Raptors' three-point shooting struggles have actually gotten worse this year
While late NFL head coach Dennis Green is remembered for many reasons, his most iconic quote currently applies to the Toronto Raptors.
After a spirited loss to the Chicago Bears in October 2006 while the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, Green went on a now-iconic rant that included him repeating, “They are who we thought they were!”
In 2022-23, Toronto’s 28th-ranked .335 shooting percentage from three-point range was an issue that hamstrung them throughout the season, as they went from a 48-win team the year prior to finishing 41-41 on the year.
Coming into the 2023-24 season, three-point shooting was an area the team was hoping to address, drafting sharpshooter Gradey Dick at 13th overall out of Kansas this past June.
It was no secret Toronto wanted to improve at shooting from a distance, and hopes were that the team’s struggles would be a one-year issue.
But it turns out the Raptors are who we thought they were when it comes to their long-range shooting troubles— in fact, they might actually be worse.
Through 11 games, they’re shooting just .328 from long distance, once again ranking 28th league-wide.
In order of most attempts this season, here’s how the Raptors are shooting from distance:
| 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | |
| Scottie Barnes | 21 | 56 | .375 |
| OG Anunoby | 22 | 56 | .393 |
| Dennis Schröder | 18 | 51 | .353 |
| Pascal Siakam | 12 | 50 | .240 |
| Gary Trent Jr. | 15 | 42 | .357 |
| Malachi Flynn | 11 | 32 | .344 |
| Gradey Dick | 8 | 32 | .250 |
| Jalen McDaniels | 2 | 15 | .133 |
| Chris Boucher | 5 | 14 | .357 |
| Otto Porter Jr. | 5 | 13 | .385 |
| Precious Achiuwa | 2 | 10 | 0.200 |
| Garrett Temple | 1 | 1 | 1.000 |
With the current NBA league average at .357% from distance, six Raptors are currently at or above that mark. But as you can see, it’s four players in particular who have struggled exceptionally in this category, with Dick, Pascal Siakam, Precious Achiuwa, and Jalen McDaniels all floating at .250 or worse this season.
Dick’s issues might be simply explained by it being his first pro season, while Siakam — a career .325 shooter from distance — is in the midst of a major slump, going just 1-for-21 over his last six games.
The team’s points per game mark has dropped to 108.5 from 110.9 a year ago, while they’re allowing half a point per night more frequently than a year ago — 112.9 compared to 111.4. That’s about one made three per game to put them on pace for last year’s numbers, which still isn’t exactly a high bar to strive for.
Toronto’s record through the first three weeks of the season is, well, pretty much what they ended up at last year, sitting at 5-6 and in a tie for 10th place in the Eastern Conference.
Despite swapping out head coach Nick Nurse for Darko Rajaković and replacing departed point guard Fred VanVleet with Dennis Schroder, Toronto’s really not that far off from the team that finished 9th in the Eastern Conference just a year ago.
In summary, they are who we thought they were: a team with major shooting struggles that’s got no clear solution to fixing it right now other than hoping a few of its key pieces find a way to see regression strike in a positive way.