3 adjustments the Raptors must make to save their season
By KC Jordan
The Toronto Raptors’ season is teetering on the edge of disaster. After a promising 2021-22 campaign that saw them advance to the playoffs for the first time in two years, the 2022-23 season has been a disappointing fall from grace.
It seems like nothing has gone right for this squad. OG Anunoby and Fred VanVleet both went through prolonged shooting slumps. Scottie Barnes’ development has slowed after his terrific rookie season. Precious Achiuwa and Otto Porter both succumbed to injury. They’re not getting consistent contributions from their bench. What else could go wrong?
Of course, in the NBA, there are no excuses. No matter the hand that you’re dealt, you’re expected to go out and win. With the amount of talent on this team, winning shouldn’t be such a Herculean task. The Raptors have failed to rise to the occasion, and as a result, are on the outside of the playoffs looking in.
The ugly truth is that the Raptors have simply been a bad team. Per Cleaning the Glass (subscription required), they’re dead-last in the NBA in eFG% (a stat that accounts for the extra point earned from three-pointers) while allowing their opponents to enjoy the highest eFG% of any team. Not exactly a recipe for success.
Not all is lost, though. The Raptors sit in 11th place in a competitive Eastern Conference, only 4.5 games back of a guaranteed playoff spot. There’s still time to turn things around.
3 adjustments Toronto Raptors must make to save their season.
3. Change their offensive approach.
We all know that the Raptors thrive in transition. This is their team identity, their raison d’être. They want to get out on the open floor, allowing their league-best transition offense to fuel their attack. Transition scenarios, though, only account for about 75% of a game’s possessions. You still have to tread water in the half-court.
The Raptors, however, are drowning. With a dreadful 91.8 points scored per 100 possessions, the Raptors own the second-worst half-court offense in the league per Cleaning the Glass.
Beyond Pascal Siakam, the Raptors have struggled to find a secondary source of reliable offensive production. Fred VanVleet, usually a catch-and-shoot ace, hasn’t found his footing in an altered role that was supposed to augment that particular skill.
OG Anunoby, while remaining one of the most dominant defensive players in the league, has also struggled shooting the 3-ball, and has been far too turnover-prone on drives.
The Toronto Raptors have been flat offensively.
As such, the Raptors have been hesitant to pull the trigger from downtown, which has resulted in a one-dimensional, isolation-heavy attack. When it’s not Pascal, it’s been Anunoby, VanVleet, or Achiuwa, all three of whom rank in the 14th percentile or below in isolation efficiency.
If the Raptors are going to have any chance of turning things around this season, they’ll need to mix up their attack. Try out more off-ball cuts, more screening, and ways to get guys the ball in spots where they’re comfortable.
We saw shades of this during the recent six-game homestand. Scottie Barnes is becoming more comfortable as a screener-and-roller, be it setting ball screens or flare screens to free up shooters. The Raptors will need more of that efficient offense to improve their standing.