1 reason the Raptors are better than these 3 play-in contenders
By Jason Mills
The Toronto Raptors are hovering around .500 on the season. This positioning if it continues could spell trouble for their Eastern Conference foes at the backend of the playoff bracket. A 119-100 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night left the Raptors with a record of 14-15.
Toronto has been hit hard by COVID-19 over the last few days. Currently, Toronto has a whopping eight players in the league’s health and safety protocols. While they could return after missing just a handful of games, this is not ideal for a team fighting for a postseason spot.
Should the season end today, the Raptors are in a play-in position. While Toronto has its obstacles to overcome as the season progresses into the New Year, other teams in the East have their own deficiencies to crush on the march to playoff positioning.
There are three teams that the Raptors may actually be better than, including the division-rival Knicks, hated Celtics, and sputtering Hornets. Here’s a look at the main reason why each will finish behind Toronto in 2022.
1 reason the Toronto Raptors are better than these 3 play-in contenders.
3. New York Knicks: Roster turmoil
The Knicks were fourth overall in the East in 2021 and made the playoffs. However, the team is struggling so far this season and trails the Raptors in the standings with a 14-17 record while going 3-7 in their last 10 games.
The Knicks made some serious moves in the off-season. Perhaps realizing Derrick Rose is aging, management went out and signed Kemba Walker as a free agent to play point guard. They also added Evan Fournier, formerly of the Orlando Magic, as their shooting guard.
Unfortunately, a franchise led by Julius Randle and RJ Barrett hasn’t seen positive returns with the moves they made for this campaign.
The Toronto Raptors could capitalize on the Knicks’ rotation issues.
Walker, the Knicks newly acquired point guard, was removed from the Knicks rotation, and he had the following to say:
"“I could be pissed, I could be upset, but at the end of the day there are some young guys here who look up to me,” Walker said on Monday to reporters."
In 19 games, Walker was only averaging 12 points and 3.1 assists per game. For a player who had developed a deadly closing shot in recent years, his play has fallen off the map. Further complicating matters for the Knicks is the last week has seen them add seven players to the injury list for health and safety protocols. Rose is out with an ankle injury.
The Knicks roster is in turmoil until they find some chemistry or make other moves before the trade deadline to stabilize their play. Randle, who many credits for the Knicks upswing in play last season could also be credited with their depressed play to this point this season.
He is averaging 19.6 points this season vs. 24.1 last year, and his three-point percentage has dropped dramatically.
If coach Tom Thibodeau is unable to maximize the talent on his roster and get better performances from several players, the Knicks may find themselves well behind the Raptors in the standings this year. The Raptors have already won two games against the Knicks this season.