1 short, medium, and long-term goal for Raptors to strive for in 2022
By Mike Luciano
Medium-term: Make the play-in tournament
Masai Ujiri has been very open about the fact that he prioritizes winning championships over sneaking into the postseason picture as a No. 7 or No. 8 seed, but that doesn’t mean Toronto should throw their hands up in defeat if the Larry O’Brien Trophy eludes their grasp.
The Raptors currently hold the No. 8 seed in the East, with the Hornets above them at No. 7 and the Celtics and Wizards trailing them in ninth and tenth place. Toronto has plenty of tough matchups against contenders like the Nets and Heat coming up, but they are right in the think of the playoff hunt.
The Toronto Raptors have their eyes on the postseason.
Even if they do make the postseason as a low seed and get dispatched without ceremony, that’s by no means a failure. Jumping from the seventh-best lottery odds to No. 4 and drafting Barnes meant that they benefitted from the luck teams spend years chasing.
They have shown an aptitude for drafting outside of the lottery. Look no further than Siakam and OG Anunoby. Toronto should restock for an earnest postseason push this season, which could mean selling off some of their assets in exchange for role players at the deadline.