Like so much of the season, the Toronto Raptors have had an up-and-down stretch. In their last eight games, they are an underwhelming 3-5. Those eight games include multiple blowout wins (including a historic win against Orlando), as well as multiple blowout losses, and a loss against the dreadful Sacramento Kings.
All of these games, aside from the Orlando outlier, have included the same concerning trend: poor free throw shooting.
Toronto is not hitting their free throws
Over the last eight games, Toronto has shot an abysmal 66.3% from the free throw line.
That is by far the worst percentage in the league. Every basketball fundamentalist will tell you that free throws are free points that you need to capitalize on.
In blowout wins or losses, it is unlikely that the free throw difference alone would have swung the game. However, this goes beyond the points they are leaving at the line. It raises real questions about their overall mental fortitude.
Missing free throws is about more than just a few points
The Raptors are in the most critical stretch of the season. It is the first time this core has battled together like this, and frankly, it is not going well.
Four of Toronto’s five losses have come against playoff or play-in teams. Those are challenging games that are difficult to win. But Toronto's average loss in those games was 16 points, which is an unacceptable margin.
Free throws are uncontested shots. The catch is that you have to take them when all eyes in the arena are on you. That makes free throw shooting largely mental, especially in high-pressure moments.
Toronto was shooting 78.4% from the free throw line before this eight-game stretch. This drop is a major cause for concern.
Who can solve the problem?
If this is truly a mental issue, it falls on the leaders of this team to stabilize it quickly. That includes Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, Darko Rajaković, and the rest of the coaching staff.
At the time of writing, Toronto has six games left in the season. They are currently 7th in the Eastern Conference, tied with the sixth-place Philadelphia 76ers and 1.5 games back of the Atlanta Hawks. The leaders of this team need to get everyone focused and executing the fundamentals once again.