The Raptors’ 120-98 loss to the Suns was a brutal outing for several players. Brandon Ingram finished with 6 points on 3-10 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, and 5 big turnovers. Jakob Poeltl didn’t record a single point or rebound in 17 minutes on the court. The bench wasn’t spared either. Sandro Mamukelashvili and Jamal Shead shot a combined 3-14 from the field and 0-8 from three.
Ingram’s and Poeltl’s performances were uncharacteristic, especially considering the strong games they put together over the Raptors’ win streak. Mamukelashvili and Shead, on the other hand, have struggled recently, barring a 17-point performance by the latter against the Bulls.
Scottie Barnes shared some kind words about both after the loss to the Suns, and the Raptors need his positive outlook to become a reality sooner rather than later. They need reliable bench players to stand a chance in the playoffs.
“We believe in him,” Barnes said about Shead in his postgame media availability. “He gets downhill and creates so much for us. We know he’s going to be able to do that every single night. He’s going to come and play defense. I think that’s what our focus is on. Shots go in, shots don’t go in, then I might just go back on the other end and get it back. That’s his mentality. That’s our mentality as well. He’ll find it.”
When asked about Mamu, Barnes said, “We know how important he is for our team, and just got to find him some rhythm. We know how important he is for our team with shooting the ball, stretching defenses out, being able to roll, transition. He’s really great for us, and he’s a really good player. So, just keep reminding him of that.”
The Raptors need 3-point shooting from their bench
Shead and Mamu can both provide much more than just 3-point shooting, but, unfortunately, that is exactly what the Raptors need from their bench. Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley are solid 3-point shooters, sinking around 37% of their shots. RJ Barrett is a slightly worse shooter at 34.5%, Scottie Barnes isn’t great, shooting 29.4% on three attempts per game, and Poeltl doesn’t shoot threes.
With two rather unreliable shooters and a non-shooter in the starting lineup, the Raptors need 3-point shooting from the bench. Mamu has provided that most of the season. He shot at least 37% from long range in every past month except for January. So far, he is shooting only 28.1% in March, going 9-32 over ten games.
Shead hasn’t been as reliable from three, but was okay most months. He shot 46.2% in October, and around 33% in November, January, and February. He has only made three shots from behind the arc this month.
Ja’Kobe Walter has been a revelation amid those shooting struggles. He went 13-17 in his last five games, and it looks like he played his way into Darko Rajakovic’s playoff rotation.