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Toronto Raptors: 3 players who need to step up to secure a playoff birth

By Pirasanth Gunasekaram

TAMPA, FLORIDA - APRIL 27: Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - APRIL 27: Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
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One step forward, two steps back is the best way that I can describe this Toronto Raptors team. A win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 26 got the Raptors a step closer to be in the playoff race, but with losses against the Brooklyn Nets the next day the Denver Nuggets soon after, they are now back to where they started.

With the 2020-21 season coming to an end in a couple, of weeks it’s going to be tough for the Raptors to be in the play-in at the end of the season. It also doesn’t help that the Raptors are fighting with Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards to be the No. 10 seed and there are only nine games left in the regular season.

The Raptors are currently in the No. 12 seed in the Eastern Conference with a two-game losing streak. In any other season, that would mean that the Raptors are pretty much out of the playoffs. That is not the case for this season because of the play-in tournament.

Unfortunately, the inconsistently of their players are hurting the team’s chances. That is why the players must step up or else they won’t be in the playoffs since the 2012-13 season. These three players in particular are the guys who should step up in the last 10 games of the season to keep the playoff hopes alive.

These 3 Toronto Raptors players need to step up

TAMPA, FLORIDA – MARCH 26: Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
TAMPA, FLORIDA – MARCH 26: Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. /

1. Kyle Lowry

Before the rumors of will he gets traded before the NBA trade deadline or not, Lowry was playing great this season. He averaged 16.7 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, and 7.3 assists per game. But he hasn’t played well since the trade deadline passed.

Lowry missed 11 games due to a foot infection. He came back on April 11, but he missed four more games right after because the Raptors wanted to rest him.

The reason they rest Lowry is probably that at the time, they were not a team that could make it to the playoffs at the time. But during Lowry’s absences, the Raptors’ chances of going to the playoffs increased. So, they brought him back. Once he was back from his break, Lowry struggled.

Kyle Lowry needs to lead the Toronto Raptors.

He averaged 13 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, and 6.2 assists per game since the deadline. He played four games since coming back from his injury and break, but he is making just 33% of his shots.

He finished the game against the Brooklyn Nets with 24 points, two rebounds, and six assists, showing he is starting to turn his form around. During his contest against the Denver Nuggets, Lowry had 20 points, five rebounds, and seven assists.

Those games prove that he’s back from his slump. This is good because they need him to play like this they want to go to the playoffs. Anything less than old-school, dominant Lowry could make it tough for Toronto to make it to the postseason.