3 questions the Raptors must answer after the All-Star break

1. Are the Raptors a playoff team?

The Poeltl trade was not only shocking due to the fact that Toronto spent draft capital on a player who can’t shoot, but the move also showed that Ujiri is all-in on the potential this current group can provide. Will that be enough to get them into the postseason?

The Raptors are currently in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, just a few percentage points behind the Washington Wizards and two games ahead of the Chicago Bulls. Toronto is just four games behind eighth-place Atlanta and five games behind seventh-place Miami, with one half-game separating the Heat and the sixth-place Knicks.

Will the Toronto Raptors make the playoffs?

The optimistic and pessimistic Raptors fans will have quite the time duking this one out. Washington and Atlanta both have superior frontcourt depth, and Miami has the star power edge. On the other hand, both the Wizards and Hawks have beatable defense, and the Heat might be too old to make a deep run.

The play-in is by no means an easy way to sneak into the playoffs, nor is it a sexy qualifier that Ujiri can hang off the end of this season to make it look better than it actually was. However, the Poeltl move shows that this team is going to attempt to win and win now.