The Toronto Raptors have struggled to stay afloat this season, causing the “tank” talk to undeniably take off. It seems like the Raptors’ tank job is stull in full swing despite the recent success, seeing that they have “rested” key players in their lineup and have had no issues playing their young guys.
Nick Nurse recently spoke on the idea of tanking, saying that he “didn’t like it, and the goal is to still make the playoffs.” The Raptors have played better than .500 ball since this statement and are 5-4 in their last nine.
Currently slotted in for the last play-in spot at 24-34 with the fifth hardest remaining schedule, making the playoffs certainly won’t be an easy task, especially considering the injuries this team has suffered through.
That being said, saying that the Raptors haven’t played like their typical selves this season is an understatement. It’s not a crazy idea to think that this team could have a good final stretch and sneak into the playoffs.
Raptors beat the Thunder.
— Chris Walder (@WalderSports) April 19, 2021
Seeing all of the Montreal blood out there was awesome. Boucher and Dort having the nights they did made it even better.
Big shot Bouch.
Toronto can't tank worth a damn, though. They're like ... really bad at it.
The road to 38-34 continues ...
What do the Toronto Raptors gain out of making the playoffs?
Pro: Playoff experience for the young guys
If the Raptors see guys like Malachi Flynn, DeAndre’ Bembry, and others as future building blocks for this team, then getting their feet wet in the playoffs is a must.
We’ve seen young players get this playoff experience early who are having great starts to their careers such as Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell. We’ve also seen some NBA vets follow this path such as Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler. While Toronto’s youngsters might not follow that career trajectory, playing meaningful basketball in the summer is still worth it.
The Toronto Raptors need to play important basketball.
While a first-round exit is the most likely scenario to play out, as the Raptors will assuredly be matched up with either the Brooklyn Nets or Philadelphia 76ers if they get into the play-in tournament in win some games, getting the playoff experience now is important.
They aren’t getting the full playoff experience because of the restrictions that COVID-19 has brought us, but just getting a feel of how the playoff atmosphere differs from regular-season basketball and seeing how games are called differently in the playoffs will always stick with them.
Con: Lower draft pick
There’s a reason why so many Raptors fans are rooting for losses. This is one of the best draft classes in recent memory. The class is led by names like Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, and Jalen Suggs. The top 5 in this class are expected to be huge impacts for their new teams and would be #1 pick worthy had they been in other draft classes.
That being said, it’s widely agreed upon that there’s a significant drop-off after the top 5. Though there’s still a good crop of players such as Scottie Barnes, Moses Moody, and Corey Kispert. None bring the same impact and potential that the top 5 bring.
What are the current lottery odds for the Toronto Raptors?
As of now, the Raptors have the tenth best odds at the No. 1 pick with a 3% chance and have a 13.9% chance at a top four pick. They’ve been teetering around the 7-10 range, and while the odds at these positions aren’t great, these odds are definitely enough to believe you have a chance at one of the top 5 players should they crash out of the playoffs.
The 4 teams with the best odds will likely be Orlando, Minnesota, Houston, and Detroit. Toronto is unlikely to catch the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have basically thrown in the towel for the season, so that leaves 5 teams behind them in the standings.
At best, the Raptors can get the sixth-best odds, currently held by Cleveland at 20-36. If they miss the postseason, that could be a goal worth shooting for.
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?
Con: Being stuck in mediocrity
Being stuck in mediocrity is the worst thing a franchise can be in. Constantly teetering around the 7-10 seed and getting killed round 1, while also not getting a top 10 pick is something teams like the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons know all too well.
From 2015-2019, the Pistons” best season was 44-38, with their worst season at 37-45. They had 2 playoff appearances and 0 playoff wins in those 4 years. They’ve since come to their senses and made big moves such as trading Andre Drummond and buying out Blake Griffin. They’re now a front-runner for the No. 1 pick.
The Toronto Raptors can’t end up like the Pistons or Magic.
The Orlando Magic are also a team that has recently committed to a tank after being stuck in mediocrity for the last 2 years. Following back-to-back first-round exits with a total of one playoff win, they have committed to the tank by trading All-Star big Nikola Vucevic. Just like the Pistons, They’re also a front-runner for the No. 1 pick.
Masai Ujiri hasn’t been shy about sharing his thoughts on tanking in the past. In a 2013 interview following the Rudy Gay trade, Ujiri insinuated he wanted to tank when he said “We know we will not be trapped in the middle.”
Ujiri suddenly deciding that he is OK with that would be a huge reversal in terms of his attitude towards tanking, and Ujiri likely won’t change his whole philosophy off of one season.
The verdict
With the recent resting of many key players, it’s looking like Raptors management is in favor of a tank. However, with the race for the No. 10 seed wide open, there’s a variety of different ways that this season could play out for Toronto.
If you believe that the Raptors can make a run in the playoffs, continue to root for wins. In a season like no other, the Raptors making a deep run wouldn’t be the craziest thing to witness considering the randomness this season has shown us.
However, if this season is a complete throw-away for you, then rooting for losses is something to consider. We’ve seen Raptors management find gems late in the draft and some that went undrafted, and trusting in their ability to restock this team isn’t by any means a bad strategy or thought.
Pairing this same management with a top pick in the draft could be a scary threat for the rest of the league.
We won’t exactly recoil at the thought of making the postseason, however. Playoff basketball is playoff basketball, however it comes about.