The Toronto Raptors need to bury 2021 version of small-ball
By Jason Mills
Lack of scoring in the paint hindered the Raptors’ success.
Unless you can boast the pinpoint accuracy of the death lineup that the Warriors once employed, small-ball doesn’t work for every team. This was clearly the Raptors’ issue in 2021, and they compounded the issue with an inability to score in the paint.
As a team, the Raptors were 27th in the NBA, averaging just 43.6 points per game. It’s the team philosophy greenlit by Nick Nurse to seek out the three-point shot. In contrast, during the first three games of the season, the Raptors took 132 threes while scoring 108 points in the paint.
The ability to score high percentage baskets allows a team to stay in games or keep pace. There are 5 playoffs franchises in the top 10 scoring points in the paint, and only Denver among that group averaged less than 50 points in the paint at 49.7.
The Raptors problem flows from the pick and roll. Before the arrival of Birch and Gillespie, the guards had no choice but to try and finish plays. The Raptors averaged 50 points in the paint in their last three games, nearly seven over their season average.
Last season when the Raptors won 53 regular-season games, they averaged 45.9 per game in the paint and averaged 112.8 points per game.
Size does matter in the NBA.
Contrary to popular belief, size does matter in basketball. The Lakers employed three legitimate big men last season in JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard, and Anthony Davis while winning in 2020. The Nuggets busted out a large lineup with Paul Millsap as the shortest starter at six foot seven inches. You need some size to compete, even in this high-octane era.
Small-ball is about the skill set, not just the size of the player, and considering the Raptors won an NBA title with two 7-footers in Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol just two years ago, it’s surprising how small the Raptors tried to play this season with Siakam and OG Anunoby at times playing power forward and center together.
It is also a style of basketball that works best if used against the right opponent but not against every team all the time. When the Raptors employed Gasol over the previous two seasons, he was instrumental in shutting down Joel Embiid.