3 painful truths about Raptors after heartbreaking loss to Nets

1. Fred VanVleet has no help from deep.

VanVleet being his old self after some gnarly shooting lines is a very welcome development. However, because the Raptors are incapable of making ten or more 3-pointers in a game, the rest of his teammates were unable to be as effective from deep.

The Raptors have made just 15 3-pointers in the last two games, which is what some teams average per game. VanVleet has made six of them. Flynn, who didn’t play against Sacramento, Barnes, and Pascal Siakam (who attempted just three triples) are the only players other than VanVleet who made multiple 3-pointers.

That is pitiful and simply unacceptable.

Fred VanVleet needs more Raptors teammates who can shoot.

While the aforementioned Flynn may play a part in solving this issue, he’s just one guy. Siakam, while excellent, is less of a perimeter threat than he was last year. While Trent has been more productive of late, the injury to O.G. Anunoby effectively cancels that development out.

The Raptors need to be very active in trade talks, as they are currently stuck in a painful middle ground due to a lack of shooting. Unless VanVleet and Trent both start nailing over 40% of their 3-pointers with some high volume, the Raptors are boxed in by their roster construction.