Photo: Toronto Raptors/X

Although the Toronto Raptors have most often been mentioned as a team shopping for a center ahead of the deadline, Eric Koreen of The Athletic suggests their bigger need may actually be perimeter shooting to better complement Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram.

Koreen points out that Toronto has struggled badly this season against teams like New York, which can throw multiple strong wing defenders at Barnes and Ingram.

Those matchups have exposed the Raptors’ lack of spacing, including Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks, when Toronto hit just 7 of 26 attempts from beyond the arc.

On the season, the Raptors rank 24th in the league in both three-point attempts and makes per game, and 27th in three-point percentage at 34.2%.

“We took only one three in that (third) quarter, and that’s not sustainable,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said. “You cannot play against great teams and win (like that).”

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR