NBA 2018-19: 5 talking points from the Raptors' win against the Wizards

#1 Defensive rebounding must improve

Serge Ibaka going for a rebound against the Lakers

The final point is somewhat related to the penultimate one. The Raptors must finish defensive possessions - their defensive rebounding needs to improve.

On this occasion, they allowed the Wizards to earn 15 offensive rebounds. Each time your opponent grabs an offensive board, it extends the amount of time you're concerned with defending. Coaches want maximum effort on the defensive end, so when you expend that same energy, the reward is a rebound. It's demoralising that you hound a team into taking a poor shot and have to repeat the process once more.

It's a great win for defences now that the shot clock only resets to 14 seconds after an offensive rebound, but if they are struggling to score consistently, second chance points is a sure-fire way to give them an opportunity to stay competitive.

With that in mind, the Raptors must work harder to secure those rebounds. Their current defensive rating is 21st in the league - giving an average of 11.4 per game. Far from encouraging.