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Toronto Raptors: Player grades based off preseason expectations

By Zach Wilson

TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 06: Toronto Raptors Head Coach Nick Nurse stands amongst his team, (L-R) Fred VanVleet #23, OG Anunoby #3, Pascal Siakam #43, Serge Ibaka #9 and Kyle Lowry #7 as a call is disputed during second half of their NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at Scotiabank Arena on November 6, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 06: Toronto Raptors Head Coach Nick Nurse stands amongst his team, (L-R) Fred VanVleet #23, OG Anunoby #3, Pascal Siakam #43, Serge Ibaka #9 and Kyle Lowry #7 as a call is disputed during second half of their NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at Scotiabank Arena on November 6, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images /

Matt Thomas: C+

Despite all the hype surrounding Matt Thomas and his shooting abilities, the realistic expectations were not at an all-time high. There was wonder surrounding who Matt Thomas even was amongst the majority of people until a tweet surfaced from @SynergySST stating he had an 82 percent effective field goal percentage on catch and shoot jump shots, and 99 percent when left unguarded. It’s fair to say the Raptors fanbase went berserk.

Coming into the season, I expected Thomas to still be a fantastic 3-point shooter, and that was about it. His defense as shown in pre-season wasn’t extremely special to put it kindly, and at the NBA level, I didn’t expect his playmaking, and overall offensive game to make an impact.

For the most part, I was correct. Shooting 46.7 percent from 3-point range and having a 64.4 percent effective field goal percentage are fantastic shooting numbers. His defense remained subpar, but his ball creation stood out to me.

The way he could drive and kick off close-outs, and not to mention his ability to finish reverse alley-oops; Thomas had quite the solid overall offensive game.

Related Story. Raptors: OG Anunoby is having a breakout season. light

I went with the C+ because he did play a little above my personal expectations. Maybe this was due to the fact that I had little knowledge of his game previously to this season, but Thomas was impressive, and it seems like he could be an impactful shooter for years to come.

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