Raptors 3-ball shooting: where’s our mojo gone?
By Brian Boake
Why have the Raptors been life and death so far to eliminate the #7 seed? Here’s one big reason.
The Toronto Raptors have struggled mightily in their first-round playoff series with the Indiana Pacers. A series which should have been wrapped up in 5 games will go at least 6, and there’s plenty of reasons to think a Game 7 may be necessary. In the words of the immortal Marvin Gaye, what’s going on?
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I didn’t need an advanced degree in Analytics to figure out this question. A quick trip to the team stats pages of www.nba.com provided the sad evidence. The Raptors shot 37% as a team from beyond the 3-point arc during the just-concluded 2015-16 season. After 5 playoff games, the squad has converted 33 of 124 attempts, or 26.6%. That woeful success rate places Toronto dead last among 16 playoff teams. By contrast, the San Antonio Spurs brushed aside the shadow figures representing the Memphis Grizzlies in four games by firing away at a 47.1% clip. How weird is it that the Pacers are shooting exactly 37% so far? They are sixth overall.
If our players were shooting at their established level we’d have about 15 more 3-balls, or 45 points. Maybe the Pacers would have one win.
For those incurable optimists and glass-half-full types among you, I’ll point out that it’s the Raptors with a 3-2 series lead, so our team is ahead despite its disappointing shooting.
The starters have been shockingly bad. Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Luis Scola are a combined 9 of 51, or 17.6%. We can’t even trot out the usual excuses, like how much tighter post-season defenses are. All three have enjoyed open looks a number of times and clanked them.
Sitting Scola down was clearly the right move, and I applaud Dwane Casey for making it. Unfortunately, Patrick Patterson reminded us in Game 5 why he couldn’t win the starter’s job at power forward in training camp. There are players who bump their heads badly when trying to move from the rotation to the prestige fivesome, and 2-Pat appears to be one of those.
I wish I had a suggestion to perk up Kyle and DeMar. When a player is struggling to make shots, I recommend the use of the backboard – except when we’re talking about 3-balls. The shot is long enough, we don’t need to make it longer. (Every shot Jonas Valanciunas takes within 3 feet should be off the glass. A ball shot past the front rim always has a chance of rattling in. Have you noticed how many bunnies he misses short?)
If I were whispering in our All-Stars’ ears just before tip-off, I’d tell them to concentrate on the process, and let the result happen how it will. Ensure your toes are pointing directly at the bucket with feet together, release the ball at the top of your jump, have your eyes steady on the back iron…and let it fly.
Kyle is the man who needs to find his stroke. The long ball is an essential part of his arsenal, whereas DeMar is a safety valve.
Let’s hope our players find their shots in Indy on Friday night. We really don’t want to play Game 7.