Patrick Patterson’s shot creates problems.
Combined with his 6’9” frame, his ability to stretch the floor forces opposing bigs away from the basket and disrupts defences—whether it’s falling or not.
But when the Raptors incumbent starter isn’t utilizing his most prized tool? That’s a problem, too. In five pre-season games, the Raptors’ power forward has attempted just two three-pointers, both in Wednesday’s 89-87 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Ottawa.
While it’s true you must approach with caution when it comes to preseason stats, Patterson’s reluctance to shoot from deep (zero takes in 56 minutes of action before Wednesday) has been puzzling. And it’s reopened the only starting position battle with a little over a week to go before opening night.
Amir Johnson was a fixture in the Raptors starting five over the past two seasons, starting all but eight of the 152 games he appeared in. But when he signed with the Boston Celtics this summer, it left a hole at power forward.
Aside from Patterson, who excelled as a sub since arriving from the Sacramento Kings in the Rudy Gay trade two years ago, the Raptors brought in Luis Scola and, later, Anthony Bennett in the off-season. Factor in James Johnson and the Raptors have four power forwards on the roster.
Patterson, the natural heir to Johnson’s throne, started the first four games of the preseason. Yet with him struggling over that stretch—3.2 points and 2 rebounds in just under 20 minutes per game—head coach Dwane Casey has shuffled his lineups. On Wednesday night, Bennett got the start, as much a gesture to the fans amid the NBA Canada exhibition tour as an opportunity to see how he looked with the first unit locks: Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, DeMarre Carroll, and Jonas Valanciunas.
Bennett played 23 minutes, notching 10 points, 8 rebounds, and three steals, while Patterson went 2-2 from deep coming off the bench.
Scola, who entered training camp as Patterson’s lone competition for the starting power forward spot, has had a strong exhibition season, averaging 10 points and a little over six rebounds in 17 minutes per.
Given what he’s seen from all three, Casey isn’t making up his mind quite yet.
“Its still fluid,” he told reporters at practice on Friday when asked about the starting PF gig. “I’m sure it’s going to be fluid most of the year, depending on what we need.” While it remains to be seen what Casey and his staff are looking for in a starter, there’s no question he has a varied skill-sets at his disposal at the position.
Finding the best fit for the Raptors’ first and second units has been one of the team’s priorities.
Scola’s offense, at times automatic from the high-post and in, provides an instant scoring punch, but surely there aren’t enough shots to go around in the starting five; Bennett’s athleticism and forcefulness (when he’s in the right mood) can wreak havoc in stretches on both ends of the floor, but he’s still totally unproven; meanwhile Patterson has the skill-set of today’s stretch-fours in the body of a traditional power forward, but has yet to put it together this preseason.
Of the group, the closest player to having a complete ‘all-around’ game is clearly Patterson, which may be part of the issue surrounding his cold start.
“I’m trying to get my teammates involved,” Patterson said after Friday’s practice, “[but] I just need to stop trying to create too much. Just stop trying to do too much out on the court. Just play my game [and] shoot that perimeter three as I would normally do. A lot of those situations where I’ve had open looks, I would’ve shot the ball [last season]. For some reason this year I’m just passing up those opportunities.”
Hitting a career-best 105 three-pointers last season—59 more than any other—Patterson established the long bomb as a dangerous weapon for the Raptors. He averaged 44% from behind the arc during wins last season, but took fewer threes and shot just 26.8% in Raptor losses.
His status as a difference-maker was often mentioned in opponent’s scouting reports, and Casey would like to keep it that way.
“He’s got to shoot that shot to keep that fear in other teams,” he said, adding that “we have total confidence in his 3-point shooting.”
All told it’s unlikely Patterson is supplanted in the starting lineup, but still with as much uncertainty around the position as there was heading into training camp three weeks ago, he knows what the Raptors need to see from him to settle the debate.
“For us to win,” Patterson said, “I have to shoot. My teammates want me to shoot. My organization wants me to shoot. So I’m going to shoot.”
