Raptors need all hands on deck looking for their shot – Toronto Sun

BOSTON There is a movement afoot among the veterans on this Toronto Raptors club and from the coaching staff to push a handful of newer players, or players newer to big minutes, to start looking for their own a little more.

Earlier this week, Fred VanVleet said it was a case of some players being a little too passive and how that had to change.

Before Saturdays game in Boston, Nick Nurse referred to it as getting some of his group a little more involved in the offence.

Without Pascal Siakam to lean on, the offence can bog down at times and that means everyone from the guy who never hesitates to take a shot to the guy who rarely takes one has to become a little more shot-happy when an opening presents itself.

We have to get some of these other guys OG (Anunoby), Pat McCaw, Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson), Terence (Davis) to play a little bit more involved in the offence, Nurse said when asked what he had learned about his group in the four games since Siakam, Marc Gasol and Norm Powell went down.

Through the four games since that costly win in Detroit, the Raptors are 2-2. They are scoring at about the same pace they were before the most recent losses, but are giving up about seven points per 100 possessions more than they had previously.

Nurse isnt sure that trend will continue.

Not really what I expected, he said, but I dont read a whole lot into that. You have to consider the competition and the frequency of the games and some of that stuff. But we have had a few more moments of our man-to-man defence not being where we would like it to be, which is probably why we spend a lot more time in zone and some of the other things in some of these games.

The focus, though, is squarely on getting each and every Raptor a little more willing to expand their offensive threshold.

McCaw has heard the plea and hes going to do his best to comply, but he admits its not something he does naturally. His first instinct is to create for others.

Thats always been my game, McCaw said ahead of Saturdays morning shootaround. I think just because I dominated the ball in college, me giving up the ball and distributing to teammates kind of freed me up for open shots. So when I had open shots or driving lanes I would take them. Here, its whenever I can get an open shot I almost have to take that shot because it might destroy the rhythm of the offence. Its something I have to get adjusted to.

True to his word, McCaw was trying to be more decisive and in doing so had perhaps the game of his young career Saturday night in Boston.

He finished the evening with 18 points, one shy of his career high, a career-best eight assists and seven rebounds along with a steal and a block in 43 minutes.

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Raptors need all hands on deck looking for their shot - Toronto Sun