Is Sonny Weems' Contract Status Hurting the Raptors?

The answer to this one seems obvious to anyone who has watched the last handful of games.

Sonny Weems started the season a little out of control and had a propensity for putting up bad shots.

Than came a stretch where he exploded and earned himself the starting small forward job by improving his shot selection and making the extra pass on offense; he also brought a similar intensity on defense.

In an eight-game stretch since the Rockets game where Linas Kleiza played more minutes than Weems due to foul trouble, Weems has been shooting a poor .430 percent from the field.

This is after an outstanding five game stretch from Nov. 10-17 where he went .600 percent from the field and put up a ridiculous 18 points per game.

That five game stretch gave us a glimpse of Weems’ true upside but may have given some of us the illusion that he was ready to provide that level of production on a consistent basis at this point in his career.

Accountability is key for Weems, as it is for DeMar DeRozan and Andrea Bargnani; granted, they should all be able to play through their mistakes, but there comes a point where one has to distinguish between a mental mistake and taking actions that may be detrimental to the team for potential personal reasons.

It is a popular belief, not fact, that Weems may be forcing his shot due to his contract status as a free agent at the end of this season.

This line of reasoning suggests that he will continue to force the issue on offense in hopes of displaying the extent of his game and solidifying a multi-million dollar payday this offseason.

This argument is well-founded, and not even Weems could tell you that it does not cross his mind from time to time.

We just might be blowing it out of proportion.

We have to remember that this is a green third-year player that has started only 32 games in his whole career.

In those 32 games, he has shown that he has a place in the NBA both as an emerging offensive and defensive presence.

Patience is key.

After all, Weems is only 24 years old and has yet to reach his prime.

Free agent to be or not, Weems is not yet the consistent scorer he showed the potential to be over that five game stretch.

Minutes are another major issue, as Weems is averaging 17.2 points per game when he plays over 27 minutes per game and only 7.7 points per game in the 11 games that he has played less than 27 minutes.

Contract issues notwithstanding, minutes seems to be the biggest correlative factor behind Weems’ struggles this season.

This article can also be found on Raptors Digest.