Statistical Breakdown: What Have the Toronto Raptors Been Doing Well?
Gather ’round children, it’s time to get statistical. The Toronto Raptors are 25-12, in second place in the Eastern Conference and first in the Atlantic Division. Things haven’t been going great for the team recently, having lost five of their last six games. But, as star DeMar DeRozan is set to come back either this Wednesday (vs. the Philedelphia 76ers) or this Friday (vs. the Atlanta Hawks), the team will look to figure out what has gone right and what has gone wrong without him, to get back to their winning ways. So, let’s delve a little into the stats (curtesy of basketball-reference.com), to see how the team has been playing so far this season.
Here’s something strange: whether it is through wins or losses, the Raps consistently take more shots than their opponents. In wins, the Raptors attempt 83.6 field goals, compared to an opponent average of 81.5. In losses, the team attempts 89.1 field goals, with opponents only taking 85.5 shots. As far as field goal percentage, that comes out to the Raps shooting 47.1% in wins and 44.3% in losses. On the defensive end, they hold their opponents to 44.9% in Raptors wins and 48.4% in losses.
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What Does This Mean?
When it rains, it pours. That high field goal percentage allowed by opponents during losses is a big reason for the team’s NBA-wide defensive ranking of 22nd. That percentage equates to the team allowing a whopping 112.6 points on average through their 12 losses. That’s huge by any standard, but when you consider that the Raps score an average of 109.6 points per game during wins, it becomes clear that defence is an issue.
An elite basketball team shouldn’t allow opposing teams to score more on them in losses than they score on teams in wins. This number will need to come down drastically if the Raptors expect to have a chance against high scoring teams, like the Golden State Warriors. No matter how good your offence is, it is nearly impossible to beat the league’s best teams with a porous defence.
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The good news: the Raptors’ offence is pretty great. So great, in fact, that the Raptors rank first across the league in offensive rating. By virtue of acquisitions like Lou Williams and James Johnson, as well as the further emergence of Kyle Lowry as a star, the Raptors are hardly having any problems scoring. They score the third most points per game of any team. They even sink an average of 104 points while losing.
With DeMar DeRozan coming back very soon, the Raps should look to keep up the good work on offence. They shoot a lot, and it works. DeRozan has no problem releasing shots in bunches and sinking many of them, so the team’s offensive success should sustain. They need to work on defence, and allowing far less points per game. Considering head coach Dwane Casey has been traditionally regarded as a defensive-focused strategist, the team’s struggles this year have been surprising. The Raps will be looking to DeRozan for help.