The Raptors' Young Guns: Where Weems Come True

A couple days ago, I wrote a piece that dissected where exactly Bosh's 16 shot attempts a game were going during his latest injury. A link to the article can be found here: Shot Distribution

Totally expecting Bosh to make his comeback tonight, I thought we could finally do away with those numbers. But for at least one more night (crossing fingers - GET WELL SOON CB4), I think we can bring them back in. However this time, let's look exclusively at the Raptors' Young Guns. Here are the trio's shot attempts during the last 6 games without Bosh, and their shot attempts in tonight's win against those Knicks.

DeRozan
4.8 shots WO/Bosh
8 shots (10 pts on 63%)
Diff: +3.2

Weems
5.4 shots WO/Bosh
16 shots (20 pts on 56%)
Diff: +10.6

Johnson
4.5 shots WO/Bosh
13 shots (14 pts on 54%)
Diff: +8.5

To put it simply: That is A LOT of shots.

We're talking about nearly 22 more shots than usual for the Young Guns during this stretch without Chris Bosh, and a total of 37 shots tonight between the three of them. That's a huge portion of the offense going through three of the youngest players on the squad.

And you know what? I liked what I saw.

Obviously, you don't want this to become a trend (even for the sole fact that they're all still pretty raw as players). But heck, it was fun to watch at least for one night. Each and every one of them brought something nice to the table. Amir constantly cleaning the glass and working down low. DeMar's consistent attack of the rim and his fluid midair body control. Sonny's much improved jump shot and jaw dropping athleticism.

And what perfect timing too. On a night that involved some of the more experienced players needing medical attention (Bosh, Turk, Bargnani), it really was the perfect moment to unleash the young guns.