Through two games, the Toronto Raptors are off to a strong start . Two wins, the best defensive rating in the NBA (88.6) and the second best point differential in the league behind only the Atlanta Hawks. For a team with major title hopes after adding Kawhi Leonard , everything is going about as well as it can. For the most part.
One thing is glaring for Toronto after Bleacher Report ranked their starting five 11th best in the NBA, while revealing the one thing that could be holding them back from cracking the top-10 and being seen as one of the most dangerous first units in basketball.
Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett and guard Immanuel Quickley shake hands before a game against the New York Knicks. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
So far Toronto has shown that they are more than capable of putting up points, averaging the fifth most points through the first two games (123.5) but it hasn't been the most efficient. The team is shooting 44.2 per cent from the field (20th in the league) and more notably, they're shooting 26.2 per cent from three (fourth worst in the league). The reality is that the Raptors' scoring really is more so fueled by how effective they are defensively and turning that into offense rather than their offensive system actually generating quality looks.
As far as the spacing, in the starting lineup, the most notable shooters are Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. In the Bleacher Report Starting Five Rankings , writer Zach Buckley highlighted the issues that come with being reliant on that backcourt to fix Toronto's three point shooting problem.
"It'd be nice if there was more shooting here, and you wonder whether Barrett can be his best self with perhaps fewer touches," Buckley wrote. "The Leonard-Barnes combo could be special, though, and if the backcourt is merely above-average, the Raptors could be in business."
Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley advances the ball as Washington Wizards guard Tre Johnson defends. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
There is some truth to the claim of the Raptors backcourt being only"above-average." Although Quickley is a capable scorer and arguably the team's best three-point shooter (37.4 per cent for his career) he isn't very efficient as an overall scorer. Quickley shoots a career 42.5 per cent from the field and is shooting a mere 39.3 per cent so far this season. Again a capable scorer but comes off as more of a streaky shooter than a consistent shot maker.
Then you have Barrett, another capable scorer but requires a lot to fully maximize his skill set. Barrett can be a 19 to 20-point a night scorer, the issue is that he needs about 15 to 16 shots a night to get there. Maybe before the arrival of Kawhi Leonard, that wasn't that bad. In some instances, maybe even necessary.
Toronto Raptors forward/guard RJ Barrett dribbles as Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly defends. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
But now Barrett is taking shots at a second option volume while being at best the third option when the full starting five is healthy. In order for him to truly fit in this new iteration of the team, he's going to have to learn how to be more effective in limited attempts, preferably while leaning into being more of a plus three-point shooter.
The combination of Quickley and Barrett are solid but there are guards out there that provide a combination of what this backcourt does that could essentially give the Raptors the production of both players but just in one player.
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving and Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes share a moment. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
This concern as far as getting consistent scoring output and floor spacing from the guard spots has been a known issue for some time now. It was no surprise that all summer Toronto was linked to guards like Kyrie Irving, Darius Garland and even LaMelo Ball prior to him being moved to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
There's a realistic chance that addition of Leonard and the strength of their defense may be just enough to overcome their shortcomings offensively. There may also be an unfortunate possibility that they be one more major swing trade away from really solidifying themselves as a championship threat.
Quickley and Barrett have until the trade deadline to prove they can step up to the challenge. But until then, the rumor mill will not rest in trying to give the Raptors an All-Star point guard to flesh out this talented Eastern Conference contender .
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/raptors/onsi as Latest Power Rankings Reveals Raptors Weakest Link .
