Toronto Raptors: Midseason record is a testament to roster depth
Despite a myriad of injuries weighing the team down, the Toronto Raptors have an impressive record midway through the season. That’s a testament to the depth of the roster.
Usually, when a team is ravaged by injuries, it can make or break a season. Some of the biggest what if’s in NBA history are decided by injuries. Even just last year, the Toronto Raptors squeezed past the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals with the Warriors missing two All-Stars in Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. Would the Raptors have won the title if the Warriors were fully healthy?
That’s not for us to decide. But it’s a certainty, due to the rules of the Butterfly Effect, that this series would have gone completely different, even if the result ended the same. That’s how injuries work, they shake your team to its core, and if you aren’t prepared, like some have suggested the Warriors were not, then relying on your depth could be a gamechanger.
Now it’s 2020, and in some sense, it feels like the Toronto Raptors might have sold their soul to the devil last year to win the title. Obviously, that’s a joke. The Toronto Raptors were the best basketball team on the planet last season, and their road to the title was as arduous as it was rewarding.
Still, the Toronto Raptors are absolutely overwhelmed by injuries this season, far more than your regular NBA team, that goes without saying. As it stands, the Raptors are without Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, Marc Gasol, Norman Powell, and Dewan Hernandez. While Hernandez is only a bit-part player who has only featured in four games for the Raptors so far this season, the other four players are all vital players to the rotation.
More importantly, Gasol, VanVleet, and Siakam are all starters. Siakam is the face of the franchise, leading the Raptors in points per game with 25.1. Without those three players, and the addition of Norman Powell, the Raptors are currently without 64.1 points, 22.1 rebounds, and 15.7 assists per game. A large chunk of the offense is currently sitting out.
Even before this point, the Raptors had lost Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka to extended time, and OG Anunoby missed a small period of time with an eye injury. Only one player has featured in every game for the Toronto Raptor this season: Terence Davis.