The Big Question: How can the Raptors fix their consistency issues?

If there’s one thing that can be said of the 2023-24 Toronto Raptors, it’s that they’re consistently inconsistent.

Take their last two games as a perfect example.

They played with poor energy and got bombed out against the Orlando Magic then, on the second night of a back-to-back, they came out with spirit and purpose to escape Indiana with a thrilling victory in a shootout of a game.

Hence, it’s not much of a secret why Toronto is sitting on a 7-8 record and staring down a play-in spot at best once again. The Raptors have shown they can play very well, but just not often enough.

So, how can they meet that level of consistency that has eluded them thus far?

Well, if they could up their 22nd-ranked three-point shooting percentage, that would certainly help, and cutting down on the amount of times they turn the ball over would also be ideal.

Of course, these are problems that have been known for a little while now with this team, and it’s going to take smaller steps to improve those glaring areas of weakness.

Take the turnovers as an example. Toronto is still learning how to play in head coach Darko Rajakovic’s ball-movement-heavy offensive system and as a result guys aren’t fully playing instinctually within the structure of the offence.

This leads to overthinking, some over-passing and forced passes that opponents have punished the Raptors for by turning them over.

There isn’t really a great solution for this problem as their turnover issues seem symptomatic of getting wrinkles of a new offensive approach and philosophy ironed out and committed to muscle memory, something that may take the entire season to fully figure out.

Their three-point shooting woes also appear to be an unsolvable problem because of the nature of their roster, but there is a way they could look to work around this a little bit.

While it’s true the Raptors have a dearth of premium perimeter-gunners on their roster, the Raptors also haven’t done themselves any favours with the kind of threes they’ve been shooting this season.

Of the 496 three-pointers the Raptors have hoisted up so far, 366 of them have come from above the break (top of the key and the wings) or, put another way, 73.8% of Toronto’s three-point attempts have come from that area.

That’s a lot of threes taken from those spots on the floor and, considering the fact the Raptors only connect on 33.9% of those attempts, that’s, quite frankly, a lot of bad shots to be taking, analytically speaking.

Conversely, from the corners, the Raptors have only taken 127 shots, but are connecting on a much more palatable 38.5% from those areas, with the left corner – O.G. Anunoby’s favourite spot – standing out as a particularly strong shooting spot for the Raptors, going 30-of-64 from there for the season.

Analytics aren’t everything, but this is still good data to have to inform the kinds of shots the Raptors should be hunting for. This isn’t to say players should be passing up open looks from above the break, but there should probably be more balance in their offensive approach — looking to open up more opportunities from the corners.

Making a concerted effort to look for more efficient three-point chances should help with Toronto’s deep-ball struggles.

Turnovers and a lack of three-point shooting are major contributors to Toronto’s inconsistent play, but there is another factor that should be taken into account as well.

Like last season, the Raptors appear to be caught in the middle of trying to be a competitive team and a developing one, and the roller coaster-like ups and downs the team has been going through are reflective of that.

Take Wednesday’s contest against the Pacers for example. Gradey Dick didn’t get into the game for the first time in his young NBA career, and the Raptors were probably better for it.

This season, when Dick is on the floor the Raptors are minus-79, but when he’s off the court, Toronto is plus-61. Conversely, Otto Porter Jr., in over 100 fewer minutes on the floor than Dick, sees the Raptors at a plus-25 when he steps between the lines and minus-43 when he’s sitting on the bench.

Porter was fabulous in the 11 minutes he played as one of Rajakovic’s key subs Wednesday, finishing plus-14.

He likely saw those minutes because Precious Achiuwa was out injured, but the point remains that Dick was benched in favour of the veteran and the team played better as a result.

This is where the conundrum that’s defined the Raptors the past few seasons comes into play.

If the Raptors want to compete, then playing veterans over a youngster like Dick makes a lot of sense. If the goal is development, a DNP-CD for Dick looks really bad.

The Raptors need to pick a direction and stick with it.

In that regard, the Raptors have been just as consistently inconsistent as their play on the floor.