As the Raptors search for shooters, Jamison Battle and Ja’Kobe Walter get their chance

MIAMI — Over the past decade or so, the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat have played so many ugly games that they could have produced enough raw material to build a subdivision of brick houses.

It dates back to at least the 2015-16 Eastern Conference semifinals, when a team only topped 100 points three times. Three games in this series went into overtime and two ended with a winner in the 1990s. Here are a few point totals by which one team has since won games against the other: 96, 96, 96, 90, 84 (the Raptors shot 6 for 42 from 3 in that game and scored 76 points), 98. In the In the last 30 games between the teams, there have been 15 instances in which a team failed to reach three figures. In an age of teams that attempt 40 three-pointers per game and score more than 100 possessions, that’s more than remarkable.

The Heat’s zone defense is one of the reasons teams have been able to recreate results from the 1990s. As Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy pointed out, the Heat scored on 13 percent of their defensive possessions in the Raptors’ 121-111 victory on Friday. The Cleveland Cavaliers came in second with 6.9 percent.

“Sometimes (a zone defense) makes players think too much about what they have to do,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said. “I want our boys to play freely. I want our guys to move the ball, find an open man and shoot the ball with confidence.”

Most of the confidence is a success story, no matter how much the Raptors try to instill it in less powerful shooters. With that in mind, the Raptors drafted Ja’Kobe Walter this summer and signed Jamison Battle as an undrafted free agent. Both players actively chase their shots, which is a necessity against an overwhelming defense. With Scottie Barnes, a stocky forward who makes more passes from the post or outside the perimeter than on drives from the perimeter, the Raptors need some guys who can shoot 3s without compunction.

“I think we have more than capable shooters on this team,” Battle said after a career-high 24 points on Wednesday in New Orleans. “I think it’s just a confidence thing that when we hit shots, we make (more) shots. We will still publish these shots just because they are open shots. We work on it every day and there is no reason not to take these, especially if they are open.”

Against the Heat, Battle and Walter completed seven of the Raptors’ 29 attempts, far too few for the team. That they only managed one hit together, but at least Battle was mostly looking for them.

For many years, the Raptors were in search of the talent they would need to become consistent shooters. It worked with Norman Powell and OG Anunoby, but those were the only high-level success stories. Pascal Siakam has gone from a non-shooter to an average shooter, which is quite an achievement.

The Raptors didn’t give up on players like that, taking three quasi-non-shooters in the second round of the June draft – forward Jonathan Mogbo, point guard Jamal Shead and center Ulrich Chomche.

They have increased resources for proven shooters, or at least players who want to become one. Gradey Dick was considered the top shooter in the 2023 draft, with the Raptors taking him 13th. Walter isn’t quite that, but he has a repeatable shot that suggests he should be a force.

And although the Raptors didn’t use a pick on Battle, they waived two-way center Branden Carlson, who the Oklahoma City Thunder later signed to find a roster spot for him in training camp. Battle is 23 and spent five years in the NCAA. He was a good but unspectacular shooter until his senior year of college, when he shot 43.3 percent from distance at Ohio State.

There’s not much risk in exploiting a two-way spot against a player. But Battle is an older prospect with obvious defensive limitations and normal length and athleticism. The Raptors of the past might have avoided him entirely. With finding players to complement Barnes a priority, this trend cannot be a coincidence.

Walter and Battle know how to use their ability to outsmart defenses, which is important for shooters. Walter, starting for the second straight game, attacked a closeout early and defended against the weak side after Battle was caught offside on an out-of-field play. Moments later, Battle cut against the grain of the zone and faked going into the arc, got open and made two free throws. Previously, Battle used a pump fake to escape his defender and allow an open look.

In general, though, the Raptors want players to win reasonably contested 3s. Battle is further along this path than Walter, which is not surprising since Walter is only 20 years old and only six games into his professional career. He’s already showing great defense, which should give Raptors fans a chance to dream about what he might look like in a few years.

“He is a player we believe in,” said Rajaković. “He has a great future in this organization.”

Notes

• The Raptors lost the plot of this game in the third quarter with some low-power attacks. Admittedly, it had something to do with Bam Adebayo patrolling the middle. I liked RJ Barrett’s performance after a timeout during this period as it was an example of the courage the Raptors had to play with. Overall, however, there was just too much indecision and trying to make the perfect pass.

The Heat zone definitely had something to do with it. Just not a crisp, confident performance against a team that always lives up to its identity.

• So much for the mathematical advantage the Raptors had in New Orleans: They made 25 fewer 3s than the Heat, made 10 fewer and had 10 more turnovers.

• The difficulty of this pass from Barnes to Jakob Poeltl was reminiscent of a jump from Simone Biles. Adebayo knew it was coming and Barnes spotted the ball quickly enough to get the ball home. He threw another great pass through the zone to Mogbo.

SCOTTIE DIME TO J-MO 👀 pic.twitter.com/MhHTEKXJXA

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) November 30, 2024

Barnes finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, his first triple-double of the year, but also had five turnovers. He could have had more. It was an inconsistent performance against a very good defensive team.

• Barnes must avoid picking up technical fouls for arguing 50/50 passes in the first quarter, and Rajaković must avoid challenging them.

• Chris Boucher’s shot selection: still a work in progress. Rajaković shot forward in the next timeout but was then slapped on his backside.

• An incoming violation. This is a Raptors-Heat thing.

• Ahead of the Raptors’ four-game road trip that ended in Miami, Rajaković said Bruce Brown was in a reconditioning program following his offseason arthroscopic knee surgery. In the end, he did not make his season debut on this trip.

I asked the coach about it before the game and he said Brown hasn’t suffered any setbacks, but the team just wants to be as cautious as possible when he returns to action. The knee issues continued last season and the Raptors aren’t taking any chances.

(Photo of RJ Barrett taking a shot over Heat forward Haywood Highsmith: Jim Rassol / Imagn Images)