The Raptors Holiday Wish List
Samson Folk & Trevon Heath get together to discuss the latest in the Raptors realm.
“Scottie Barnes is a remarkable passer, perhaps as good already as Lowry at his peak. Barnes is as good at creating layups for teammates, when he is on the move, as anyone in the entire league. But he isn’t able to get his hips past defenders on his drives, meaning he doesn’t beat his man entirely, meaning he doesn’t draw rotations as long across the floor (if at all), meaning those passes aren’t really available all the time. (And his turnover rate on drives is higher because digs can really impact his dribble.)
Ingram is a very impressive shooter who draws attention everywhere on the floor, and he is a strong driver, but his passing just hasn’t translated at all as a Raptor. His passing looks on the move have generally been resets, or bail-outs from his shooting motion, with very few of his passes being reads of the defence, manipulating the floor based on the advantages his driving creates. Perhaps the passing will come. But it’s been a long, long way away from where it would need to be.
RJ Barrett is the best driver on the Raptors, and he is no slouch as a passer on the move. He’s not as strong as starting point guards there, but he has a variety of passes on the move in his tool kit, and he runs a nifty pick and roll (especially in the simplified setup with an empty corner). But the mechanics of his jumper don’t allow for efficiency pull-up shooting whatsoever, so he is always playing against a defence multiple feet lower than most on-ball guards see. That has cascading impacts.
Ultimately, the Raptors won’t ever be a strong pick-and-roll team unless something changes. That something could be internal improvement or a roster move. And this isn’t to say that the players on the roster aren’t good or helpful. They are. Quickley is a very strong player, and adding a guard like Coby White who could handle initiation or play off the ball wouldn’t necessarily be to supplant Quickley as much as to complement him. The team simply lacks a player archetype that has become omnipresent around the modern NBA. One that the Raptors helped pioneer.”
Have a blessed day.
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