The Toronto Raptors have fallen significantly from the lofty heights they had reached over the last few seasons, as a season in the lottery, the departure of Kyle Lowry, and the continued growth of their Atlantic Division rivals have the latest Raptors odds looking much less inviting and optimistic than they have over the last few seasons.
The Raptors finished 11th in the Eastern Conference last year after years at or near the top of the heap, but considering all of the bad luck they had with COVID-19 during their forced exile from Canada, it’s easy to write that year off as an anomaly and regroup for another run at the playoffs.
Unfortunately, the Las Vegas bookies aren’t as forgiving, as they seem to think that Toronto is at the beginning of a downward spiral that will see them miss the postseason once again.
The latest Raptors odds over at WynnBet have Toronto at -350 (bet $350 to win $100) to make the postseason. They are currently +275 (bet $100 to win $275) to make it to the playoffs, which serves as proof that Las Vegas believes Toronto is embarking upon the first year of a lengthy rebuild.
After some less than savory championship odds, Vegas continues to be pessimistic about the Raptors.
.@donnovanbennett had a message for Raptors fans who aren’t happy with a rebuild. 👏#WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/v4IKHZKl3E
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) August 19, 2021
The latest Toronto Raptors odds show Vegas isn’t keen on them.
The Raptors have worse playoff odds than some other fringe playoff teams Toronto might need to compete for wins against, including the Hornets (-225 to miss the playoffs) and a Vegas darling in the Pacers (+140 to miss the playoffs)
They are above Bradley Beal and the uncertain situation with the Wizards (-575 to miss the playoffs), so they can hold their head high about that.
The Raptors still have three starters that played key roles in their 2019 championship team in Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby. With the addition of No. 4 overall pick Scottie Barnes, the reports of Toronto’s demise from the American media and sportsbooks may have been greatly exaggerated.
Scottie Barnes steps into the triple 🎯
— NBA (@NBA) August 8, 2021
The @Raptors No. 4 pick is up to 8 PTS and 4 REB in the first half on ESPN2! #NBASummer pic.twitter.com/WD6TY41nLN
The mighty Toronto Raptors missing the playoffs for two seasons in a row despite retaining most of their stars, adding one of the best prospects in the draft, and returning to Canada all contribute to the notion of another season spent rebuilding looking very unlikely.
The oddsmakers seem to be forgetting that even after a slow start and some injuries, Toronto was fourth in the East at 16-15 at one point. While they aren’t a lock to make the playoffs given all of the hoops that they need to jump through, the Raptors are deserving of a bit more respect than those odds give them.