Raptors blame game: Who gets most blame for recent struggles?
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors have been absolutely pitiful in the second half, as their 2-5 start has almost extinguished the possibility of the team earning the No. 6 seed and avoiding the play-in tournament. From an aesthetic point of view, this has been some of the most putrid basketball we’ve seen all year long.
Not only have Toronto’s two wins come against a Nets team that didn’t have any of their best players, but those wins were followed up by losses against the lowly Pistons (for the third time this season, I might add) and Magic. Toronto is shooting just 29% from 3-point range in the last few games.
The Raptors are sliding down the standings after throwing away some golden opportunities against bad teams. With stars like Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby currently recovering from injury, Toronto has not been able to put their best possible product out on the floor every single night.
The Raptors have played hurt before, but they’ve never looked so dejected and out of energy. Which members of the organization are at fault for this losing streak? Can they eventually snap out of the daze they’re in?
Who is to blame for the Toronto Raptors amid their struggles?
4. Gary Trent Jr.
Trent has been fantastic for most of this season, but he’s been almost inconceivably poor as a shooter over the last few games. Since coming back from the All-Star break, Trent is making just 29% of his shots and 22% of his 3-pointers. You don’t need me to tell you that those aren’t great numbers.
With Anunoby and VanVleet out, the only player that is expected to play a high number of minutes and nail most of his 3-pointers is Trent. Be it through increased pressure or a lack of spacing on the floor, Trent’s poor marksmanship has cost Toronto in losses to some of the worst teams in the league.
Gary Trent Jr. has struggled for the Toronto Raptors lately.
Trent is a streaky player, and the Raptors made peace with that when they decided to fork over a huge contract in the offseason. However, 22% from deep while getting more 3-point attempts than anyone else on the team is not going to cut it. Toronto’s fortunes won’t turn around until he fixes this issue.
When Trent was reeling off 30 point games consistently, Toronto was one of the most lethal teams in the league. Without his skills in that area, the Raptors are showing that the lack of shooting on this roster is so bad that it could impact their chances of becoming a contender.