Raptors by the numbers: What's behind DeMar DeRozan's shooting woes?

DeMar DeRozan has looked like a shadow of his All-Star self in the Raptors' first two playoff games.

A 5-for-18 shooting performance in Game 2 against Indiana followed a 5-for-19 outing in Game 1, the former made slightly more palatable because Toronto pulled out a much-needed win to tie the series 1-1.

DeRozan sat the entire fourth quarter in Game 2 as Dwane Casey stuck with a lineup that put away the Pacers. He has shot 27% from the field over the first two games of the series  (10-for-37), even though his offensive process hasn't differed too much from his regular season norms. DeRozan is still attacking the paint, with 11 drives in both game, in line with his season average of 11.6 and 43% of his field goal attempts have come at the rim, actually up from 39% in the regular season – although that stat is a bit misleading.

Possessions that result in free throws don't show up in a shooting chart and DeRozan, who ranked third in the NBA in free throw attempts per game with 8.4, hasn't been drawing fouls. He shot six free throws in Game 1 and shot zero in Game 2, despite playing over 30 minutes. It was the first time in more than a year that DeRozan didn't make a single trip to the line, and just the fourth time in the last three seasons.

Pacers All-Star Paul George has been the primary defender on just under half of DeRozan's shot attempts through the first two games had held him to 4-for-18 shooting for 11 points and also forced two turnovers.

How exactly has George been so effective stifling DeRozan? By rushing his process and taking him out of his comfort zone. DeRozan has never been a particularly effective catch-and-shoot player; he thrives with the ball in his hands and when he's dribbling downhill. 45.9% of his shot attempts over the first two games were preceded by one or no dribbles; in the regular season it was 32.7%. It's a reasonable explanation for why DeRozan's shooting rhythm is off and why he's not drawing fouls at his normal rate.

George isn't going anywhere for the next three, four or five games. One solution for the Raptors is to run more off-ball screens or cuts to create separation for DeRozan to get the ball in space where he can gather himself with at least two dribbles before shooting or driving with the intent of finishing at the rim. Casey has also talked about DeRozan committing to being more of a facilitator on the floor as he works to find his shot.

Toronto proved they could win without a productive DeRozan in Game 2, but doing so on the road, especially in the playoffs, is a much tougher ask. With the series shifting to Indiana for the next two games, the Raptors are leaning on their All-Star to rebound. Hitting a couple open looks early in Thursday's Game 3 may be all DeRozan needs to get going and get back to his usual scoring standards.

All statistics per NBA.com.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr