Panic or patience on 3 worrying Raptors second-half trends
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors have been as bipolar as possible in the second half of the season. In their first four games, they have been routed in humiliating fashion twice, blown out a division rival by almost 40 points, and won a one-point nailbiter at home. This team remains difficult to get a pulse on.
While the likes of Scottie Barnes are doing everything in their power to make sure this team can be as deadly as possible in the postseason, it’s hard to feel completely assured that they’re going to suddenly start dominating because of how inconsistent they have been.
While they have plenty of time to correct some of the mistakes they’ve been making (and the infrastructure to do so), Raptors fans might not be overly thrilled with the 2-2 record they’ve piled up over the last week of games. Cracks in the armor have been exposed, and they need to be patched up as soon as possible.
Should Nick Nurse and the Raptors fanbase worry about these trends that have manifested lately? Should the organization simply keep things as they are and hope that they will turn around shortly?
Should the Toronto Raptors panic about these 3 trends?
3. Third-quarter struggles
Toronto has been outscored by 37 points in the third quarter over the last four games, which has been a sharp reversal of their usual operating procedure. The Raptors have found themselves fighting through some poor starts and overcoming them in the second half.
The Raptors were relatively competitive in that half during their tussles with the Brooklyn Nets, but that can be written off as the result of playing a team that has been so beset by injuries that they are unable to function properly. While these quarters have been unsightly, there’s reason to believe things will turn around soon.
The Toronto Raptors should improve their play in the fourth quarter.
Toronto is playing without Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby in this stretch, forcing the rest of the starters to shoulder the offensive burden that those two help alleviate. Even though VanVleet played against Charlotte, it was clear that he was much less than 100% healthy.
It goes without saying that a healthy Raptors team is not going to be getting smacked around in the same fashion. WIth some winnable games coming up on the schedule, Toronto needs to get their second-half jitters figured out before the play-in suddenly rolls around.
Verdict: Patience