The Toronto Raptors were able to beat out the rival Boston Celtics and secure the addition of former Washington Wizards guard Will Barton. Toronto needed some offensive juice off the bench, and the longtime Denver Nuggets wing will certainly suffice.
Barton was signed after the Raptors decided to part ways with Juancho Hernangomez. While the 32-year-old is coming off a fairly disappointing season with the Wizards, he could get his value back up with a very defined role as a bench sniper on the Raptors.
The fact that the Raptors were able to convince Barton, who is fresh off a very productive stint alongside Nikola Jokic with the Nuggets, to spurn contenders like the Celtics is extremely impressive. Now it’s on Barton to prove that Toronto’s faith is not misguided.
Barton made a brief cameo in Tuesday’s tussle with the Chicago Bulls, but that wasn’t enough to get a feel for what Barton is going to bring to the table over the final 18 games of the season. With some very important matchups coming up, these three traits that Barton possesses will be invaluable for Toronto.
3 things Will Barton brings to the Toronto Raptors.
3. Clutch shooting
Inpredictable.com defines clutch shooting as shots that have an “elevated impact on win probability” late in games. In general, the league shoots about 46% in situations like that. Barton, however, has far exceeded that metric. His Nuggets tenure was full of impactful jumpers that sealed essential wins.
In three of the last four seasons, Barton has shot over 54% in clutch situations. While he didn’t have a particularly high volume of shots like that in Washington, Toronto will take anyone and everyone that has been effective in critical situations like that.
Will Barton gives the Toronto Raptors a clutch shooter.
While Gary Trent Jr. has had some success with hitting clutch 3-pointers recently, and Scottie Barnes has shown an aptitude for performing well in the fourth quarter, both Fred VanVleet and the mercurial Pascal Siakam has been somewhat volatile in crunch time.
Barton likely won’t be on the floor in many closing lineups, but that doesn’t mean Toronto should completely abandon the idea of looking to put Barton on the floor in the fourth quarter. While he wasn’t prime Kobe Bryant in Denver, there’s a lot to like about his overall performance in tense situations.