4 Troubling Signs from Toronto Raptors' 1st Week
Despite finishing their first week of the 2013-14 NBA regular season with a respectable record of 2-1, the Toronto Raptors still encountered some troubling signs and issues that need to be addressed.
Led by Rudy Gay and his 18 points, the Raptors managed to withstand a valiant effort from the rebuilding Boston Celtics to escape opening night with a 93-87 victory at the Air Canada Centre. Unfortunately, the team followed that performance up with a stinker in Atlanta, losing to the Hawks by a final score of 102-95 on November 1st.
A 97-90 win over the Milwaukee Bucks the next night got the Raptors back over the .500 mark, but enough was shown in that three-game span to raise a few eyebrows in both a positive and negative manner.
No one should be sounding the alarm and jumping ship after such a short period of time. These are simply legitimate concerns and questions that have arisen after 144 minutes of play.
There's still plenty of basketball remaining, but perhaps now is the time to be analyzing and evaluating some of these early-season headaches so they don't become bigger complications as we move forward.
*All statistics courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
Amir Johnson and the Three-Point Shot
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I'm all for Amir Johnson adding a new skill to his basketball repertoire. He's looking to evolve as a player by bringing a reliable three-point shot to his game.
In 2012-13, Johnson attempted 13 three-pointers, nailing five. We're just three games into this new year and the 6'9" power forward has already attempted eight, hitting three (37.5 percent).
The only thing that worries me is Johnson eventually falling in love with that shot, putting more of an emphasis on his mid-range and long-range games while focusing less on getting to the basket.
We're still in that honeymoon stage where we applaud Johnson when a three-pointer falls through the hoop, but when it doesn't, we pound our fists and shake our heads in disgust.
For now, Johnson is hitting his three-pointers and taking them at opportune times. Opposing squads have yet to figure out that he can hit from distance, so there's going to be little pressure around him while he's on the perimeter.
As long as he knows where he's most effective, I'm all for it. I just don't want to see it become a recurring thing, that's all.
What Happened to the Free-Throw Shooting?
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This number is going to improve, but over the last three games, the free-throw shooting of the Toronto Raptors has been oddly pathetic.
The team shot 78.8 percent from the free-throw line in 2012-13, which was fifth best in the NBA. The fact that Toronto was so proficient and dependable from the charity stripe last season makes the 64.0 percent they're currently shooting, which is second to last in the league, all the more puzzling.
Kyle Lowry appears to be the main instigator of this most unexpected of slumps. The eight-year pro has hit just 12 of his 22 attempts, equating to 54.5 percent. For a career 78.5 percent shooter, one can only speculate as to what has happened to his touch from the line.
DeMar DeRozan is in the same boat, as he's hitting just 58.3 percent, which is down from his career-high 83.1 last season.
On the bright side, the Raptors are at least getting to the free-throw line on a regular basis, averaging 25.0 attempts, which is right in the middle of the league at 15th overall.
Now it's just a matter of hitting those freebies consistently when they present themselves.
Erratic Minutes for Jonas Valanciunas
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There's a perfectly logical explanation as to why the minutes of Jonas Valanciunas have been all over the place.
The 21-year-old sophomore totalled 31 minutes of playing time against the Boston Celtics but just 17 and 16 minutes against the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks, respectively. In 21.7 minutes of action, Valanciunas is averaging 6.3 points and 7.0 rebounds to begin the year.
Frankly, he makes his biggest impact in the opening quarter of games. According to NBA.com, Valanciunas has taken 14 shots in 25 first-quarter minutes, but just seven in 40 minutes afterwards.
In an effort to combat certain matchups, head coach Dwane Casey has decided to go with a smaller lineup, utilizing a combination of Amir Johnson, Tyler Hansbrough, Rudy Gay and Landry Fields in the frontcourt late in games.
Both the Hawks and Bucks played small ball, which ultimately eliminated someone with the size and stature of Valanciunas from the equation.
There's also a trust that's been created between Casey and his veteran players that hasn't been formed (yet) with his young center. In late-game situations, a rotation is slowly emerging that doesn't feature Valanciunas, which is mind-boggling considering the potential and upside he has. There needs to be more of a balance.
The head coach needs to start dictating the pace of the game with his lineup, rather than succumbing to the will of the opposition. Put your best players out on the court, and let the other team adjust to what you're doing, not vice-versa.
Rudy Gay's Shooting Woes Continue
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All of the corrective vision surgery on the planet can't cure bad shot selection.
As you can see from this chart of Rudy Gay's first three games of the season, there are very few parts of the court where he's finding success shooting the basketball.
Shooting 32.7 percent from the field and 30.0 percent from three-point range is unacceptable from arguably the most prolific offensive player on the team. Rather than letting his game come to him naturally, Gay is forcing up shots and settling for jumpers. When he does get to the basket, he's converting just 40.9 percent of his attempts.
He hasn't shot higher than 45.0 percent since the 2011-12 season as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. His percentages have been on a free fall ever since.
Gay's shooting slump doesn't seem to be much of a concern to him personally, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun:
"There's going to be times I'm not going to make shots and we're still going to have to find ways to win.
We're still winning, we're 2-1 and I don't think I've hit a shot in five games, and we've only played three.
I'm pretty sure the ball will go in.
"
Let's hope better days are ahead, because the Toronto Raptors need Gay to be on top of his game if they want any shot of making the NBA playoffs.
Again, it's still early, but he has proven to be rather flaky with his shooting in the past. It's definitely something to keep an eye on.
Follow Christopher Walder on Twitter @WalderSports
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