Another month in the books for the Raptors as they closed out February with a win over the Wizards. Their record on the month was a good, but unimpressive, 6-4.
Which numbers defined this month for the Toronto Raptors?
2 – For the seventh time in franchise history, Toronto sent two players to the All-Star Game. Scottie Barnes, the Raptors’ fourth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, was selected first. Then, as an injury replacement, Brandon Ingram became the 10th Raptor ever named an All-Star.
For the first time in several seasons, Toronto feels like a team with a true identity. Barnes is the franchise centerpiece. Ingram is the crunch-time shot maker. Both players are locked into long-term deals. Raptors fans should be excited about what this duo can bring to the franchise.
4.0 – Scottie Barnes averaged 1.9 steals and 2.1 blocks per game in February. Or, 4.0 stocks. Sustaining that level of defensive production over an entire month is rare. It speaks to how disruptive he is in passing lanes and how much ground he can cover as a help defender. Barnes is currently ranked fourth in Defensive Player of the Year odds on most sportsbooks. If he maintains anything close to this pace, a late push for the award is realistic.
38.2 – During the month of February, Toronto shot an outstanding 38.2% from three. That strong stretch brought their season-long three-point percentage up to 34.7%, which still ranks just 22nd in the league.
Immanuel Quickley led the charge, shooting 43.4% on 7.6 attempts per game from deep. Sandro Mamukelashvili, Brandon Ingram, and Ja’Kobe Walter all shot above 40% from three during the month as well. Only time will tell whether those numbers are sustainable.
Throughout the season, critics have pointed to Toronto’s three-point shooting as a reason this team cannot succeed in the playoffs. February should help quiet some of that criticism.
5.00 – Quickley did not just shoot well. He displayed much better decision-making, finishing February with a 5.00 assist-to-turnover ratio. He was already averaging a strong 3.59 entering the month, and anything above 3.00 is typically considered solid for a lead guard.
Consistency has been a question throughout Quickley’s career. Raptors fans have seen hot stretches before. The key will be whether this version of Quickley carries into March. If it does, Toronto’s offense becomes that much more dynamic.
2.69 – Toronto’s starting guard was excellent in February. Their backup point guard was less so. Jamal Shead posted a 2.69 assist-to-turnover ratio during the month. That number is not bad. In fact, it is slightly above league average. But Shead’s value is closely tied to elite efficiency as a playmaker. He is still developing as a shooter and overall scorer, which makes his decision-making even more important.
Despite the down month, Shead’s season-long assist-to-turnover ratio still ranks 10th in the league at 3.8. Toronto will need him to regain that consistency moving forward.
22.8 – Ja’Kobe Walter averaged 22.8 minutes per game in February, sixth-most on the team. That put him ahead of rotation regulars like Jamal Shead (21.4) and Sandro Mamukelashvili (21.0).
Early in the season, minutes fluctuated between Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, and Walter as Coach Rajaković searched for consistency on the wing. In February, Walter may have secured that role. He knocked down 43.2% of his three-point attempts and routinely defended top perimeter options in his minutes.
With Agbaji gone and Dick’s role shrinking, February could be remembered as the month Walter solidified himself as a core rotation piece.