With star guards struggling, Raptors should rely on Jonas Valanciunas

10:21 PM ET

MIAMI — The Toronto Raptors were one of the best offensive teams during the regular season, generating 107 points per 100 possessions, which ranked fifth in the NBA.

During the playoffs, however, their offense has not been the same, generating just 97.3 points per 100 possessions, which ranks last among the eight remaining teams still in the postseason.

It is obvious that the drop-off is a direct result of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan’s shooting struggles, as they’ve combined to make just 32.5 percent of their playoff field goal attempts.

Jonas Valanciunas has given the Raptors a lift on the boards, averaging 13 rebounds in their series against the Heat. Dan Hamilton/USA TODAY Sports

And it makes sense that Raptors coach Dwane Casey would want to stick with his All-Star backcourt, because Lowry and DeRozan are the main reasons why the Raptors won a franchise-record 56 games and finally got out of the first round for the first time in nearly 15 years.

Nevertheless, Toronto’s halfcourt offense could be better. And with Game 3 against the Miami Heat looming on Saturday afternoon at American Airlines Arena in Miami with the series tied 1-1, Casey and his players are going to have to make some adjustments.

Those adjustments should start with getting Jonas Valanciunas more involved. Valanciunas has been a force in Games 1 and 2, scoring 39 points and grabbing 26 rebounds. It wasn’t until the Raptors finally got him the ball in Game 2 that …

continue reading in source espn.go.com