After what had been a decent start to the season considering the number of injuries that they were dealing with at the time, the expectation was that the Toronto Raptors would go up a gear once the team got healthier. That has not been the case. Instead, their form seems to have fallen off a cliff in recent times.
The Raptors are 3-10 over their past 13 games. That is a terrible run, to say the least, and it has seen them slip down to 12th in the Eastern Conference, an unexpected drop for a team that earned the No. 5 seed just a year ago.
Multiple key players seem to have lost their form at the same time. Fred VanVleet seems like a shell of his All-Star self. Scottie Barnes has not been bad but he has failed to match the high expectations that surrounded him coming into the season, on the back of being the 2022 Rookie of the Year.
Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are perhaps the only two players on the roster who have improved.
When it comes to the Raptors’ biggest weakness, it is clear that it is their shooting. They were bad in that respect last season as well, but they have somehow managed to get worse. They are 27th in the league in field goal percentage and the worst in the league from beyond the arc.
Want to fix that? Enter Kentucky guard Cason Wallace.
Kentucky's leaders in 3-point shooting:
— Hunter Shelton (@HunterShelton_) January 4, 2023
1. Cason Wallace - 45%
2. Sahvir Wheeler - 41%
3. Antonio Reeves - 40%
4. Chris Livingston - 39%
5. CJ Fredrick - 38%
Just as everyone expected.
Cason Wallace could be perfect for the Toronto Raptors.
Not only will the Raptors find themselves on the lookout for their future point guard as well, considering VanVleet’s downturn in form this season. Why not try to solve both issues at the same time?
Wallace has been superb on both ends of the court. The Freshman is averaging 12.9 points, 3.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds from 33.1 minutes of action. He has made 50.4% of his field goal attempts and gone 45.6% from beyond the arc over 14 games in the 2022-23 season.
On the other hand, Wallace is a menace on defense, averaging 2.3 steals per game and proving himself to be one of the best defenders in his class. Those worried about losing the trademark VanVleet edge won’t have to worry if the Raptors insert Wallace into the starting lineup.
While he does need to put on some weight and decide if he’s going to be an off-ball shooter or on-ball creator, Wallace seems like one of the safer prospects in the lottery. Kentucky is usually a good stop for ball-dominant guards, and Wallace is no exception this year.
Underrated Cason Wallace skill: he knows how to make an entry pass to not only get his C the ball in the post but to put them in a good position to attack.
— Tyler Metcalf (@tmetcalf11) January 7, 2023
There is a good possibility that Wallace could be a top 10 pick, as he ticks a lot of the boxes that the Raptors would be looking for going into the 2023 NBA Draft.