The Toronto Raptors have gotten off to a great start to this season, as they are 5-0 and one of only two teams that remain undefeated, along with the defending champion Golden State Warriors. The Raptors had a disappointing exit from the playoffs last season when they were beat down by the Washington Wizards, so they knew they needed to make some changes. Toronto brought in some key players like DeMarre Carroll, Cory Joseph and Luis Scola, but the new player who may be having the biggest impact is Bismack Biyombo, according to Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun.
Biyombo signed a two-year deal with the Raptors this offseason worth a little less than $6 million to be their backup center. Throughout his career Biyombo has been known as a defensive guy that doesn't bring much to the table offensively, but so far with the Raptors he has made an impact with the attitude and toughness he brings to the table.
In Wednesday night's win over the Oklahoma City Thunder there was a play that personified Biyombo's toughness. The 6-foot-9 center set a screen on Russell Westbrook and was called for a moving screen, a call which he did not agree with, but Westbrook raised his arm toward Biyombo's face, which he took exception to. Biyombo eventually was given a technical foul that put his team in an eight-point hole in the fourth quarter, but the Raptors came back, and after the game he said he is not going to back down from anyone.
Biyombo's attitude has rubbed off on the rest of the team, as they are playing with a certain swagger about them to start the season. The Raptors this season seem like a confident bunch, and they believe they can hang with any team at any venue.
"I will tell you what we don't back off from nobody," Biyombo said. "We are going to come in and every building and play our game. We are going to be tough. That's just our mindset. We don't care who it is. We respect them. We respect their building. We respect their fans. But guess what, we are going to play here. We are going to go back to Toronto and we are going to handle our business."
So far this season Biyombo is averaging 5.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in just 16.8 minutes per game, but when he is on the floor he is having an impact that goes way beyond the box score. The Raptors have had the talent over the past few years, but the toughness, swagger and confidence Biyombo brings might be what puts them over the top.
