In Cory Joseph’s last year in San Antonio, the back up point guard and all around spark plug for the Spurs was asked to log 18.3 minutes a game. Considering he started 14 of those games due to injuries and mitigating circumstances, those average minutes are even higher than what his actual role suggested.
The Spurs did not live or die based on Joseph’s success, but he was nice to have. He was a shot of espresso dropped in your morning coffee because “It’s a Monday, and today’s going to suck”. Now Joseph is not just that shot of espresso, but the sugar, milk, mug and stir stick. He’s an integral and necessary part of one of the league’s best teams, but the how much he contributes to that success is beginning to fade.
In Toronto, Joseph gets a longer leash than anyone based almost solely on his Canadian citizenship, and rightly so. The NBA isn’t exactly full off Canucks, so being blinded by the pride of one of our own lacing them up each game isn’t cause for alarm. Still, that pride can get in the way of what’s actually happening on the court.
Joseph is averaging less minutes than he was last season at 21.9, but it’s what he’s doing in those minutes that’s concerning. The hustle, defense, and floor general qualities we’ve come to love from Joseph have been ignored in favour of a more ball-dominant attitude. Like the rest of the Raptors this season, Joseph has caught the scoring-bug, and while that’s led to some other-worldly numbers from this historic offense, it’s also led to Joseph stepping outside of his capabilities.
Joseph understands that his role coming off the bench, with or without Kyle Lowry on the floor is to act as the primary ball handler. That responsibility has led to some less than thrilling results. While the units he plays on continue to tear apart opposing defenses, two things are important to remember. One, he’s often going against the opposition’s weaker players, and two, Kyle Lowry is often out there with him.
If you dig deeper past the eye test of Joseph alone at the top of the three point line dribbling the air out of the ball and screaming for non-existent picks, the numbers support the frustration. Removing players who play less than 15 minutes a game, Joseph ranks 17th in average seconds per touch.
Co-Jo holds on to the ball an average of 4.99 seconds per touch, and it gets worse when we look at how many times he dribbles it. Again looking at players who average more than 15 minutes a game, Joseph ranks 5th among all active players in dribbles per touch at 5.83. Players like Reggie Jackson and John Wall who rank above Joseph have their own problems, but they’re both undeniably more prolific at creating their own shots and scoring.
He averages just 0.175 points per touch which ranks above only Patrick Patterson, Fred VanVleet and Bruno Caboclo on the Raptors. To put that number in comparison, Kyle Lowry averages 0.253 points per touch. A quick shoutout to Terrence Ross here who is setting the ball on literal fire when it touches his hands. He’s averaging 0.534 points per touch which leads the league, and it’s not even close. Shabazz Muhammad is the next man up at 0.461 points per touch. Yes, Terry is averaging more than half a point a touch. Nonsense, but back to Joseph.
This piece isn’t meant to jump all over Joseph and his inconsistencies on the offensive end, but to remind fans that they need to temper their expectations when the ball touches his hands. Joseph is a slow decision maker, but still a capable scorer. His field goal percentage on drives is 51.6 percent this season which is actually higher than Lowry’s (51.3).
Simply put, ball-stoppers continue to be an analyst’s nightmare, and while the numbers are always going to be exaggerated for ball-dominant guards, Cory Joseph doesn’t fit that mold. He’s a capable scorer in spurts, and his defense and hustle are rarely questioned, but him and coach Casey need to define his role more clearly in order for the bench to continue being successful.
