Since Barrett’s injury Raptors offensive rating has plummeted to last in the league

[basketballto]

Why can’t Battle get some legit run?

Because he is not a good enough player. If all we needed was 3 point shooting sure but the other skills don't measure up. He is great to put on when you need 3s but giving him an extended run exposes too much.

[basketballto]

For some reason RJ fits perfectly in Toronto. He has worked hard on his game and gotten better. He has strong professionalism and many Raptor fans may have not given him a fair shot listening to New York influenced media.

Having said that trading him before its too late makes sense if you can't sign him. I would try to get a tall point guard so you can moved Quickly to sg and let him shoot.

[tsherkin]

For some reason RJ fits perfectly in Toronto. He has worked hard on his game and gotten better.

It isn't a huge mystery. He's off-ball a lot more, shooting primarily inside 10 feet and not being asked to front huge volume. 34.6% of his shots are in the RA, and another 22.4% from 3-10 feet. Nearly a quarter of his 3s are from the corner. He's getting almost 5.5 possessions per game in transition (almost 31% of his shooting volume) and is taking just under 14 FGA/g overall.

Reduced volume, increased proportion of transition action, almost entirely excluding shots beyond 10 feet and inside the arc, the highest proportion of assisted baskets since the trade season (the last time he shot this well)...

It's not rocket science. He shouldn't be used as a primary on-ball initiator, and he doesn't have a lot of mid-range game. But he cuts very well, he attacks well in transition, he can hit from the corner (over 38% from the corners right now, and that is not unprecedented for him), and we aren't asking him to float shooting volume that's too much. He's probably going to normalize on his short game to some degree by the end of the season, but this is how RJ should be used. It's basically how we were using him right after the trade, too.

[Kingsway_fan]

For some reason RJ fits perfectly in Toronto. He has worked hard on his game and gotten better. He has strong professionalism and many Raptor fans may have not given him a fair shot listening to New York influenced media.

Having said that trading him before its too late makes sense if you can't sign him. I would try to get a tall point guard so you can moved Quickly to sg and let him shoot.

Yeah, Team is crap without him out there... he needs to be re signed ... starters all play well when we have the full lineup. Our bench except for mamu is weak... perhaps some call ups ...need exposure.

Dick is not an nba player.

[DatHomieYouHaTe]

RJ haters silent as a mouse.

Ya, I am one of them but the guys replacing him are even worse lol

[Lord_Zedd]

This should not be a surprise tbh

Teams aren't guarding Jakobe out there, and it's essentially 4 on 5 offense with our starting lineup

[Boogie!]

But, does struggle more equate to worst offensive in the league bad? RJ alone shouldn't be the difference between top 5 offense and worst in the league is what I'm saying.

Most people expected them to miss RJ and what he does but you still expect some guys to step up in his place and seize the opportunity of more mins available.

The reality is that this team probably isn't a top-5 offence nor the worst in the league. And Jakobe/Gradey nor any of the other guards on the team are ready to step up yet.

Gradey was force fed touches last season but he still scored almost 15 a game even if it was not done efficiently. He's got 7 points in the last 4 games. There's not being ready to step up and then there's laying complete eggs out there.

It’s not about “being ready to step up.” Dick is just not very good. I’ve been saying this for years. People keep hanging on to the age argument. For years when talking about players I’ve always hung onto their skillsets and making predictions based on watching them play and how youth somehow doesn’t always mean they’ll get better (I.e Trent vs Norman Powell.)

When I saw dick struggling at the one thing he was supposed to be good as a rookie at I knew there was a big problem. It’s also glaringly obvious that he lacks other basketball skills that would translate into future success. Three years in and he’s somehow not made any significant improvement and has gotten worse. I’m tired of being called an irrational hater.

There’s always been merit to who I support and who I don’t. If dick and Rj switched bodies, with dick having rjs skill set and rj having dicks, you would see me criticize Rj just as much and support gradey just as much. I don’t care what they look like or what their name is, I’m simply talking about their game.

[Smalltown]

Why can’t Battle get some legit run?

He's a three point specialist who's hit 1 three in that last 11 games he's played in.

[PushDaRock]

The reality is that this team probably isn't a top-5 offence nor the worst in the league. And Jakobe/Gradey nor any of the other guards on the team are ready to step up yet.

Gradey was force fed touches last season but he still scored almost 15 a game even if it was not done efficiently. He's got 7 points in the last 4 games. There's not being ready to step up and then there's laying complete eggs out there.

It’s not about “being ready to step up.” Dick is just not very good. I’ve been saying this for years. People keep hanging on to the age argument. For years when talking about players I’ve always hung onto their skillsets and making predictions based on watching them play and how youth somehow doesn’t always mean they’ll get better (I.e Trent vs Norman Powell.)

When I saw dick struggling at the one thing he was supposed to be good as a rookie at I knew there was a big problem. It’s also glaringly obvious that he lacks other basketball skills that would translate into future success. Three years in and he’s somehow not made any significant improvement and has gotten worse. I’m tired of being called an irrational hater.

There’s always been merit to who I support and who I don’t. If dick and Rj switched bodies, with dick having rjs skill set and rj having dicks, you would see me criticize Rj just as much and support gradey just as much. I don’t care what they look like or what their name is, I’m simply talking about their game.

I'm not saying he's very good but we could at least use his performance from last season right now with RJ out. Some volume scoring on below average efficiency would still help out a lot. We have so few scoring threats out there with so many guys slumping all at the same time.

[PushDaRock]

For some reason RJ fits perfectly in Toronto. He has worked hard on his game and gotten better.

It isn't a huge mystery. He's off-ball a lot more, shooting primarily inside 10 feet and not being asked to front huge volume. 34.6% of his shots are in the RA, and another 22.4% from 3-10 feet. Nearly a quarter of his 3s are from the corner. He's getting almost 5.5 possessions per game in transition (almost 31% of his shooting volume) and is taking just under 14 FGA/g overall.

Reduced volume, increased proportion of transition action, almost entirely excluding shots beyond 10 feet and inside the arc, the highest proportion of assisted baskets since the trade season (the last time he shot this well)...

It's not rocket science. He shouldn't be used as a primary on-ball initiator, and he doesn't have a lot of mid-range game. But he cuts very well, he attacks well in transition, he can hit from the corner (over 38% from the corners right now, and that is not unprecedented for him), and we aren't asking him to float shooting volume that's too much. He's probably going to normalize on his short game to some degree by the end of the season, but this is how RJ should be used. It's basically how we were using him right after the trade, too.

People take the things he does for granted, it's not a skillset that many guys have. Replacing him with a 3&D guy makes this offense have to work so much harder to score.

[TheGeneral99]

Against Charlotte our bench was 3-11 from deep.

Against New York our bench was 0-9 from deep.

Ingram has been off so we needed that bench production.

RJ Barrett is a consistent 20 point player, and he puts pressure on the rim, getting free throws and putting teams in foul trouble. He can also hit the 3.

[TheGeneral99]

its been 2 or 3 games right? why do people use 3 game sample sizes....

Because they like tunnel vision RJ and want to keep him, so this is their propaganda.

Why can't both be true?

RJ has tunnel vision sure, but he's also a guy that finishes very well around the rim, is very aggressive, gets to the free throw line, and can hit the 3 at a decent clip. He also showed significant improvement this year on his ability to cut and move without the ball, capitalizing significantly on Ingram double teams. He's one of the rare 20 point players you don't have to draw many players for.

In my opinion RJ's strengths outweigh his flaws on the offensive end.

[MEDIC]

For some reason RJ fits perfectly in Toronto. He has worked hard on his game and gotten better.

It isn't a huge mystery. He's off-ball a lot more, shooting primarily inside 10 feet and not being asked to front huge volume. 34.6% of his shots are in the RA, and another 22.4% from 3-10 feet. Nearly a quarter of his 3s are from the corner. He's getting almost 5.5 possessions per game in transition (almost 31% of his shooting volume) and is taking just under 14 FGA/g overall.

Reduced volume, increased proportion of transition action, almost entirely excluding shots beyond 10 feet and inside the arc, the highest proportion of assisted baskets since the trade season (the last time he shot this well)...

It's not rocket science. He shouldn't be used as a primary on-ball initiator, and he doesn't have a lot of mid-range game. But he cuts very well, he attacks well in transition, he can hit from the corner (over 38% from the corners right now, and that is not unprecedented for him), and we aren't asking him to float shooting volume that's too much. He's probably going to normalize on his short game to some degree by the end of the season, but this is how RJ should be used. It's basically how we were using him right after the trade, too.

People take the things he does for granted, it's not a skillset that many guys have. Replacing him with a 3&D guy makes this offense have to work so much harder to score.

Yup. It's obvious 3+D is not the answer. The offense becomes static & too perimeter oriented.

This team needs rim pressure.

[brownbobcat]

It’s not about “being ready to step up.” Dick is just not very good. I’ve been saying this for years. People keep hanging on to the age argument. For years when talking about players I’ve always hung onto their skillsets and making predictions based on watching them play and how youth somehow doesn’t always mean they’ll get better (I.e Trent vs Norman Powell.)

When I saw dick struggling at the one thing he was supposed to be good as a rookie at I knew there was a big problem. It’s also glaringly obvious that he lacks other basketball skills that would translate into future success. Three years in and he’s somehow not made any significant improvement and has gotten worse. I’m tired of being called an irrational hater.

I'm far from a Gradey truther - but you could have said a lot of the same things about JJ Redick or Alec Burks during the first 3 years of their careers. Gradey could very well turn out to be closer to Stauskas instead of those guys, but I think it's too soon to close the book on him as a rotation player. Star player - no way. Starter, probably not.

[tsherkin]

People take the things he does for granted, it's not a skillset that many guys have. Replacing him with a 3&D guy makes this offense have to work so much harder to score.

Yeah, a straight 3+D guy isn't good enough as a replacement. They're good players to have, but we have a dearth of rim pressure, and RJ is an extremely adept off-ball cutter. And like, while we talk about that a lot, he actually can still just drive. He had a good muscle-to-the-rim drive against the Pacers out of a high center pick and roll and is in general shooting almost 52% as the PnR ball-handler on about 2 shots per game. A little of this, a little of that... he does a lot for us. He's been fantastic so far this season.

[YogurtProducer]

its been 2 or 3 games right? why do people use 3 game sample sizes....

Because they like tunnel vision RJ and want to keep him, so this is their propaganda.

lol bruh you literally only come on here and post after we lose a game.

It isn't "propaganda" to point out a fact. The fact is that our ORTG has been **** with RJ hurt. Small sample size or not, it is the truth.

[tsherkin]

It isn't "propaganda" to point out a fact. The fact is that our ORTG has been **** with RJ hurt. Small sample size or not, it is the truth.

It is. But we have also had some straight-up poor play from some guys which isn't specifically related to RJ's absence, so the sample size remark is still a relevant comment, particularly when people want to grip onto the specific magnitude of the drop-off.

The message, though, seems pretty clear and straightforward: we need RJ back and healthy, or we're worse off. That part doesn't seem very contestable to me. Of course conversely, it is far from propaganda to note that the stats show a pretty clear drop-off in his absence. It's just also true that guys, especially Ingram, have been missing shots they normally make. And that Quick is having a little dry spell after being hot for quite a while. Even Scottie's shot-making has stuttered in 2 of the past 3 games, but he was drawing fouls really well and/or hitting 3s to match off, so...

Layers to the moment, you know?

[LoveMyRaps]

its been 2 or 3 games right? why do people use 3 game sample sizes....

Because they like tunnel vision RJ and want to keep him, so this is their propaganda.

lol bruh you literally only come on here and post after we lose a game.

It isn't "propaganda" to point out a fact. The fact is that our ORTG has been **** with RJ hurt. Small sample size or not, it is the truth.

don't even need to look at the numbers to realize how much our offense is struggling without RJ.

[Tripod]

Why can’t Battle get some legit run?

He's a three point specialist who's hit 1 three in that last 11 games he's played in.

So he still hit 1 more 3 than Ochai in that same time period.

[PushDaRock]

It's actually been 6 years and we should all know by now he's a bad on-ball player, but can be effective off-ball, provide rim pressure and is palatable as a catch and shoot player.

We currently have zero on-ball scorers that can match the prowess of someone like Austin Reaves..or even Norman Powell this year. Our best scorer, Ingram, is at 21.9 PPG (28th in the league) which is fairly close to his career averages. And our scoring depth is bad among top teams, we got zero guard/wing scorers off the bench. So losing a player who can average 20 PPG at 60 TS% is obviously gonna hurt. Whether he can maintain that is another story.

Austin Reaves is playing at an All-NBA level this season lol obviously we don't have anyone like that.

This team does have depth where we can go 10 or 11 deep and do really well, but if we miss even a single starter, we don't have anyone that can step in and replace what that starter does well. This team is built in a way where it's only "good" when everyone is healthy and everything is functioning properly but you take one part out from the starting lineup and the entire thing starts falling apart. That's usually going to be the case when you don't have a Superstar that can elevate everyone else's play.

yeah..what I essentially meant was that our team doesn't have anyone who can consistently shoulder a high scoring load...meanwhile the Laker's 2nd option is better than our best option. We're like bottom 8 when comparing the lead scorer on our team to other teams. I don't think our scoring depth is good either. There is no reliable scorer outside of Mamu on our bench.

Example: In terms of ~9-10+ PPG scorers, Miami has Bam Adebayo, Norman Powell, Davion Mitchell, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jacquez, Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, Pelle Larsson, Simone Fontecchio, Nikola Jovic (8 PPG). 10 players

We have Ingram, Scottie, Poeltl, RJ, IQ, Mamu. 6 players. Our next best volume scorers are Gradey (6.8 PPG), CMB (6.7 PPG), Shead (6.0 PPG)..and they can't really step up to fill the void.

So it's a double whammy. We've got under average lead scorers and bad scoring depth. Losing one guy will hurt a lot.

Those guys aren't all scoring 9-10 ppg if everyone is healthy though. Everyone's ppg is inflated a bit because their top scorers have missed some games. But yes, they're built in a way where they can sustain injuries because numerous guys can take on bigger roles. We don't really have that luxury it seems.