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1. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry seem ready for the moment
If you’re looking for the single biggest difference between this season and season’s past, look no further than DeMar DeRozan’s shot selection. Last year, only eight percent of DeRozan’s field goal attempts were from beyond the 3-point line, this year, that number has jumped above 20 percent. Not only that, but DeRozan is knocking them down at the second-best rate of his career. That added aspect to his game alone will make the Raptors a different animal come the postseason.
Lowry, who has always played like somewhat of a control freak has relinquished some of his playmaking responsibilities to the design of the offense instead of his own intuition. His assist percentage is slightly up despite his lowest usage rate since his first year in Toronto.
Lowry’s ability to trust the offense has made playmaking easier on the point guard with many of his mistakes coming from the right place. A lot of the visible frustration from him fighting the team’s adaptation to the new offensive has subsidedm which has, in turn, opened things up for DeRozan’s emergence beyond the perimeter.
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With both of Casey’s stars playing as their best selves on the offensive end, better shots has led to more opportunities for the Raptors to play on the other end with a set defense instead of scrambling in transition after bad or forced shots. The domino effect begins and ends with these two, and if it continues from April through June, you can expect to see a lot of Drake this summer as he celebrates a title in The 6.