Dalano Banton, the surprise guest of the Raptors | NBA

Among the growing collection of versatile players that the Raptors can boast, tall players who can play in all positions, Dalano Banton is an exception.

Firstly because he’s a rookie. Second, because he is the first Canadian player drafted by the Raptors, chosen late in the evening in the second round, in 46th position. And thirdly because he was pretty much unknown at the time of the Draft last June.

Passed under the radar between his anonymous first year at Western Kentucky (3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists) and his already more interesting second in Nebraska, at nearly 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, he did not have necessarily a huge odds before the Draft. But his combination of size and qualities in dribbling and passing challenged.

A real kid from Toronto

With already 4 games at 10 points and more, including a record 12 points against Detroit in mid-November, the Raptors have sensed the blow. After Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet or even Chris Boucher, the Toronto “scouting” department has done a good job again to find Dalano Banton.

“It reminds me of my own journey when I arrived here”, breathes Chris Boucher. “People weren’t expecting much. You do what you can with the talent you have. Now he’s doing a little more because he’s part of the rotation and there are more expectations because he’s doing things that weren’t necessarily expected of him. But he does a good job: he passes the ball well and arrives with a lot of energy. He comes in and he plays hard. “

Along with Chris Boucher and Khem Birch, Dalano Banton is the third Canadian musketeer to come out of the Raptors bench. This proximity to his compatriots, and obviously the return of the Raptors to their northern lands of Toronto after their exile in Florida, are two factors that explain the express adaptation of the rookie of Jamaican origin.

Because Dalano Banton is a kid from Toronto. A native of Rexdale in the massive metropolitan area of ​​Ontario, where he attended a summer camp hosted by DeMar Derozan, and where he recently returned for a video produced by his franchise, he wears the number 45 in reference to line 45 of the bus that he took daily in his native neighborhood.

“Khem and Chris, since they’re Canadian, it’s easier to relate to them. They help me a lot and they want the best for me. They want me to be in a position to be successful. They continually give me advice. They always tell me to play my game and not hesitate to shoot. They believe in my game. If I do what I can do, I should be fine. The fact that they believe in me and that they trust me is super important. It’s really amazing to play with two Canadian players, especially for the Raptors. I love that. “

A particle accelerator

Inevitably on the bridge to the Summer League as a rookie with no guarantee of making the final roster, Dalano Banton did not have it easy. He was not only forced to adapt to the physical dimension of the NBA game (even summer), but he was also challenged to accelerate the game at the slightest opportunity by the staff of the Raptors.

As soon as you get the ball, whether it’s defensive rebound or a throw-in, the leitmotif was to play fast, to force the opposing defense to adapt to this speed. With Earl Watson to put it nicely in the bath of the NBA, Dalano Banton has gradually taken the fold. And, with 103.9 possessions per game when he’s on the boards – five more possessions than when Fred VanVleet is leading the charge, he’s made that percussion speed his trademark.

“For me who am a rookie, everything is already very fast”, he explained already in preseason. “I’m just trying to slow down the game in my head and find what works. “

Thrown full ball to attract defenders and create shifts, Dalano Banton sort of became the Raptors’ chief particle accelerator off the bench. When Toronto gets stuck in attack, Nick Nurse sends his free electron.

“The most important thing is that he manages to get one or two easy baskets quite quickly when he comes in. There are times in the game when it is difficult to score, whether it is because of the other team. defends well, from a lack of execution in attack or just a good shot in a good position that does not fit. He has a knack for finding a basket in the circle or finding a basket for one of his teammates under the circle and that allows us to find some rhythm. “

A very tall leader

A 2m01 leader who really learned his job when he arrived in Nebraska, Dalano Banton is not necessarily an incredible athlete at first glance. But it is his ability to accelerate allied to his excellent coordination for his size, and obviously a real feeling and a game intelligence, that make him a player with high potential in the NBA.

“It’s a quality in the NBA, to be able to push the ball, to move the defense. Once he has added other speeds, by slowing down his game, he will be even more dangerous and even more difficult to hold defensively ”, argue Fred VanVleet pour Sports Illustrated. “Sometimes you’re going to try a pass that you think is possible but isn’t. It’s something you have to learn, but your eyes are always on the right spots. Since day one, I’ve been telling him to take his 3-point shots. This is probably one of the only problems he will encounter. But if he starts to put them in, he will become a problem [pour nos adversaires]. »

Still shy behind the arc, with less than one attempt per game at an encouraging 38% success, Dalano Banton is mostly concerned with creation at this point. But, recently returned to the G-League to stretch his legs, he made the statisticians work with a game of 30 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds (and 8 stray balls) in the victory against the Westchester Knicks, under the eyes of his teammates Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes, showing all his potential as a jack-of-all-trades, both in creation and finish.

At 22, he still has a good margin of progress in front of him, if only by reinforcing his frail carcass and by still working on his explosiveness and his changes of pace. But, with his size and such physical potential in general, Dalano Banton has a bright future in this role of leader, organizer and puncher.

“We know that when we play with rhythm and the guys attack the circle and are in their spots, even if you miss the shot, the defense will tighten on you and there will be a good chance of recovering the offensive rebound. “, explains Banton. “We attack the rebounds in attack. If we pull up the defense and take a shot, we’ll have a good chance of getting the rebound back because we have guys who throw themselves into battle, like Chris and Khem, who use their length to get there. “

In the mold of Shaun Livingston

Often associated with his Canadian comrades off the bench, Dalano Banton can take advantage of his special relationship with them to gain confidence. When Chris Boucher swallows the rebound, he is already ready to leap from the starting blocks like Usain Bolt and the Raptors can deploy their game (very) fast.

“I think they are both helping us. They come off the bench together and quite well with a guy who can run in front of everyone and another who can get the ball rolling quickly ”, apprécie Nick Nurse. “Together, they change the pace of the game. But Dalano can create shots for a lot of players. “

More and more used as the season progresses, Dalano Banton is still only a hesitant rookie and his 1.5 pass for 1 lost ball on average reminds how much there is still a long way to go. But, to believe the praise of his teammates but also of his coach, NBA champion Nick Nurse, there are legitimate reasons to vote Dalano.

“He was exceptional in every minute he spent on the pitch. The attack becomes really easy when he’s on the pitch ”, even the coach advances. “And he only played 8 minutes per game. You should jump on me and ask me why I don’t play it more! “

It will take a little while. But as it had already been the case on the university floor, with a “redshirt” year to prepare well for his junior season, a springboard to the NBA.

If the evening of the Draft was a stormy flight, Dalano Banton has negotiated the reception well, fitting ideally into the rotation of the Raptors. But the secret is lifted and Dalano Banton is no longer an anonymous.

“I had no idea who it was before we got it back”, concludes Khem Birch in all honesty dans The Athletic. “We were talking about it the other day. It’s really strange not to know a Canadian player. It was strange four, five or six years ago, but now it’s becoming more common. It was weird that I didn’t know him because he’s talented. At first I didn’t know what player he was. But now that I see his game in a match, I see him as a Shaun Livingston. A tall playmaker. He can shoot. He’s in that mold. He is part of this new wave of tall leaders. It will help launch a new fashion. “