The Toronto Raptors are likely headed back to the NBA playoffs in 2022 after a one-season hiatus in 2021. Pending an extended losing streak, the Raptors are on the verge of an above .500 season and less than a handful of victories away from officially securing a playoff berth.
Even though Nick Nurse’s team is not super healthy at the moment, they have made some big improvements as this season has progressed. They are right outside the top half of the league in 3-point shooting rising from the bottom third just a few weeks ago.
The team continues to clean the offensive glass at an exceptional rate, averaging just over 13 per game. The values of energy and hustle that Nurse and Masai Ujiri have tied to instill into this team are helping them compete with teams that were expected to be much better.
While the positives have made the 2022 season much more palatable for Raptors fans, there are cracks in the facade that savvy teams might be able to exploit. The playoffs allow opposing coaches to lock in on a team’s weaknesses. Here are 3 X-factors that will impact Toronto in the 2022 playoffs.
3 biggest X-Factors for the Toronto Raptors in playoffs.
3. Defensive Rebounding.
The Raptors are polar opposites at either end of the court in rebounding. They are second in offensive rebounding but last in defensive rebounds. It’s a huge problem because they give up more than 10 second-chance points per contest.
A prime example is a recent loss to the Los Angeles Lakers when Toronto grabbed 16 offensive boards but allowed 13 on the defensive end. Bigger centers like Nikola Vucevic and Jarrett Allen could be licking their lips if they ever have to go up against Toronto in a play-in scenario.
The Toronto Raptors’ inability to rebound on defense is problematic.
This disparity causes several problems. A Toronto team that is aggressive with their perimeter defense has to expend more energy when possessions are extended. Any points Toronto scores on their offensive rebounding are almost all given back at the defensive end.
A major part of the problem is size and girth. The Raptors are a long team, but that lack of height can come back to bite them. The East is filled with teams bigger and stronger in the frontcourt, and it could hurt Toronto in a playoff series.
72 games into the season, the issue isn’t likely to get better. While the Raptors have won more than they’ve lost and have clearly developed some solid workarounds for this problem, an opponent can devise schemes to pick this weakness apart in a seven-game series.
2. Struggles at home.
The Raptors started this season 2-8 at home. After a Friday night loss to the Lakers, the Raptors fell to 17-16 at home despite a midseason turnaround. A return to the friendly confines of Toronto hasn’t seen this team return to its dominant days when opponents dreaded playing in Toronto.
Toronto won 58 home games in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. Winning on the road helps build character. However, defending their home court is paramount for a successful playoff run.
The Toronto Raptors have struggled at home.
While Toronto is almost certain not to get a home playoff series, they will need to defend their home turf if they want any hope of upsetting a favorite in a playoff series. If the Pistons and Magic can walk into Toronto and get a win, why shouldn’t teams like Philadelphia or Milwaukee feel confident?
2022 hasn’t been perfect. COVID-19 concerns and protocols did mean reduced crowd size and atmosphere during home games until recently. Hopefully, as the season winds down and those restrictions have again been eased, the Raptors can relax and enjoy and take advantage of the energy their fans provide from the sidelines.
1. Bench-backcourt Scoring.
The Raptors are a team in dire need of bench production overall. It’s been an issue all season long illustrated by Nurse leaning on his starters to a silly degree. Nurse is coaxing what he can out of about eight regulars per night.
The main concern facing this team is the decided lack of support Fred VanVleet gets in the backcourt. He leads the team at over 38 minutes per game and has developed bad knees An injury to him now could derail any playoff success the squad could enjoy.
Will the Toronto Raptors support Fred VanVleet?
Malachi Flynn was starting to come on, but he is injured at the moment. Rookie Dalano Banton, who started the season providing high levels of energy, has slowed down. The addition of Armoni Brooks on his second 10-day contract has helped slightly, but he has yet to find his shot consistently.
It’s meant a heavy workload for team leader VanVleet and renewed worries that his knees won’t withstand the strain.
Ultimately, 2022 will be remembered as a year Toronto once again made great use of the Draft to restock their roster and return to competitive basketball in the spring. Still, if they want to wrap this year up with playoff wins, they have some factors working against them.