"When the Raptors were on their big run in the earlier portion of the season, they seemed capable of scoring fast, scoring slow, and scoring from many different places. A very strong mix of initiation, and seemingly, enough of it up and down the roster to allow the bench players to maintain bit roles (that they could succeed in). Things were humming, and in a way that they hadn't in a very long time."
"Fast forward to now, and it's been one battle after another. Everyone has their ideas about why. The strongest link is pointing to RJ Barrett's injury upsetting the fragile balance of things, but if you have other ideas, God speed. Regardless, they've become far worse as a driving team, far worse at drawing free throws, and far worse at offense in general."
"The first half against the Celtics was as familiar a script as any that we've seen this season. From the Raptors lack of offensive diversity, to an injured Jakob Poeltl that immediately sets the Raptors back on size, en route to a dominant opening 10 minutes for Luka Garza where he collected 6 offensive rebounds and provided 6 points alongside them. The Raptors survived the first 24 minutes with a lead, despite everything mentioned above, and an 0-7 start from Immanuel Quickley."
Early in the season the Raptors combined fast and slow scoring from many spots, supported by strong initiation across the roster that allowed bench players to hold effective roles. Since then the team has struggled, with many blaming RJ Barrett's injury for disrupting a fragile balance. The offense has regressed: driving, drawing free throws, and overall scoring have declined. The coaching staff has rarely turned to depth players to initiate plays because of limited success. Recent games have featured forwards trying to carry the offense and occasional elevated starters creating open looks. The Celtics game exposed size issues after Jakob Poeltl’s injury and demanded shot diversification against zone defense.
Read at Raptors Republic
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