The Toronto Raptors have made the NBA playoffs the last four years and have averaged 51 wins over that span. They are anchored by Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, and while both will return for the 2017–18 season they still need quality role players if they want to pass the likes of Boston and Cleveland in the East.

Usually 25-year-old rookies aren’t pivotal pieces in a team’s second unit, but this year Alfonzo McKinnie will be exactly that. McKinnie made the NBA G League last year by attending an open tryout and ended up making the G League All-Star Game — albeit as a replacement player — and competed in the Dunk Contest as well. He played all 50 games for the expansion Windy City Bulls averaging 14.9 points and 9.2 rebounds.

The 6-foot-8 rookie forward was explosive in transition, regularly throwing down monster dunks or catching wondrous alley oops. He’s a perfect new age, positionless player for today’s NBA as he has quality length for a 3, but lacks the overall size needed to play the 4. Players like McKinnie are finding new niches every season, because progressive teams want a plug-and-play guy who can do multiple things.

McKinnie finished the year shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 70.6 percent from the charity stripe, but it’s his 3-point shooting (30.8) percent which should enamor him to Raptors fans. A sub-31 percent 3-point shooter might not seem like the perfect Patrick Patterson replacement for the second unit, but McKinnie’s mechanics, confidence and fluidity indicate he can become the same 37-ish percent shooter Patterson is.

The Corner 3s

McKinnie was excellent from the corner 3 positions last year with Windy City shooting a combined 39.5 percent (15-of-33). The right corner was his most deadly spot as he made 10-of-19 attempts for a ridiculous 52.6 percent. You might have already done the math, but this means he was a not-so-great 5-of-19 from the left corner for 26.3 percent.

Surprisingly, Patterson had nearly the same difference from the two sides— though a tad better from each spot — from the corners shooting 54.1 percent (20-of-37) from the right side and 33.3 percent (21-of-63) from the left.

The numbers certainly tell a story, but when watching film on McKinnie it’s perplexing in terms of how his efficiency was not higher. He catches here from the right corner, and without hesitation, lets it fly. This is important, because a high number of his misses come when he catches a pass and instead of shooting immediately, thinks about what to do, and then rises up. His mechanics from his feet to the release are consistent and look really good. He does have a small dip after the immediate catch, but the catch-to-release timing is still quite quick.

While McKinnie makes this shot, you start to see some of the issues that caused a sub-31 percent outside shooter. He slides to the far corner, catches the pass, rises up and continues to fade to his right a little bit. On this shot attempt he also spreads his feet on the release. Even the slightest inconsistencies create issues for 3-point shooters, but these things can be fixed.

The other major issue on the play above is McKinnie clearly should have cut baseline for an easy dunk rather than staying outside for 3. He made the shot, but when he watched this back with coaches I guarantee that was the message. He finished at a 65 percent clip in the restricted area last season, so this is an instance he should have taken the easier play.

Above the Break 3s

McKinnie mostly played the 4 spot for the Windy City Bulls last year and was the inbounder for the other team’s made shots. This meant he was often a late trailer or found himself in pick-and-pop situations near the top of the arc. He’s not a creator at this point in his development, and every single one of his 41 made 3s were assisted.

Shot selection plagued McKinnie when it came to 3s. When he was attacking the rim or catching in the mid post, he always took great shots, but many of his 3s were contested or he hesitated which caused the bulk of his misses. He did attempt six pull up 3s off the dribble, but missed each one of them.

Later in the season, he began to become a real threat from above the break as he shot 33.3 percent over the course of March and April. For the season, he only hit 27.4 percent (26-of-95) of these attempts however.

Here, C.J. Williams is sagging off McKinnie which gives him ample room and time to get up a nice fluid shot. You can see the same dip to the shooting pocket off the initial catch, but he stays balanced and drains the deep 3. Early in the season, McKinnie would catch these passes, survey the court a little bit — allowing the defender to get right on him — and still pull the same shot, which again was an issue.

On this play McKinnie is the trail man and walks right into a beautiful 3-pointer. He has no issue rising up and hitting the shot over the outstretched arms of rookie Deyonta Davis either. McKinnie gets great lift on his 3s and coupling that with his quick release allows him to get these shots off against longer opponents.

Patrick Patterson was a combined 41 percent shooter from the corners, but also saw a dip when shooting above the break, as his efficiency dropped to just 34.2 percent. Patterson was also a non-threat from 3 off the dribble as 92 of his 94 made 3s were assisted.

Pick-and-Pop 3s

Unfortunately, the NBA G League site does not have specific numbers for situational shots yet, so there’s no way — without watching every single 3 he took — to know McKinnie’s efficiency out of the pick-and-pop.

Most of his pick-and-rolls finished with him rolling to the rim, because of his adept ability to catch alley oops, finish around the rim or create space by driving the lane.

Here, he sets a questionable screen, but quickly finds the open space around the arc, catches on balance and rises up for the made 3.

This is the perfect encapsulation into why his percentage from 3 was much less than it could be. McKinnie sets the pindown screen, his man rejects it, and he has room to pop for an open 3. Rather than taking the first look, he feels the need to jab, put down a rhythm dribble and take a contested 3 instead. In this case, he makes it, but these are the shots the Raptors do not want him taking next season.