The Raptors just got A LOT more Scary…

The Raptors just got A LOT more Scary…

this Toronto Raptors team just got a lot more scary is of course Scotty Barnes has been anointed by the front office by the coaching staff the face of this Toronto Raptors team. But one thing he needs to do to take that superstar leap is really improve that jump shot. Now with Brandon Ingram being brought in a lot of the younger guys coming to their own as basketball players. There are high expectations for this Toronto Raptors team to make a playoff push this upcoming season. And now we have some developments which makes this team a lot more scary. And even without blockbuster moves, even without, you know, the rumored Big Fish ended up being signed over the course of this off season, there are some really interesting developments which make this team a lot more scary and interesting for Raptors fans to be tuned into heading into this season. So, we’re going to break down what those are and address some of the concerns people have brought up regarding this roster outside of transactions and financial and the Edward Rogers space of things, but actually out there on the basketball court. So, we have a lot of things to dive into in this video. So, let’s dive straight into it because Scotty Barnes, of course, is a guy that last season really was solid, right? 19 points per game, close to eight rebounds per night, close to six assists per game, one block per game, and 1.4 steals. and just the guy that yes, he dealt with some injuries. Yes, there were some issues in terms of uh, you know, staying out there on the court and stuff like that. Scotty Barnes definitely did improve last season and one area the box score doesn’t show, you know, elite growth out there from Scotty is definitely on the defensive end. He really became a menace on the defensive end of the court for this Raptor squad. But, as I mentioned in the intro, the shooting is still the major concern with Scott. shot 27% out there from the three-point line. And he did shoot 51% out there on corner threes, which is solid. And you can see as well that number, 73% of his threes are assist. So that’s still actually a pretty, you know, he’s creating some of his three-point shots. Do not get me wrong. That is not a crazy high number. We see some guys in the NBA that are purely spot-up shooters and those numbers are in the 90s, right? So Scotty Burns is taking some above the break, you know, dribble threes, but he’s not shooting them at the greatest of percentages. And about 23 26% of his shots are from beyond the three-point line. So, we know Scotty Barnes in order to open up the rest of his game, in order to really maximize his ability to use that elite court vision at the forward spot to, you know, elevate his teammates and Brandon Ingram and Yaka Purle and RJ Barrett and Emanuel Quickley, whoever he’s going to be out there on the court with, he needs to be a threat from beyond that three-point line. And now we have some very, very exciting developments as firstly, there’s been a clip, a couple clips leaking about uh Scotty Barnes really putting in work. The handle looks really tight and he is working on that off the dribble pullup three. He is really trying to, you know, not just be a spot-up guy, not just be a guy that’s catching and shooting, doing this stuff, but whether it’s from the three-point range, whether it’s from the mid-range, Scotty Barnes is trying to improve out there as that three-point shooter. And frankly, that’s going to be crucial for this team for him to be putting in the work, not just in his ball handling creation stuff, but being able to let it fly off the release without his shot being set. Now, we did see Scotty Barnes last season take a bunch of these uh shots from the mid-range area, right? Like, it’s not the craze to high volume. It’s a modern MVA MBA. Unless you’re Demard Rosen or Kawhi Leonard and Raptors history, not a lot of guys are taking a high volume from those areas. But you see, you know, in that sort of, you know, 10-ft range, you know, right around the free throw line, a little bit inside. That was Scotty Barn’s best area of action out there on the basketball court. And whether those shots were floaters, whether those shots were dribble pulls, he had a solid combination of them all last season, right? But Scotty Barnes actually, I think it was an underrated area of his game last year, was hitting some of those mid-range shots close to the basket. Like he wasn’t elite, you know, one of those elite wings, Kawhi Leonardes. You’ll be able to dribble pull from the midi, of course, but also from the three-point line, but he was shooting. And you can see the the more red it is, you know, green is average, red is above average, blue is below average. those areas right around the I’m pointing to my computer like you guys can see my finger there. But basically, you could see that he was very effective in those spots on the court whether they’re dribble poles or not. But one area where those types of shots where we’ve seen his uh you know his form is capable of knocking down those shots but they weren’t hitting at a high volume from around the three-point line. As you can see, it’s a lot of blue. So that indicates that he is not a high efficient uh shooter from outside the three-point line. So now, not only are we seeing Scotty Barnes, you know, put in work out there on his three-point shot, you know, as uh, you know, a guy that definitely, you know, we got I got more clips here to pull up, but taking a lot of practice shots above the brakes in the corners, a lot of these different areas, trying to improve his three-point range, but this is something we already have a direct sample of. Scotty Barnes being as an effective mid-range shooter from that like 8 to 10 foot range. If he expands that, it doesn’t even have to be from the three-point line, but if he can expand that yoast specifically to one of these areas out there on the court where he’s taking these longer midies the same way Kawhai did in these postseason runs with Scotty’s elite size frame and passing ability, even if the three-point shot, again, it’s optimistic. He’s taking those dribble pull threes, you know, in these workouts. If he can just knock him down from a little bit of an extended range out there in that mid-range area, then that is going to be very, very unlock his game. it’s going to unlock his game in terms of what he’s able to create. You don’t have to just be a three-point shooter to space the floor. And uh that’s going to be huge uh for this team, especially with new guys coming into the mix because, you know, another area to look at in terms of the the amount that Scotty Barnes is shooting, right? In terms of his three-point attempts per distance, right, none of it comes from that 16 to three-point range. Basically, it’s uh it’s it’s not not a high number. You can see those percentages there. it’s mostly from around the basket, you know, in th those two-point ranges to, you know, from the three-point line. You’re not getting a lot of those areas. So, if he’s improving that area, he takes a higher volume of those, it’s going to increase the impact. Now, I’ve seen a lot of people bring up how, okay, you know, this team is looking new and we have a guy out there in Brandon Ingram who shoots from the same types of areas. Well, if we look at the shot charts of Brandon Ingram, we’ll talk about RJ Barrett here as well, but Scotty Barts, right, a lot a high volume out there around the basket. Now, it says he’s below average because he’s a wing. This is uh, you know, in contention with centers of the world that literally only shoot from those areas. But Scotty Barnes shot chart is very, very compact and then out there from above the break. We look at Brandon Ingram again, it’s not a crazy high sample size, but he’s uh, you know, he’s shooting from a lot of different areas and interesting enough is a lot more effective out there on the left side. So, if he’s coming in and playing on his left hand, attacking left, he’s able to shoot a really, really high percentage out there on that left above the break three. Uh, he doesn’t really work from the corners a ton. So Scotty Barnes, you see, has a higher volume, especially from that lefthand side corner, and shoots a pretty solid percentage. Brandon Ingram doesn’t operate a lot in the corners. This dude is working mostly, you know, out there from above the brakes and just all over the basketball court, right? Like all these different areas in terms of where he’s effective and where he could score. So Ingram can really operate all over the basketball court. And then you have RJ Barrett who doesn’t operate at all in uh in the mid-range. He’s a very very strong three-point shooter, especially from uh you know, that right corner. uh right side above the break three. Interesting for a lefty, right? Because uh Brandon Ingram obviously is as is a right-handed guy, a lot more effective shooting on the left hand side of the court. RJ Barrett complete opposite, right? You see the top left side with his left hand, not super effective in those areas. He’ll knock it down from both corners, but really on his right side, then that’s very, very solid. So, if Scotty Barnes, who’s really shooting all over the court, can be effective. He can fit in anywhere from out there outside the three-point line. Uh, and then really especially where RJ Barrett isn’t shooting the mid-range at all, right? He’s attacking the rim a lot more is in those uh, Scotty Barnes shooting similar uh, similar shot charts now at this point. If Scotty Barnes could be effective out there for those longer mid-range jump shots, that is going to really balance the Toronto Raptors offense and get the most out of a team that again has brought in some firepower this year with Brandon Ingram who averaged 22 points per game, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists. You see the Bill Simmons of the world. You see all the people that you briefly talk about the Raptors aren’t really seeing what’s going on, saying, “Oh, this isn’t going to fit. This doesn’t make sense. This team is overpaid.” And yes, we do have some contract issues which will need to be solved long term. But frankly, I can really see this team, especially if Scotty Barnes has that extended, you know, jump shot going into next year be very, very scary for any team, especially out there in the Eastern Conference. So, let me know what you guys think about all this in the comment section down below. You guys, the best thing is far. Subscribe to the channel if you guys haven’t already. Anyways, I’m signing out.

The Toronto Raptors core seems to be intact right now heading into next season, meaning the team is hoping for a major jump from Scottie Barnes in order to take this team to the next level… It appears that this has happened. Ben Rogers breaks down the latest developments and what they mean for the team.

Raptors Digest is a YouTube Channel that covers all the latest news, trades, reports, and rumours regarding the Toronto Raptors. We provide comprehensive coverage on topics such as game highlights, player performances, and in-depth analysis of team strategies. Our channel features discussions on key players like Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick, Jamal Shead, Bruce Brown and Jakob Poeltl, as well as insights from Head Coach Darko Rajaković and General Manager Masai Ujiri. Stay tuned for all the exciting updates and engaging content on everything Raptors!

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