Lewenberg: Raptors to face biggest test yet without injured DeRozan

LOS ANGELES - As DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors' long-time iron man, lay sprawled out on the baseline, his leg twitching in obvious pain, each one of his concerned teammates stood around him holding their collective breath.

Exceeding all expectations to begin the season, this tight-knit group has become known for their solidarity, both on and off the floor.

Now, with their leading scorer sidelined indefinitely, they'll need it more than ever.

After exiting Friday's loss to Dallas early in the second half with a groin injury, the Raptors announced that DeRozan sustained a torn left adductor longus tendon, keeping him out of the lineup for the foreseeable future.

DeRozan was driving to his right, nearly four minutes into the third quarter, when he slipped and fell to the floor. With the assistance of a trainer, he was eventually helped up and to the locker room, where he remained for the duration of the contest, one the Raptors would eventually lose after a late-game rally fell short.

There is no immediate timetable for his return to basketball activities, according to the team, and his status will be updated over the coming weeks.

The Raptors' All-Star guard is averaging a team-high 19.4 and 4.2 rebounds over the club's first 16 games. As the focal point of their improved attack, DeRozan accounts for just under 29 per cent of the Raptors' offensive possessions when he's been on the court, the highest usage rate of any player on the team.

Having to replace his production, for however long he is out will be a challenge, though it's not necessarily a fatal blow given their depth and balance on both ends of the floor. More than anything else, it will be an adjustment.

The sixth-year guard was logging roughly 34 minutes a night to lead the team after ranking third in the NBA in playing time last year. He has missed just 11 games to this point in his career (the Raptors are 8-3 in those contests).

'We've got to [continue to] play,' said Kyle Lowry, who will be relied upon even more without his backcourt running mate. 'Next man up. It's a team, not about one guy. If anybody goes down, the next man has to step up.'

The Raptors are the league's sixth-ranked team in bench points, thanks in large part to the addition of Lou Williams - leading the East in scoring among reserves - the versatile James Johnson and Greivis Vasquez, who has rediscovered his jump shot this past week.

'I think we've got one of the best, and I say this in a humble way, benches in the league,' Vasquez said. 'Somebody else is going to step up. Lou will step in or myself or James or whatever coach wants to do. Now he's got a squad. He's got a team. And now he needs to, and he will, put it together. Somebody went down and we almost won. That wasn't good enough. I think we have guys that can step up and do their job.'

All three wing players figure to see expanded roles in DeRozan's absence, with one of them likely stepping into the starting lineup. Although Williams, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, seems to be a natural fit to fill the scoring void - averaging 14.3 points, third on the team - Dwane Casey may prefer to utilize his instant offence off the bench. The same can be said of Vasquez, the back-up point guard, leaving Johnson, who could start at the three-spot and push Terrence Ross to the two, giving them more size and defensive acumen up front. Landry Fields could also be in the mix for spot minutes.

'We'll decide that in the next day or so,' Casey told reporters after practice on Saturday, declining to name a replacement ahead of Sunday's meeting with the Lakers. 'We don't know now, we'll talk about that later.'

One thing is for certain, the 13-3 Raptors will face their biggest and most telling early-season challenge. Lowry, who will be in consideration for Eastern Conference Player of the Month next week, will become more important than ever, handling increased responsibility in the team's half-court sets. Jonas Valanciunas could also be in line for a bigger piece of the offensive pie in the low post.

'One thing about our team, we have guys that can step up and they are definitely going to have to because that's a big scoring load in DeMar,' echoed Amir Johnson. 'We have guys that can come in and step up for us.'

DeRozan accompanied the team to Los Angeles, his hometown, Saturday afternoon, where they will begin a three-game road trip without his services on the court.

Generally, the recovery time for a groin injury of this nature can range from weeks to months depending on the severity. Until they learn more about DeRozan's status and can get him back in uniform, their celebrated team unity will be put to the ultimate test.

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