Winning streak puts Toronto Raptors in danger of residing in the NBA's muddled middle
Paradoxically, the Raptors have reduced their chances of getting their hands on a coveted prospect by winning.
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The suddenly streaking Raptors — a description no one had in mind when all the focus was on the team’s rebuild and securing as many lottery balls in the NBA draft — may have to rethink their plans.
A two-game winning streak heading into a four-game away slate, knowing the Raptors have gone winless on the road, has created a renewed sense of optimism.
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Winning streak puts Toronto Raptors in danger of residing in the NBA's muddled middle Back to video
On some level, the Raptors must be patting themselves on the back in watching the fruits of their labour being rewarded.
On the other side, the more they win, the lower the chances of securing a high draft pick in a class many consider as one of the best in recent years.
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Awkward might best sum up the Raptors’ lot 16 games into a season when only four wins have been produced, including two in a row for the first time with home wins over Indiana and Minnesota.
Keep in mind, the Pacers weren’t good and the Timberwolves looked quite disjointed.
After watching the Raptors hold the Wolves at bay, a pretty compelling case could be made that Jakob Poeltl has emerged as a better player than Rudy Gobert.
Poeltl has better hands, a better attitude, is by far the better offensive player and his salary isn’t in the same high-rent district as Gobert.
Whether it’s in Toronto’s best interest to keep Poeltl in the long term is a discussion that is very much open for debate.
As long as the Raptors continue to work hard, be in games and show growth, there shouldn’t be much to complain about.
At the same time, winning isn’t exactly the ideal outcome, which does seem counter-intuitive.
The Raptors are getting healthier after watching Scottie Barnes return to the lineup Thursday following his fractured orbital bone.
His presence, not surprisingly, was immediately felt. His versatility on both sides of the floor obvious for all to see.
In time, Kelly Olynyk will be back, as will Bruce Brown and Immanuel Quickley.
Friday was an off day for the Raptors, whose sudden turn in fortunes no longer sees the team residing in the NBA’s basement.
The Philadelphia 76ers are a mess with Joel Embiid at the centre of a storm that shows no signs of cleaning up. Philly and Washington were tied for last place in the NBA’s overall standings heading into Friday’s action. Utah has won three times, while the four-win New Orleans Pelicans are tied with the Raptors.
When the Raptors were competing hard but ultimately losing, they remained a feel-good story. The story takes on a different theme when wins are produced, especially two in a row.
No one should get ahead of themselves in believing this roster is even remotely good enough to be among the top-six slots in the conference. They might be good enough to compete for the play-in tournament, but that will disqualify the Raptors from getting their hands on a top prospect like Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Egor Demin or Dylan Harper.
The NBA penalizes a team such as the Raptors, who win by losing. Toronto’s isn’t alone, but it is the lone team playing outside the United States.
For now, the big-picture outlook can be paused to some extent.
The way Darko Rajakovic is evolving as a head coach, the way RJ Barrett put aside a brutal trip that saw the team drop all five of its games and Poeltl’s emergence have shed some important insights.
How the Raptors perform on this coming trip, which tips off Sunday night in Cleveland, will provide more evidence.
When the Raptors did return from their 0-for-5 jaunt, it came at time when Gradey Dick was playing his best and Barrett was mired in a slump.
In Milwaukee, where the Raptors wrapped up their road swing, Dick scored a career-high 32 points on the strength of making 16 trips to the foul line. In the four games played since Toronto’s loss to the Bucks, Dick has a combined 13 trips to the line and zero in the win over Minnesota.
In back-to-back wins, Dick has heaved nine field-goal attempts in each game, which ties a season low. It is, however, the first time this season Dick has attempted single-digit shots on two consecutive nights.
No doubt a small sample size, but it does highlight the ebbs and flows of a long season and how things can turn on a dime when injured players return and when roles are tweaked or redefined.
In their 110-105 win over Minny, the Raptors were plus-10 in turnover points, won the rebounding battle, emerged with a plus-16 in paint points and shot 51.4% from the field, while reserve Chris Boucher single-handedly outscored the opposition’s bench, 22-15.
They vistitors don’t rely on the three-ball in an age of three-point shooting and not a single starter, for what it’s worth, ended the night with a plus-rating.
While Barrett did lead all scorers by pouring in 31 points — the fifth time he has scored at least 30 — he did have more turnovers (4) than assists (3).
The previous time the Raptors played a road game, Barrett posted his first career triple-double in an overtime loss to the Boston Celtics.
His game is trending up, while Dick is trending down as the road awaits.
Additional peaks and valleys are always going to pop up.
When everyone is healthy and an established rotation with defined roles are in place, it’s hard to envision a Raptors team poised to get a top pick.
So much will hinge on the decisions made leading up the trade deadline in February.
For now, a two-game win streak isn’t what the doctor had ordered.
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