Raptors' key weakness comes into sharp focus based on alarming statistic

It's no secret at all: the Toronto Raptors are far from being a dangerous three-point shooting team. Everyone knows where and how they excel. Scoring on the fast break (where they lead the league in that category) and finding opportune moments to score inside the paint (where they rank fifth in that area at 53.3 PITP).

But from beyond the arc, it's a totally different story.

The Raptors rank 23rd in three-point field goal percentage at 35.0 percent and rank 25th in three-point field goal attempts at 32.6 per game. There are some capable shooters in the Raptors' ranks like Immanuel Quickley and Brandon Ingram, and in the case of BI, I don't know if I would necessarily label him a 'sniper' by any means. Elsewhere, guys like Ja'Kobe Walter and Sandro Mamukelashvili have shown promise off the bench and in even in starting roles, but the need for more stout shooting remains a glaring concern to tackle.

And to only amplify the weight of this obvious weakness for Toronto, I recently came across a startling statistic that features two important Raptors players, which emphasizes just how much hitting the three-ball is a work-in-progress within this current construct.

As per Basketball University on X, they released a graphic listing the players with the lowest wide open three-point percentage from the 2025-26 season, revealing RJ Barrett and Jamal Shead in that mix. The data compiled comes from NBA.com and is measured based on a minimum of 150 wide open three-point field goal attempts.

RJ Barrett and Jamal Shead highlighted for poor performance on open threes

That is not the company you want to see any of your roster members in, especially when it's a stat like wide open jump shots. Now, when you're getting so many uncontested shots up, you have to wonder if the opposing defenders are simply leaving these guys open for a reason. And I'll say this much, for Jamal Shead at least, I've seen that on countless occasions.

Jamal Shead's offensive limitations has been a prominent storyline in Raptors Nation for quite a while now, until this recent stretch where he's had some solid outings in contrast. Ironically enough, Shead was 3-for-3 from deep in the Raptors' last game out against the Kings. Nevertheless, I don't know if Shead's jumpshot in its present form is to be trusted at all. We've tackled here on Raptors Rapture before how Shead developing into a sound shooter could be his ticket to a long NBA career, but that is simply not the case right now. To me, his elite passing skills have largely been offset by the lack of an offensive impact.

Regarding RJ Barrett, he looked to be trending in the right direction as a three-point threat back in October, but it has leveled back out to a mediocre clip since then. Barrett is up there as one of Toronto's best slashers, playing gritty to get inside and drawing fouls, but missing all these open looks is a very worrying trend. Given his polarizing skillset, you're going to need a guy like Barrett to hit a couple threes for you, especially when he's in a lineup with guys like Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl.

Yet, Barrett has largely come up short in that regard. And mind you, this is a player who averages about 5.0 attempts from beyond the arc every single game. There's just no reasonable excuse to not hit those wide open looks, so whether it's a mental hurdle, a shot mechanic issue, or clunky offensive sets — something needs to change moving forward.

The playoffs are only going to illuminate this issue, and knowing the Raptors have two key rotation pieces that are struggling to hit the open three-ball — it paints a pretty grim picture of what could turn out in the postseason.