Toronto Raptors: Who has under/over performed expectations this season?

Who on the Toronto Raptors have overperformed expectations this season? Who has underperformed? We take a look at both and decide whether or not it’s sustainable.

By all accounts, the Toronto Raptors are overperforming expectations this season. Coming into the year, Vegas predicted Toronto to win 55.5 games. Currently, they’re on pace to win 66. Toronto was expected to be ONE of the best teams in the NBA. So far, they’re THE best team in the NBA.

Much of Toronto’s success can be attributed to players outperforming expectations. Several players (who will name later on this list) are producing far more than what was expected of them.

And yet, it’s far from perfect in the 6ix. Despite the Raptors impressive start, a couple of key contributors have not played up to their abilities so far this season.

That’s okay. We’re only 21 games into the season. Chances are, players will begin to regress to their career production, regardless if they are over/underperforming expectations. If someone starts hot, you should expect them to cool down. If someone starts slow, you should expect them to heat up.

It’s important not to overreact to fast/slow starts, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore them.

So let’s take a look at the players who have under/overperformed the most, starting with a couple of honorable mentions.

Kyle Lowry – Overperformed

Kyle Lowry serves as the perfect example of how a hot-start can be cooled down in a hurry. Lowry started out on absolute fire this season. As of late, he has been ice-cold. Still, on the season as a whole, Lowry has overperformed expectations.

His scoring numbers are very similar, despite a somewhat cold streak from three, and his assist numbers are through the roof.

Perhaps Lowry’s improved performance can be attributed to Nick Nurse’s new style or a new running mate in Kawhi Leonard. Unfortunately, it’s likely more a result of small-sample-size than anything else.

Delon Wright – Underperformed

Heading into a contract season, with more minutes available at the shooting guard position, Delon Wright was expected to have a big year. So far this season, he’s done the exact opposite.

Wright is scoring less, assisting less, and shooting worse from two and from three. He’s playing fewer minutes and hasn’t looked like himself all season.

Wright missed the end of preseason and the first handful of games due to injury. His struggles are likely more due to rust than anything else. However, the rust doesn’t seem to be disappearing, and Wright isn’t exactly improving as the season goes on.

It’s likely nothing, but it’s fair to worry.