Toronto Raptors: The case for/against pulling C.J. Miles from the rotation

C.J. Miles has been terrible for the Toronto Raptors so far this season. With such a deep team, it begs the question, “Should he be pulled from the rotation entirely?”

The Toronto Raptors bench has been a huge disappointment so far this season. Expected to be one of the best units in the NBA, nearly every member of the reserves has underperformed expectations. However, no player has underperformed expectations more than C.J. Miles.

Miles is averaging 12.2 points per 36 minutes, down from 18.8 last season; has an effective field goal percentage of 39-percent, down from 52-percent last season; and most importantly is making only 27-percent of his three-point attempts, down from 36-percent last season. Miles has tried to diversify his game in other small areas, but in the end, he brings value as a shooter. If he’s not making shots, there isn’t much of a reason to keep him out there.

The reasons for Miles struggles are unclear. At 31 years old, it’s not like he suddenly became washed. In fact, after struggling with injuries last season, Miles looks sprier than he did a year ago.

His shot profile isn’t quite as clean, but it’s relatively similar to last season. A few less catch-and-shoot opportunities has undoubtedly impacted Miles, but a closer look at the tracking data shows that he is making a lower percentage of shots no matter the type of attempt.

As talented as Miles is, it’s time to ask the question, “Should he be pulled from the Raptors’ rotation?” There is a case for and a case against pulling Miles minutes completely. We made both arguments in an interesting dispute of Case For/Case Against.

The case for pulling Miles:

Did you read the stats above? C.J. Miles hasn’t been bad. He’s been atrocious. If he’s not able to make three-point shots — which he clearly isn’t — it’s time to pull him.

The case against:

It’s not that simple. Miles has a career three-point percentage of 36-percent. He didn’t forget to shoot overnight. Clearly, there is something going on with the bench unit as a whole. Let him continue to work his way through this struggle as the rest of the bench (hopefully) returns to full strength. With better talent and playmaking around him, Miles will start to shoot the ball better.

Case for:

Miles poor shooting isn’t a symptom of the bench’s struggles; it’s the cause of it. NBA tracking data, confirms what we all have witnessed all season, Miles isn’t getting significantly worse looks. He is simply missing the shots he is taking.

Case against:

You’re right C.J. is missing open shots. Another reason to let him play through this. Players don’t forget how to shoot (except Markelle Fultz). Games in January aren’t important. Games in April are important.

Case for:

Games in January aren’t important, but minutes are finite. Giving minutes to C.J. Miles means taking away minutes from other players. Delon Wright, Norman Powell, and OG Anunoby are two-way wings who fare better for the playoffs anyways. The Raptors should be using all their resources to make sure those three are ready for the playoffs, not a 32-year-old shooter who can’t shoot.

Case against:

If Miles is not part of this team’s playoff run, they need to try to inflate his trade value some. The way they can inflate his value is by letting him play. Giving up on more than $8 million of dead money due to a couple of cold months is not smart asset management. At the least, Toronto should allow Miles to play up until the trade deadline in hopes of returning his trade value some.

Case for:

I can live with that. Giving Miles minutes for the next month and a half, hoping to increase his trade value for the deadline. If he’s able to improve enough, he can stay with the team. Once the trade deadline passes, if he isn’t shooting better, he needs to be pulled.

Case against:

Fair.