At 12-12, the Raptors are tied for 17th in the NBA in win percentage, which after a 48-win campaign isn’t exactly what Raps faithful expected or hoped for the 2022-23 season. The staff is focused on growth, with budding stars across multiple positions, but why haven’t the Dinos been able to put it all together with any consistency?
Shooting struggles have surfaced for multiple key scorers down the lineup. As a result the teams offensive numbers have suffered immensely, leaving them 22nd in PPG but 9th in field goals attempted. The teams 45.1% from the field and 33% from range is good enough for just 25th in the Association in both categories, making it clear the problems stem from inconsistent shooting.
Another notable discrepancy is that the Raptors maintain the 2nd best turnover rate in the NBA, the most steals and lead the league in fast break points, yet remain 25th in assists and FG%. This suggests despite all of the easy opportunities in transition, the Raptors half-court offence has had such difficulty finding open looks it has essentially negated the league-dominating transition offence they’re playing.
When delving into the individual numbers, the immediate eye sore is the FG% of Fred VanVleet. Freddy is shooting a dreadful 35.7% from the field and 34% from deep. Tack on Gary Trent Jr. shooting 33.6% from behind the arc leaves Toronto with a reality that their two highest volume 3-point marksmen, who combine to average almost 15 3-point attempts per contest are only hitting about 1/3rd of the time. That’s devastating to an offence to say the least, it’s a borderline miracle the Raptors have managed to win 50% of their games with such incredible difficulty finding high-quality looks.
Should the Raptors wash their hands of these shooting woes, they should quickly see improvement in their record. Two stats I maintain confidence in is that despite being in the bottom 5 in all shooting categories, they maintain a top-10 defensive rating of 110.8, allowing very few second chances, a fearsome turnover rate and a positive +/-, though barely.
If shots start falling for the Raptors’ backcourt, the East should fear what could be in store for the ladder half of the season. We’ve seen both Fred and Gary perform at astounding rates of efficiency from range and should expect to see more of that in the near future. Shooting slumps don’t last forever, but a strong defensive scheme led by 3 of the NBA’s top-10 steal leaders this year in O.G. Anunoby (1), Fred VanVleet (7) and Gary Trent Jr. (10) certainly bodes well going forward.
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Thanks, Chin!