Toronto Raptors: Examining The Value Of Patrick Patterson

After slumping for much of the season, Patrick Patterson’s play has been much improved since the All-Star break and his impact has never been greater for the Toronto Raptors.

The bench for the Toronto Raptors has come in the clutch over the last few weeks.

Due to injuries to the team’s regular starters like Jonas Valanciunas and James Johnson, players like Bismack Biyombo and Norman Powell have really stepped up for the Raptors over the last week.

With less than a month left in the season, it’s been a refreshing development for the Raptors as their bench has been quite inconsistent at times throughout the season.

Additionally, the bench’s improved play has given head coach Dwane Casey a chance to give some of the team’s stars like Kyle Lowry and Demar DeRozan some much needed rest before the playoffs.

However, there’s been one overlooked Raptors reserve whose play has been much improved since the All-Star break and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

That player is Patrick Patterson.

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Over the course of his time in Toronto, Patterson has grown into a solid stretch four, but this season has been a tough one for the 27 year-old product out of Kentucky.

That’s been due to Patterson’s shooting struggles as he had struggled with his shot throughout the first half of the season (Patterson was shooting 40 percent from the field and 36 percent from deep leading up until the break).

Despite Patterson’s shooting struggles, his ability to space the floor was still very valuable as he had the second best on court offensive rating (per NBA.com/stats) for the Raptors leading up until the break.

But it’s been a different story for Patterson offensively since the All-Star break.

In the 16 games Patterson has played since mid-February, Patterson has shot 44 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range and averaged 8.1 points per game.

Some may consider those numbers pedestrian, but Patterson’s output has been key to the Raptors’ highly productive offense, which ranks as the fifth highest offense across the league since the break.