3 roles the Toronto Raptors need to fill at the trade deadline
By Jason Mills
2. A sixth man or shooter coming off the bench.
The Raptors seemed to have a pair of intriguing, cheap shooters coming off of the bench when the season began in Sam Dekker and Svi Mykhailiuk. However, Dekker got waived and Mykhailiuk is one of many bench players not getting court time.
Mykhailiuk has seen just 38 minutes and 30 seconds of playing time in the last five games. He has scored precisely seven points during that period, all in one game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Raptors as a team average a league-best 13.6 offensive rebounds per game, yet the offense is still underperforming thanks to players like Mykhailiuk.
The Toronto Raptors need a bench gunner.
The Raptors did replace former super substitute Norman Powell via trade last year for Gary Trent Jr., but Trent has ascended to the starting rotation. The Raptors have no Kyle Korver or JJ Redick-type who can come into a game cold and impact the score with deadeye shooting.
Once again, the Dragic situation is hurting this team. He is a career 46% shooter from the field and 36.7% marksman on three-point attempts, averaging 13.9 points a game. If management can move a nonessential asset to acquire a sniper, it could improve this team’s quality of shot attempts and shooting consistency.