Raptors’ Shooting Woes Exposed Again - And the Clock’s Ticking
When things go south for the Toronto Raptors, they don’t just stumble-they unravel. Wednesday night’s 119-92 loss to the New York Knicks wasn’t just a bad game. It was a magnifying glass on the Raptors’ most glaring issue: they simply don’t have enough shooting to keep up in today’s NBA.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t a team built to outgun opponents in shootouts. Their blueprint for success is rooted in defensive pressure, transition offense, and just enough half-court creation-primarily from Brandon Ingram.
That formula has carried them to a respectable 28-19 record. But against playoff-caliber teams with time to prepare, that margin of error shrinks fast.
And when the shots aren’t falling, Toronto doesn’t have many counters.
The Knicks game was a case study. Toronto led for most of the first three quarters, but as soon as the offense stalled, they had no Plan B.
The third quarter was especially brutal: nine turnovers, a stagnant half-court offense, and OG Anunoby-yes, the former Raptor-disrupting everything in sight. Entry passes to Ingram became a chore.
The spacing collapsed. And without consistent outside threats, Scottie Barnes and Ingram had nowhere to go.
That’s the crux of the issue. Neither Barnes nor Ingram is a volume shooter from deep, and when defenses pack the paint, their ability to create gets choked off.
Off-ball movement and quicker decisions can help, sure. Getting RJ Barrett back to full strength after a bumpy, injury-plagued first half could also provide a spark.
But without more shooting, those tweaks only go so far.
The numbers back it up. Heading into the game, the Raptors ranked 24th in both threes attempted and made per possession.
Worse, they’re 27th in 3-point percentage. That’s not just a red flag-it’s a flare gun.
Only the Spurs, another bottom-tier shooting team, are above .500 while living in that statistical basement.
Against the Knicks, it played out exactly as you’d expect. The Raptors shot just 7-of-26 from deep.
The Knicks? 14-of-38.
And this wasn’t some lights-out shooting night from New York-they were just competent. That’s all it took.
“We took only one 3 in that quarter, and that’s not sustainable,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said. “You cannot play against great teams and win (like that).”
The Raptors’ defense is typically their saving grace-they force turnovers and protect the ball well. But when the postseason rolls around, the best teams tighten up.
They prepare. They scheme.
And they don’t give the ball away easily. That’s when Toronto’s offensive limitations become a real liability.
Immanuel Quickley, who had just come off his best shooting stretch as a Raptor, attempted only two threes in 30 minutes. Credit the Knicks for the game plan-they knew who to close out on and who to sag off. Veteran teams adapt to scouting reports, and New York executed theirs to perfection.
And it’s not like the Knicks were at full strength. They were on the second night of a back-to-back and missing Mitchell Robinson, a longtime problem for Toronto.
Still, they dictated the game. They forced Quickley into the paint, where his floater betrayed him.
They collapsed on drives. They shut down the Raptors’ rhythm, holding them to just 41 points in the second half.
With Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart, the Knicks have the kind of perimeter defense that gives Toronto fits. Barnes had five turnovers.
The team had 20. The Raptors were attacking gaps that barely existed.
This was the third time they’ve faced New York this season-and the third time they’ve been outclassed.
Now, not every team is built like the Knicks. On their recent Western Conference road trip, the Raptors saw more zone defenses thrown their way-teams trying to clog the middle and dare them to shoot.
And why wouldn’t they? Toronto has one of the league’s worst offenses against the zone.
Come playoff time, every opponent will have a version of that scheme ready to go.
So what now?
The trade deadline is just days away, and while the league chatter is buzzing with big names-Giannis Antetokounmpo-level stars don’t move often, but when they do, they change everything-that’s not where Toronto’s attention should be right now. If the Raptors are serious about evaluating the Ingram-Barnes pairing, they need to give it a real chance. That means surrounding them with complementary pieces, not just crossing their fingers and hoping the shooting sorts itself out.
Of course, there’s a cost to that. The Raptors are already over the luxury tax.
They’ve invested heavily in their core. Adding help without moving money out is tricky.
But it’s also necessary if they want to make noise beyond April.
There are options on the table. Ayo Dosunmu is shooting 45.3 percent from three this season and makes just $7.5 million.
Even if that number regresses to the mean, he’d still be a clear upgrade-and he can create for others, something Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter are still learning to do at the NBA level. Keon Ellis is another name to watch.
His shot has dipped this year, but he’s a career 41.4 percent shooter from deep and makes just $2.3 million. Both players come with Bird rights, giving Toronto the flexibility to re-sign them even if they’re over the cap.
Then there’s the dream target: Trey Murphy. He’s averaging 21.9 points and shooting nearly 37 percent from three, even in what’s considered a down year. He’s on a team-friendly long-term deal, which means prying him away would require a massive offer-think multiple first-round picks, the kind of haul Brooklyn got for Mikal Bridges or Memphis for Desmond Bane.
But here’s the tension: Toronto doesn’t want to mortgage the future for a short-term boost, especially if they’re not convinced this group can make a deep run. They’ve got two recent first-rounders in Dick and Walter.
Giving them playoff reps would be valuable. But that window to evaluate Ingram and Barnes as a duo?
It’s open now. And it won’t stay open forever.
So the front office has to answer a simple question: How much are they willing to invest to give this team a real shot in the postseason?
As it stands, the Raptors are a fun regular-season story. But unless something changes, that’s where the story ends.