, on the
court and off of it.
Acquired from the Knicks in the Andrea Bargnani trade this summer, Novak
is one of the most dangerous offensive specialists in the game,
something the Raptors are finding out more and more as the 30-year-old
works his way back from a series of early-season injuries.
Since the start of the 2011-12 campaign, Novak has hit 286 threes - 16th
most in the NBA over that span - and his 44 per cent clip from long
range is ranked fourth.
After sitting out most of training camp nursing a sore thumb and missing
six of the first nine games with a bad back, Novaks playing time has
increased steadily in each of the last four contests. So too has his
impact.
Without even touching the ball, the mere presence of Novak on the floor
changes the complexion of Torontos offence. Uncharacteristically, the
veteran sharpshooter has knocked down just four of his 17 three-point
attempts but his true impact - playing 34 minutes in the last two games,
both wins - cannot be measured using a box score. "He creates instant
spacing," Dwane Casey said on Thursday.
"He really made a big impact, opened up the floor," the Raptors coach
continued. "Teams in the league respect his ability to shoot the ball.
Whether he makes the shot or not he is a threat."
As the Raptors offence continues to evolve, Novak will become more
valuable to the teams second unit. In back-to-back victories this week,
the Raptors have benefited from better spacing, improved ball movement
and timely outside shooting. At least some of that is an indirect result
of having Novak on the court, where he is a plus-19 - the third best
plus/minus on the team - in 61 minutes. The Novak-Terrence Ross pairing
has been especially intriguing with their ability to stretch the floor.
The two have shared the court for 30 minutes over the last couple games
and Ross, a beneficiary of the attention Novak receives, has thrived.
The sophomore has averaged 14.0 points in those games, shooting 11-of-18
from the field including 4-of-8 from three-point range.
Three-point shooting has long been an area of weakness for Toronto.
Through 13 games, the Raptors rank 19th in the NBA shooting 34 per cent
from long distance. They havent finished in the top half oof the league
in three-point percentage since the 2009-10 season, the last year
Chris Bosh was in Toronto preoccupying opposing defences. Len Dawson Chiefs Jersey.
"Hes one of the best three-point shooters in the league," Casey said of
Novak. "Now that hes healthy we want to make sure we utilize that."
Casey and the Raptors are still learning how to utilize Novak as a
weapon off the bench, maximizing his strengths offensively while masking
his defensive shortcomings. Novaks return to the lineup has forced
Caseys hand defensively, where theyve had to be more creative.
Although they used their zone defence sparingly Wednesday in
Philadelphia, as the Raptors coach pointed out the following day, they
leaned on it heavily with Novak on the floor Friday. It helped them
regain the lead in the fourth quarter after being outscored by 17 in the
third.
"We have to do some special things for Steve and the whole league knows
that," Casey admitted after the win over Washington. "We had to mix it
up, our man [defence] wasnt working. We had to go to something else and
it had to be our zone."
The Raptors are prepared for opposing teams to go at Novak, looking to
exploit the veteran one-on-one. "Teams look to attack him," Casey knows,
"which sometimes we invite." For Novak, this is nothing new. Hes made a
career out of it, or at least in spite of it.
"I think that statistically Ive proven that Ive never been a liability
[on defence]," said Novak. "If theres going to be a one-on-one defence
contest Ill probably lose and Ill be the first to admit that but as long
as I have my teammates out there I know Ill be fine."
For his career, Novak has a defensive rating (an estimate of points
allowed per 100 possessions) of 110, inferior to the league average but
not the worst mark on the team. DeMar DeRozan has a rating of 111
through four NBA seasons.
"Honestly, defensively basketballs a team game," Novak emphasized. "I
think the good teams know that when you get out of your offence and go
individual and [start] going at guys it usually hurts them more than it
helps them."
"So to be honest I think its a good thing for us if they start picking
who theyre going to throw the ball to and not running offence. I think
it probably works to our advantage."
Utilizing Novak to his fullest may take time to master. Its a give and
take, as the Knicks learned during his mostly productive two-year tenure
in New York. If hes deployed in situations that allow his unique and
specific skill set to flourish he can become a lethal weapon off the
Raptors bench.
"Its my eighth year so I must be doing something right," he said with a
smile.
Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys'
'
'
