The Toronto Raptors are currently running on fumes, as they lost five of their last seven games in what was supposed to be an “easier” part of the schedule. The Sacramento Kings did not provide the welcome home reprieve that Fred VanVleet, Scottie Barnes, and the rest of the squad were hoping for.
The Raptors were on the losing end of a 124-123 nailbiter that saw the Toronto defense completely fade down the stretch. With Toronto now in last place in the competitive Atlantic Division, it’s fair to wonder how much panic is going around that team.
While Sacramento is a much-improved opponent with a solid offense, and the Raptors were missing OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa, that should not excuse being up by 16 points in the middle of the second quarter and eventually losing at home to a team that played on Tuesday.
The Raptors will embark on a stretch in which they play 13 games in a row against teams with a winning record. With that nightmare stretch coming up, it’s hard to take much away from this game other than some very concerning observations.
3 hot takeaways as the Toronto Raptors blow home lead, lose to Kings.
1. The Raptors are the worst shooting team in the league.
The Raptors have shot under 30% from 3-point range in six of the last eight games. Coincidently, the Raptors have lost six of their past eight games. It took true Sherlock Holmes-level detective work to find the connection between those two trends.
In an NBA that is moving more towards 3-point shooting than ever before, Toronto rolling out lineups that often feature three complete non-shooters is not a viable strategy for a team trying to make some noise in the postseason. Toronto abused a suspect Kings interior defense, and it ultimately was in service of a tough home loss.
The Toronto Raptors have serious shooting issues.
The only qualified players making more than 33% of their 3-point attempts on this roster are Otto Porter Jr. (who has missed 20 games) and perennial benchwarmer Malachi Flynn. When so many proven shooters are struggling, that’s either a sign that a hot streak is due or something is very wrong behind the scenes.
The Raptors’ success under Nurse came with an array of snipers from beyond the 3-point line. Being efficient and limiting turnovers, two things Toronto can do on any given night, are great offensive philosophies, but the 3-point line can’t be neglected or exploited this poorly by a team with playoff aspirations.
2. The “Vision 6-9” defense is categorically failing.
The Raptors have given up at least 108 points in each of the last eight games. The whole “Vision 6-9” philosophy is based around eschewing tons of centers in the rotation and going all-in on versatile forwards. That is exactly the holes that teams like the Kings have been able to exploit with such ease.
Sabonis recorded 21 points and 20 rebounds in Sacramento’s win, showing that a rookie in Christian Koloko and the undersized Thad Young is not enough depth to slow down some of the best bigs in the league. At least the perimeter defense is dominant, right? Oh, what wishful thinking that is.
The Toronto Raptors are struggling defensively.
The Raptors let Sacramento make 17 3-pointers, and Orlando was sniping them to death from 3-point range in their two victories. While Toronto’s overly aggressive style was created with the goal of forcing turnovers, they’re not causing enough to make up for all the open looks on the perimeter and at the basket.
The Raptors need to make some sort of change to how they operate in order to turn their fortunes around. The construction of their roster makes this very difficult to accomplish with a few quick schematic tweaks. Perhaps the explosive trade that has been hinted at by insiders may actually come to reality.
3. Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes are back.
While Barnes did have some absolutely crushing turnovers late in the fourth quarter, it’s hard to get too mad at the only two players who showed up with the intention of playing well on the offensive end. Between VanVleet and Scottie putting up 66, Toronto may find the added offensive punch they’ve been lacking lately.
Barnes put up 27 points, dished out 10 assists, and pulled down seven rebounds. While he struggled against Orlando, he was one rebound shy of his fourth double-double in his last seven games. The frustrated VanVleet shooting tour dates could be a thing of the past, as he scored 39 points on 13-25 shooting from the field.
Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes looked alive for the Toronto Raptors.
While it’s sometimes difficult to analyze why a team might be struggling, the Raptors’ struggles on offense can seem very cut and dry. Toronto was getting next to nothing from their star offensive performers outside of Siakam. Have they turned over a new leaf against a few quality opponents?
Siakam’s struggles against Sacramento have to be, at least in part, due to the fact that he is continuously shouldering a frankly Herculean workload in the half-court. If Barnes continues to be efficient and VanVleet has rediscovered his penchant for timely shot-making, Toronto could gradually claw back out of this hole they’ve dug.