Toronto Raptors: Pros and cons of making the playoffs in 2020-21
By Matthew Chiu
Pro: Continue building the winning culture
Adding a top pick is nice, but is it worth killing a winning culture that’s brought 7 straight playoff appearances and an NBA championship? We’ve seen teams enter the lottery and struggle to ever get out of it. Use the Minnesota Timberwolves as an example.
Since 2014, they have had the top pick three times. How many times have they made the playoffs in that seven-year span? Once. They have a whopping one playoff appearance in a 7-year span.
Toronto has never been a big destination for big-time free agents, but a losing Toronto team is a complete turn-off for free agents in search of a new team. Consistently making the playoffs tells free agents one thing. Toronto is here to compete, and they’re here to compete now.
The Toronto Raptors need to maintain their winning ways.
Without this culture, Toronto would be dead in the water, as their inability to get top free agents to come up north without the prospect of competing for a championship could help them slink right to the bottom of the Atlantic Division, a grouping that might be the deepest assemblage of talent in the game.
The Nets and 76ers will be tough to beat for the next few years, the Boston Celtics will always have a strong team, and the New York Knicks are way ahead of schedule in their rebuild. Is potentially falling out the upper echelon worth it in order to grab one star player in the draft next year?