The Toronto Raptors were able to watch Fred VanVleet put up 39 points against the rival Brooklyn Nets, setting the stage for their biggest win in weeks. Unfortunately, the vengeful fingers of the basketball gods and the right hand of Kyrie Irving had other plans in mind.
The Nets took home a 119-116 victory, sweeping the season series against the Raptors for the first time in almost two decades. The Raptors have gotten 78 points from VanVleet in the last two games, a resurgent Scottie Barnes, and 16-point second-quarter leads in consecutive games. Despite that, the club is 0-2 in that span.
The Raptors are just 2-7 in December, with both of their wins coming against a Magic team that didn’t have Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs and a Lakers team without LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Raptors have as little positive momentum as any play-in contender in the league right now.
This loss, in tandem with their defeat to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, has revealed three gut-wrenching truths about the state of this roster. Toronto was served with this trio of cold, hard facts in the last week, and they need to operate with these warts in mind.
3 painful truths about the Toronto Raptors after brutal Nets loss
3. Christian Koloko can’t get rotation minutes
This is not a “Koloko stinks” piece. In fact, Koloko is a very talented player who is one of the team’s best rim protectors. However, asking a second-round pick that fell to his spot in the draft due to his perceived raw nature to start for a playoff hopeful is putting too much on his plate.
In all four matchups this year, Nicolas Claxton has had his way with Koloko. The rookie hasn’t scored more than six points in a game in almost a month and has just one performance since November with more than five rebounds. The Raptors need to let him take a minute to catch his breath.
The Toronto Raptors must bench Christian Koloko.
Starting Thad Young is not going to be ideal against bigger lineups, but Toronto is playing four-on-five half the time on the offensive end when Koloko is out there. Maybe try putting Chris Boucher in the starting lineup? The Koloko experiment is running into a wall right now.
When everyone returns to full health, the Raptors are likely going to remove him from the rotation and allow him the chance to cut his death in the G League. He’s still very much a part of Toronto’s bench in the next few years, but getting thrown to the wolves like this is costing the team games.
2. Leaving Malachi Flynn out of the rotation makes no sense
Flynn was given rare minutes instead of Dalano Banton when Gary Trent Jr. was ruled out for this game. While he had some tough turnovers late, 13 points in a limited role off the bench represent a solid evening on the clock for the San Diego State product.
The Raptors are still a bad shooting team, but their hot start in the first half was due, in part, to Flynn’s craftiness and confidence. Nurse can’t look fans in the eye and claim he is trying to put the best possible offensive combinations on the floor if he doesn’t include Flynn in that mix.
Malachi Flynn needs to play for the Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors have quite a few problems messing them up right now, but the lack of shooting is at the top of the list. Even consecutive VanVleet masterclasses in the Sacramento and Brooklyn losses were unable to drag this depleted roster into the winner’s circle.
Flynn may be on his last legs in Toronto, as the Raptors are embarking on their third straight season of trying to make him fit. If Nurse keeps sticking him on the bench, watching him wither as incongruous starting lineups brick jumper after jumper, that decision would be one step short of inexcusable.
1. Fred VanVleet has no help from deep.
VanVleet being his old self after some gnarly shooting lines is a very welcome development. However, because the Raptors are incapable of making ten or more 3-pointers in a game, the rest of his teammates were unable to be as effective from deep.
The Raptors have made just 15 3-pointers in the last two games, which is what some teams average per game. VanVleet has made six of them. Flynn, who didn’t play against Sacramento, Barnes, and Pascal Siakam (who attempted just three triples) are the only players other than VanVleet who made multiple 3-pointers.
That is pitiful and simply unacceptable.
Fred VanVleet needs more Raptors teammates who can shoot.
While the aforementioned Flynn may play a part in solving this issue, he’s just one guy. Siakam, while excellent, is less of a perimeter threat than he was last year. While Trent has been more productive of late, the injury to O.G. Anunoby effectively cancels that development out.
The Raptors need to be very active in trade talks, as they are currently stuck in a painful middle ground due to a lack of shooting. Unless VanVleet and Trent both start nailing over 40% of their 3-pointers with some high volume, the Raptors are boxed in by their roster construction.