#ProveEm Playoffs – 7 Thoughts Heading Down the Final Stretch

‘Miles to Kilometers’ – Three=Point Efficiency

It was the most talked about thing after last season’s playoff exit…that Raptors inability to score via the three. Talks about culture change and the need to modernize an outdated offense, all of it meant the Raptors had to improve their long-range weaponry to keep pace with the high-octane offenses of the NBA’s truly elite.

They’ve certainly remained committed to the mandate, collectively and individually. As a team, they are attempting 32.5 three-pointers per game this season, compared to 24.3 a season ago. The increase in attempts has resulted in them making just over three more triples per contest in 17-18.

The likes of Delon Wright, DeMar DeRozan, and even Jonas Valanciunas have made strides in their ability to knock down long-range shots, but still, the Raptors find themselves in the bottom half of three-point efficiency, ranking 20th in three-point percentage, as of March 1st.

Perhaps the most intriguing piece of the Raptors playoff puzzle is CJ Miles.

The Bench Mob Dad scores 72-percent of his points from beyond the arc. But his to-date success rate of 38.3-percent  needs to climb as the playoffs draw closer. His average shot distance this season has been 21 feet, the highest in his career, due in large part to his inability to attempt shots from below the break.

The Raptors need to find more ways to get Miles clean looks from the corner. It’s the goal of every modern NBA team to maximize corner looks for their shooters. Toronto is no different.

Finally, looking at the team’s attempts from ‘Above the Break’, you’ll notice a significant drop in Assist-Percentage(The amount of shots that are made via assist), – 75.6 compared to mid-upper nineties on corner attempts. What this tells me is the team is not getting the same ball movement on non-corner looks and as a result, the shots they attempt from the elbows and top of the arc are, generally, more contested than their corner looks.