Through Toronto’s first 45 games of the season DeMar DeRozan earned the starting nod in every game. However, after injuries to both of his ankles over the past few days the rookie was given tonight and tomorrow off.

Cue the chance for Sonny Weems to rise to the occasion and earn some big minutes against Miami.

Weems got off to a great start on the offensive end with nine points (4-4 from the field) in the first quarter. As he offense cooled down – he finished with 10 points – his defense kept him getting minutes.

Sure, Dwyane Wade exploded for a game-high 35 points, but Toronto was able to limit him to 14 points in the second half and four in the fourth quarter.

Turns out a big reason why Toronto was able to slow down Wade was due to a strategy Weems suggested to the coaching staff during a timeout.

“It’s tough to guard Dwyane Wade,” Jay Triano admitted to the media after the game. “But during a timeout he came over to the coaching staff and told us he thought he could do it better a different way.  He thought of the adjustment himself and we agreed to let him do it and he was much better the remainder of the game.”

So, what was the adjustment? After watching some game tape Weems realized Wade isn’t nearly as effective when he’s going to his left.

“I tried to shoot the gap,” Weems explained to the media after the game. “He’s a lot stronger going to his right – he can split the bigs and do a lot of stuff creative wise – and to the left he’s not as aggressive. When he goes to the left he settles for a lot of pullups or he dishes to his teammates. I tried to shoot the gap and try to make him go left.”

A pretty astute observation for a young player in the first start of his NBA career.

According to the veteran voice of the Raptors, Jarrett Jack, his evolution into a strong defender is something that will come with more playing time.

“All of us go through a transition point with experience,” Jack explained to Hoops Addict. “Learning how to guard certain guys only comes with game time experience and being able to mature as a player. I think Sonny (Weems) is doing a great job on the fly. He hasn’t had the amount of reps against these big-time players but tonight he did a really good job.”

After DeRozan had his wings clipped for the next couple of games it was great to see another high-flyer rise to the challenge tonight. It just so happens Weems was able to leave his mark on the the defensive end.

Weems is averaging 14.5 minutes per game so far this season but if he keeps applying himself on the defensive end he’ll be able to secure the reps and playing time Jack was talking about.