Time is running out on the Toronto Raptors’ playoff hopes for the 2020-21 season and, if the past three games are any indication, a turn-around in performance isn’t imminent. As our initial mock draft makes clear, attention is starting to turn towards the summer for the next phase in the rebuild.
Newer Raptors fans may have the luxury of being unfamiliar with this state of being – basically playing out the string of a disappointing season while remaining trapped between yearning for better lottery odds and instinctively wanting the team to succeed.
However, more seasoned fans will surely find some familiarity in this feeling, hearkening back to pre-2013 days when Toronto all too regularly found themselves out of the playoff mix.
As those fans know, there’s always at least something to root for, even if that something isn’t as straightforward as wanting your team to score more points than the other team.
The Toronto Raptors have been through a lot in 2020-21
The end of a lost season, which certainly seems to be where we’re heading, can offer something of a sneak preview, providing playing opportunities for young, developing talent.
And if those opportunities just happen to dovetail with offering rest for veterans and further aiding the club’s draft lottery positioning, then all the better.
Let’s take a look at three things worth keeping an eye on over the final 25 games of the season.