Fred VanVleet, Nick Nurse, and the Toronto Raptors have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA this season, as they are fighting tooth and nail for a play-in spot in a year where they were supposed to improve upon their 48 wins from last season.
At 27-31, the Raptors are hoping that the acquisition of Jakob Poeltl will be enough to vault this team into a spot where they can make it into the postseason. While he has had some very promising early returns, he likely isn’t going to turn everything around by himself.
After burning their first-round pick for the next three years, barring a top-six appearance, the Raptors are officially a win-now team. Even after a sluggish start to the season, this front office believes that their path to success in the East got much easier after the trade deadline.
Toronto is in this position because of some bitterly disappointing performances from players who were expected to hold much bigger roles with the team. This trio needs to turn things around after the All-Star break if Toronto wants any shot of being a postseason force.
3 most disappointing Toronto Raptors in 2022-23 season.
3. Malachi Flynn
The Raptors are still struggling with many of their issues from the 2021-22 campaign, including a lack of guard depth behind their starters. The lack of development from Flynn, who is still failing to make good on his promise as a collegiate star, is very concerning.
After leapfrogging Dalano Banton and putting together some very inspired performances early in the season, Flynn is back to the same inefficient player he was early in his career. Every time Flynn comes in the game, fans find themselves wringing their hands until he is subbed out.
Malachi Flynn has played poorly for the Toronto Raptors.
One of the main complaints with VanVleet is that he doesn’t have the physical skills to fit Masai Ujiri’s “Vision 6-9” philosophy. At least VanVleet brings 20 point per game scoring ability and some timely turnover creations skills to the table. Flynn, meanwhile, has been a defensive negative.
At this point, a fresh start is likely best for both parties. Flynn is not going to be a long-term piece, and the Raptors are clearly in need of someone that can provide a more immediate upgrade. Flynn can work his way back into the good graces of his fanbase, but it’ll be hard to do that after shooting 36% from the floor this season.