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The Toronto Raptors have had a rocky start to their 2020-2021 season like many teams in the NBA. While all organizations have been greatly affected by the ongoing pandemic, the Raptors have a different problem on their hands. The roster seems to have lost their connection in their shooting abilities in many games down the stretch. While this problem may stem from the new Tampa Bay location, the constant shuffle of lineups, or even injuries, the Raptors consistent shooting struggle has dealt a catastrophic blow to the team's record.
There is no doubt that the Raptors shooting struggles have contributed to several losses placing them last in the Atlantic division. On nights where they have walked away with the win, the Raptors FG% has been 46.5% and their 3PT% has been 40.3%. On the other hand, both of these figures were about 4 percent lower in games they lost while their FT% has been down by around 2 percent in losses as well.
As expected, the Raptors’ leading players have a colossal impact on the end result of their games. Where Pascal Siakam’s numbers seem to be higher when the Raptor’s lose, key guards Lowry and VanVleet tend to have poorer performances. These shooting droughts have been detrimental to the team and their record.
Lowry’s FG% is over 11% higher in games where the Raptors win. These statistics are concrete, not a fluke, as his 3PT% is 12% higher in winning games as well. As for VanVleet, his FG% is 2% higher and 3PT% is 6% higher on winning nights. As his nickname Steady Freddy depicts, he is a more consistent player compared to Lowry. Nonetheless, this doesn’t take away from the heavily relied-on impact that Kyle Lowry’s all-star level play has on the Raptors winning games.
The poor shooting of the Raptors stars, and the team as a whole, has definitely put the previous title contenders on the ropes to start the 2020-2021 season. In games where the Raptors win, Kyle Lowry and Fred Vanvleet have much better shooting nights, but Pascal Siakam performs slightly worse shooting-wise. This suggests that the team as a whole needs to improve. Whether it’s the new location in Tampa Bay, or the constant change in lineups, the Toronto Raptors do not seem dependable enough to win as many games as they did last season. Although the Raptors have a losing record, there is still time to win many games during this year’s NBA season. Can Nick Nurse facilitate an offense to create higher percentage shots, or is the problem due to poor shooting from certain individuals on the team?
Toronto Raptors Team stats. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2021, from https://www.nba.com/raptors/stats/team?season=2020-21&season_type=regular+season
Pascal SIAKAM 2020-21 SHOOTING. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2021, from https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/siakapa01/shooting/2021
Fred VanVleet 2020-21 SHOOTING. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2021, from https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/v/vanvlfr01/shooting/202
Kyle Lowry 2020-21 SHOOTING. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2021, from https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lowryky01/shooting/2021
NBA team standings & Stats. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2021, from https://www.nba.com/standings
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