Toronto Raptors: Which stats are sustainable after five games?

Turnovers

Stat: 19.2 turnovers per game (26th in the NBA)

Yuck. If anything has plagued the Raptors near-perfect start to the season it’s their ability to turn the ball over with regular frequency.

Part of the Raptors fluid, pace-and-space basketball is to keep the ball flowing and always moving, and that comes with the caveat that there’s a higher risk of turning the ball over. Unfortunately, that has been a problem that has plagued the Raptors so far this season.

The Raptors have created 121 assists to 96 turnovers, with a 23 turnover game against the Bostin Celtics, and a 22 turnover game against the Chicago Bulls sticking out as two of the more disappointing performances in terms of ball retention in the Raptors first five games this season.

A lot of it could be down to the lineups getting used to playing alongside each other, and some of it could be down to a little ring rust, with the season barely underway. In fairness to the Raptors, the turnover bug has dropped considerably over the last two games, with the team only giving up 16 turnovers per game.

That still ranks around the middle of the pack for the league, though. So there’s definitely work to be done. But the Raptors are trending in the right direction, and this likely won’t be a problem for too long.

VERDICT: UNSUSTAINABLE