Shooters:
- Kyle Lowry
- Fred VanVleet
- Matt Thomas
- Pascal Siakam/Serge Ibaka
- Marc Gasol
There will be times this season when the Raptors are in desperate need of a good shooting lineup, whether it’s for a late-game comeback or out of a time out.
Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet are both great spot-up and off-the-dribble shooters, so they are obvious choices.
Lowry is a career 37-percent three-point shooter, while VanVleet is at 39 percent for his career. Both of them have a knack for hitting big shots when they’re needed, and as mentioned previously, they work extremely well together.
Shooting is Matt Thomas’ single strength, so he will almost always be on the floor if the Raptors are in need of a three-point basket. Over the past two seasons playing internationally in Liga ACB, Thomas hit an outstanding 47-percent of his three-point shots.
Marc Gasol has become a quality three-point shooter, though he was hesitant to shoot the ball after joining the Raptors last year, especially early on. Gasol went from 13 field goal attempts per game in Memphis last season to seven per game after being traded to Toronto.
That issue has mostly been attributed to Gasol not wanting to step on any toes after joining a new team. This year, the Raptors will need him to be more assertive shooting and scoring the ball.
Serge Ibaka was moved to the center position by Nick Nurse last year, which in many ways, helped revitalize his career. The one area he regressed was as a long-distance shooter; last season, Ibaka posted a career-low in three-point percentage.
Pascal Siakam may end up being a better fit in this shooting lineup if he continues to improve his outside shot, but if Ibaka can bounce back from a down shooting year, he could provide the Raptors an additional look.
The biggest strength of this shooting lineup is that it’s comprised of five players who are legitimate threats from the perimeter, but the Raptors won’t giving up a height advantage to make that happen.