The Toronto Raptors offered a glimpse of their reimagined offensive identity on Tuesday night, bombarding the New York Knicks with a relentless perimeter assault in a 148-98 preseason rout at Scotiabank Arena. Nearly half of Toronto’s field-goal attempts launched from beyond the arc, a deliberate strategic shift that signals a dramatic departure from last season’s conservative approach.
A New Geometry of Attack
The numbers tell the story: 44 three-point attempts, 17 conversions, and a field-goal clip of 51-of-89 that flattered the final margin. For a franchise that averaged just 32.1 attempts from distance last campaign — fifth-lowest in the league — the volume represents a philosophical pivot. Head coach Darko Rajakovic has set a target of 35 tries per game, a threshold the Raptors cleared comfortably in their first genuine test of the exhibition slate.
“We were running to the corner, sprinting to the corner,” Scottie Barnes said after Wednesday’s practice. “I think every shot that we took was a really good look. When we draw the defence in and get good kickouts, that’s the best shot we can take.”
The all-star forward’s enthusiasm masks a calculated gamble. Toronto’s offence has historically lived in the mid-range and at the rim; last season’s reluctance to embrace the modern analytics-driven paradigm left the half-court attack stagnant. Rajakovic insists the mathematics are inextricably linked to paint production.
“If you’re making those three-point shots, it just relieves a lot of pressure,” the Serbian tactician explained. “It makes the defence more honest, less help, opens up the paint more. The better shooting you have, in theory, should open up more space and get more paint touches.”
Leonard’s Gravity Reshapes the Floor
Central to the recalibration is Kawhi Leonard. The two-time Finals MVP, acquired in the off-season to anchor a contending timeline, went 4-of-8 from deep in his 18 minutes of action. His mere presence warps defensive geometry — a reality Barnes acknowledged with undisguised glee.
“Every time he shoots the ball, it just looks like it’s going in every single time,” Barnes said. “He’s going to draw so much attention. Just getting downhill, even in some of the ISO situations, just being able to get downhill, running transition, seeing him wide open, just giving him the ball.”
Leonard averaged 6.8 three-point attempts for the Los Angeles Clippers last season, connecting at a 38.7 per cent clip. That threat, combined with his elite mid-range mastery, forces defences into impossible choices: collapse on the drive and surrender open looks, or stay home and concede the paint.
Murray-Boyles Embodies the Mandate
No player illustrates the organisational directive more vividly than Collin Murray-Boyles. The sophomore forward attempted a mere 0.9 threes per game as a rookie. On Tuesday, he went 2-of-2. The transformation stems not from mechanical overhaul but mindset recalibration.
“Just building that confidence to shoot it more, I think that was my biggest focus,” Murray-Boyles said. “Not really like trying to fix my jumper or anything like that. Just getting confident with getting shots up. Obviously, me reading the defence is the biggest part. If they’re sagging off me, then I have to shoot it.”
The 20-year-old’s evolution mirrors the team’s broader trajectory. G League call-up Tyreke Key added 3-of-4 from distance, while starting point guard Immanuel Quickley — a career 37.5 per cent shooter — endured a rare off-night, missing all five attempts. Rajakovic will bank on regression toward the mean.
Reality Check Awaits in Manhattan
Barnes, for one, refuses to inflate the significance of a victory secured against a Knicks lineup devoid of a single starter.
“Obviously, they didn’t really have their guys out there on the floor,” he noted. “It felt solid to win the game, but we’ve got a game tomorrow. It should be better.”
The rematch at Madison Square Garden on Thursday offers a sterner examination. Then a final preseason assignment in Detroit on Friday before the home opener against the Chicago Bulls on October 21. The sample size remains tiny; the intent, however, is unmistakable.
Why it Matters
Toronto’s three-point revolution is less about analytics adherence than survival in an Eastern Conference arms race where spacing dictates ceiling. The Raptors possess the personnel — Leonard’s gravity, Barnes’s playmaking, Quickley’s movement shooting, Murray-Boyles’s developmental upside — to weaponise the perimeter. If the volume sustains and efficiency stabilises, the offence unlocks a dimension it has lacked for years: the ability to punish defences that overhelp, to manufacture easy twos by hunting threes. The preseason scoreline is noise. The shot distribution is signal.
