Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan
Today’s NBA no longer offers warm welcomes to volume shooting guards who convert around 40 percent of their looks and can’t notch a 30 percent success rate from three-point range. DeRozan is an understated passer, but he’s more Kobe Bryant at a time when the league is hot for Klay Thompson. And that brings the Toronto Raptors to a crossroads. DeRozan isn’t expected to pick up his player option worth just under $10.1 million for 2016-17. There will be plenty of money floating around in free agency, and he’ll be trying to get his piece of the financial pie. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reported back in June that DeRozan will seek a max contract that pays him around $25.3 million next season. The Raptors have already committed money to more efficient wings in DeMarre Carroll and Terrence Ross, and they’ve long been considered a threat to poach Durant from Oklahoma City.
How does the Raptors three point shooting today compare with franchise history? – Raptors HQ
Now, the franchise leader for the Raptors in made 3s remains Morris Peterson – he led the team in makes for three non-consecutive years. Kyle Lowry, meanwhile, is hard charging at the record. He’s got 475 as of today, and given the rate at which he’s taking and making them this season (almost three of almost seven a game, good for 41.9 percent efficiency), it feels inevitable Lowry will take the lead. The Raptors as a team, however, may actually shoot less three pointers this year than the last two years, when Toronto put up 1,917 and 2,060 threes. Currently, the team averages just shy of 22 attempts per game (21.9) which, if that rate holds, would be good for 1,799 threes for the season. This puts them in the bottom third in the league in threes attempted (and threes made, incidentally), though the Raps are currently ninth in 3-point efficiency. Will things change? The team’s percentage is up to 36.5 percent (from 35.2 percent last season), but that remains to be seen.
Raptors by the numbers: Toronto in good company after first month | Eh Game – Yahoo Sports
All that attention paid to team defence in preseason is paying off, too, as the early returns have been terrific. The Raptors are 10th in defensive rating, allowing 99.5 points per 100 possessions. After finishing 23rd in that category last season, the stark improvement can be attributed largely to two factors: the addition of premium defenders in Carroll, Joseph, and Biyombo and the decision to switch to a less aggressive pick-and-roll defence that encourages opponents to shot long two-pointers. Having a top-10 offence and defence in terms of efficiency is seen as the benchmark for being a complete team. The Raptors are one of three teams to be in the top 10 in both categories. The other two? Golden State and San Antonio. That’s some mighty fine company to keep.
Raptors’ DeMarre Carroll prepared for emotional Atlanta homecoming | Raptors | S
Asked earlier this year who the guy that was toughest to say farewell to when he made the decision to sign with Toronto and leave Atlanta, Carroll didn’t even have to think about it. “Bud,” he said. “That was my guy. I still talk to him. We were like father and son, best friends type relationship. Our relationship was real heart, but he was happy for me. He chucked up a couple of tears but at the same time it was great. I really felt a lot for him because without him I don’t think I would be in (this situation).” Without Carroll in the lineup, the Hawks are off to a solid start at 11-7, a half game back of the Raptors heading into play Monday night. Kent Bazemore has taken over Carroll’s starting small forward role and while he has been doing a solid job shooting better this year than he ever has and still providing solid defence,
Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry embracing the NBA’s trend of taking the long-range shot
“He’s one of our best three-point shooters. Why not use it? I don’t care if he’s our (centre). We’ve got to use it,” Casey said of Lowry, who is now shooting 42 per cent from three-point distance after going 4 for 9 against the Suns in a 107-102 loss Sunday at the Air Canada Centre. Before the game, he was at 6.9 three-point attempts per 36 minutes, comfortably the highest rate of his career. “He’s one of our best three-point makers. We’ve got some takers. He’s a maker. We’ve got to utilize that.” “What makes Kyle look so different is he’s one of the better three-point makers coming down in transition. Those are the ones he has to be intelligent with and smart with — those decisions.”
Hometown kid Cory Joseph makes good in Toronto | Hardwood Paroxysm
Joseph is a textbook case for looking at per-minute or per-possession stats. While he’s playing six more minutes per game than he did last year in San Antonio, his points and assists per 100 possessions have hardly changed. What’s different is that Joseph has, through 17 games, been more efficient, with a healthy, career-high .598 TS%, per basketball-reference.com. That’s likely an unsustainable figure. He’s shooting 86% at the rim, which is an unbelievable rate and well above what he’s managed in the past, and 56% from 16 feet to the 3-point line, also Dirkian and unlikely to hold. In addition, only 18% of his field goals have been assisted, so while his usage is about the same as in years past, he’s getting less help creating the same number of opportunities. Sustainable or not, he’s helped the Raptors field a top-10 offense thus far. Joseph ensures that the Drakes don’t miss a beat when Kyle Lowry, looking Kate Moss skinny in a career year, hits the bench. Casey has used Lowry and Joseph together for 234 out of around 800 possible minutes, but he should probably play them together more; they have a net rating of +16 when they’re on the floor together.
Toronto Raptors prospect report: November | Sportsnet.ca
It’s possible with the Raptors thin at centre, Nogueira will remain in Toronto even when Jonas Valanciunas returns. However, that wouldn’t do him much favour as similar to Caboclo, Nogueira needs to be on the court playing consistent minutes. “These guys just haven’t had the opportunity to play,” Lewis said. “They’ve developed numerous skills, but they’ve never been able to implement them in game situations. So the biggest growth for him is getting into games and being able to do everything that he’s been working on.” It’s a tricky dilemma for the Raptors. Nogueira is a spry, athletic big man that could help bolster Toronto’s bench, but he’d be chained to it for the most part, unlike the freedom he’s afforded with the 905.
Lewenberg: Raptors continue to emphasize three-point shooting | TSN
Toronto’s all-star point guard has proven he can knock down the three at a high rate. Lowry, a 26 per cent long-range shooter in his first four NBA seasons, has blossomed into the team’s best and most reliable marksman. He’s hit half of those 20 threes over the aforementioned two-game stretch and is shooting a career-best 42 per cent this season, leading the Eastern Conference in both attempts and makes. Without the injured Jonas Valanciunas, their most efficient low-post scorer, the Raptors are leaning on the deep ball more than ever. Over their last five contests, four of them wins, they have hit 10 or more three-pointers four times, shooting 41 per cent during that stretch. “That’s kind of the trend in the league now,” Casey said. “The analytical three. They’d probably rather have that than a good bank shot from outside the paint. So that’s the trend and we’re all going to it. Sometimes it looks like a crazy three but again, you want to get as many of those as you can – good quality threes and layups and get to the free throw line – and that’s what we’re trying to do. That’s our philosophy offensively.”
