Toronto Raptors Roundup is a weekly segment where we fill you in on all the games, highlights and stories from last week. Here’s what you missed from the fifth week of the season.
The Toronto Raptors came down to earth this week, losing three games out of four. Injuries to OG Anunoby and Kyle Lowry have tested the Raptors depth and may force coach Nick Nurse to keep an eye on his players minutes.
The Raptors ended a three-game slide with a victory against a bad Chicago Bulls team to bring their record to 13-4 on the season.
Raptor News
The Return of Casey
Dwane Casey returned to Toronto after being dismissed this off-season by the Toronto Raptors after another disappointing exit from the playoffs.
Casey guided the Raptors to several franchise milestones including five seasons with 48 wins or more, an Eastern Conference Championship and 320 regular season victories.
Casey was rewarded with a nice ovation in his return as well as a victory.
Three Losses & Three-point Shooting
What can be certain is that when the Raptors aren’t hitting their threes, they are going to be in trouble. Consider a quick comparison between wins and losses. As a team, the Raps have shot 24% from deep during the four losses compared to 37% in their wins. Kyle Lowry was an atrocious 2-24 in four losses so far this season.
Unsteady Freddy
Fred VanVleet‘s inconsistent play has left many fans scratching their head wondering, “what’s wrong with Fred?”
Since his return from a toe injury, VanVleet has had scored in double digits twice and has gone 9-24 from deep. That’s 26% from three-point land kids. That ain’t good.
What’s more is that his plus/minus is a miserable -3 in the eight games he’s played after returning. He has to play better if the Raptors want to have an effective second unit.
An impressive bounce-back game in his hometown of Chicago on Saturday night, scoring a season-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, may get him back on track.