Toronto Raptors: Three glaring questions ahead of the 2019-20 postseason

Is Patrick McCaw playable in the playoffs?

Now is the part of the article where we talk about everyone’s favourite Raptor – I’m talking about Patrick McCaw, of course.

McCaw has been a lightning rod stuck in the middle of Jurassic Park all season long, with many fans, including myself, unsure what to make of Nick Nurse’s infatuation with the unassuming wing.

Across 35 games with Toronto this season, McCaw is averaging more minutes per game than ever before in his career (24.3). The question is, why is he playing so much?

McCaw’s true shooting percentage is 51, and his three-point shot only drops 33.8 percent of the time. In both cases, McCaw’s numbers fall well below the likes of Matt Thomas and Terence Davis, both of whom, according to most Raptor fans, deserve more minutes than McCaw.

Defensively, McCaw is good.

But is McCaw SO good on defence that Toronto can happily deal with his limitations on offence? I say no.

Like any player, the three-time champion shows flashes of brilliance but on the whole, McCaw’s game is very mediocre. At least Matt Thomas, when left open, can shoot the lights out. And Terence Davis? Well, Raptor fans know how special he can be when given the opportunity. In three games where the rookie has played between 30-39 minutes, he’s averaged over 19 points and shot 54 percent from beyond the arc. Surely Davis isn’t going to see that amount of playing time in the playoffs, but can you honestly say that McCaw, if granted that many minutes, could produce as Davis has?

Because of how important shot-making is in the playoffs, it’s going to be hard to trust McCaw for long stretches. As a result, don’t expect to see much of him once the postseason begins.