Tyler Hansbrough has made no secret of the fact he loves playing in Toronto. He loves the city, the organization and perhaps even more importantly, he loves the Raptors locker room and his teammates.

“I love this team. I love my teammates,” Hansbrough said. “That’s what makes this position for me so comfortable. If I didn’t like the locker room it would be different, but I like where we are – winning ball games. I think we can make a run, so I am happy with this role.”

When Hansbrough signed with the Raptors as a free agent a couple of summers ago he was looking for a bigger role. It was there to be had to, at least until the trade with Sacramento brought in four bench players and everything changed. Almost immediately Hansbrough found himself either competing with Patrick Patterson for minutes or playing beside Patterson as an undersized center, and playing center was never something Hansbrough envisioned before coming to Toronto.

“I definitely embrace both (now),” Hansbrough said. “I always thought I was a power forward that had low post moves when I first got here, but with this team, (playing center) is my part, it’s what they want me to do to help win and so, that is what I am going to do.”

At 6’9, Hansbrough had a lot to figure out to be effective at the center spot and his game has changed since he first arrived in Toronto. Less “Psycho T” – a nickname Hansbrough really doesn’t like – and more thoughtful and controlled energy guy.

“There are a couple of things that go into it,” Hansbrough said. “You have to study what they do best and try to take that away. You have to figure out what you can do – quickness, make them run the floor. The toughest thing is just being able to box them out.”

It has helped that the league has fewer true 7’ physical centers and Hansbrough can play against similarly sized players in the post at least some of the time.

“It helps me that teams are going smaller, but I would still say that if there is a good big man out there that has some post moves most teams are going to want that,” Hansbrough said. “With teams going smaller, the league going smaller, it has its advantages and it’s not every night that a team has a Roy Hibbert (center) in size.”

However, he still has to deal with some of the biggest players in the Association on a regular basis and Hansbrough has been getting noticeably better at it in limited minutes.

“The main thing for me is just boxing them out and not giving up offensive rebounds because I lack height against most centers,” Hansbrough explained. “The main key for me is just trying to get them off their sweet spot and push them out. Also use my quickness to get around them and prevent them from getting the ball is the best thing I can do defensively, but offensively I think there are some advantages as far as stepping out and making them guard the pick-and-rolls more.”

Hansbrough isn’t guy that has to be prompted to get a positive response about Toronto, the Raptors or his teammates. His love for his situation is as genuine as his effort on the court and it matters too. This energy guy has been put in a situation that he didn’t expect and would not have chosen if he knew what his role was about to become ahead of time. There’s a lot to be said for a solid locker room, team chemistry and working with or playing with guys you like.

Stephen Brotherston covers the Toronto Raptors and visiting NBA teams at the Air Canada Centre and is a member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association.

Raptors Tyler Hansbrough Is Doing More With Less

The Raptors Tyler Hansbrough has carved himself out a role in Toronto and it wasn’t the role he anticipated when he signed with the team last year. “I just want to be on the court first of all, but it is a new role this year and last year playing against centers,” Hansbrough said. “I have always been considered a power forward.”