How Toronto's offense remains efficient without ball movement beauty
The Toronto Raptors' offense is not an aesthetically pleasing symphony like the Spurs or the Warriors, but they are very, very good.
Powered by the offensive capabilities of Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan, and the supporting pieces put together by Masai Ujiri, Toronto has the fourth most efficient offense in the league despite a lack of ball movement, ranking second to last in assists.
Most of the Raptors' offensive possessions leave you questioning their constant success. They have a major tendency to stall out and take tough shots in the halfcourt. One would expect some regression in this scenario but that's not necessarily the case here.
Last season, the Raptors were in the bottom-10 of assists, but their offense was still the third most efficient in the league.
Every aspect of success in Toronto's halfcourt starts with Lowry and DeRozan. The two high-usage guards have found offensive nirvana playing together - a strange feat considering how many ball-dominant guards we've seen flop when paired with another lead ball handler.
What the Raptors lack in ball-movement they make up for with getting to the free-throw line and not turning the ball over.
Lowry has proven to be one of the best guards in the Eastern Conference and he continues to improve since joining the Raptors. He is shooting more threes than ever and converting them at a career best rate.
Using Lowry off the ball has been an effective way to get him good looks from three-point range. He is taking a ton of threes off the dribble and converting them at a really bad rate, but it’s kind of necessary in this offense.
Toronto loves running him off of these screens at the top of the arc, where Lowry can either drive off the hand-off, or shoot the open three if his man goes under the screen.
He has been extremely effective in converting his catch-and-shoot looks. Lowry also excels in transition, where he is a frequent visitor of the charity strike. This guy can pull up from three, he gets to the line, converts tough shots, and is efficient when playing off the ball.
Playing alongside another ball-dominant guard has only elevated Lowry’s production and efficiency.
DeRozan is quietly having his best season yet. Playing out the final year of his contract, DeRozan will be suited by a ton of teams this offseason, and due to the lack of wing-depth, he will be receiving a max contract by somebody.
So far he is playing up to max-player standards. DeRozan is getting to the free-throw line at a ridiculous rate –8.4 attempts per game, a career high and a mark that ranks third in the NBA.
Having a ball-stopper is sometimes detrimental to an offense but if they have the ability to get to the line at this rate it becomes an advantage.
His three-point shot is still not ready for public consumption, and at this point it may never develop into an efficient shot for DeRozan. He has proven that he can succeed without it, and you can’t argue with how efficient his offenses have been in recent years.
Teams send help off of DeRozan when he is spotted up on the weak side but he has learned to make them pay with an elite drive and kick game.
Toronto has given him more ball-handling responsibility this year as well, limiting the possessions where opposing teams can send help from him.
Give him an opening and he’ll slash into the paint – he is second in the league in drives per game. Send help from the perimeter and he’ll kick it out to the open man. DeRozan has really made strides with his passing out of the pick-and-roll, throwing bullet passes wherever the help defense is coming from.
Having the ability to drive effectively on practically any defense offsets DeRozan’s lack of spacing, but can you imagine how incredible this guy would be if he converted threes at a league average rate?
DeRozan is really awesome, but sometimes his defender’s help can really muck up the driving lanes for other people, forcing Toronto to take a lot of those bad shots they are accustomed to.
The Raptors are among the most frequent in teams that run isolations, but they draw fouls on those plays at a league-high rate. In a way, they remind me of the Oklahoma City offense of recent years. Not nearly the same level of talent, but a very similar concept.
Both are among the worst teams in terms of assisting their baskets, yet both teams employ very efficient offenses powered behind their studs. Durant and Westbrook are the engine behind everything in OKC, just like Lowry and DeRozan have been in Toronto.
It’s easy to argue that head coach Dwayne Casey should be implementing more ball-movement and spacing, but with the fourth best offense in the league, they’re doing just fine within their context.
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