The Toronto Raptors are currently in line for a play-in spot that would potentially give them an opportunity to sneak into the postseason. While this is certainly a step down from where they were last season, Masai Ujiri and the rest of the team are very bullish on this roster’s potential.
Scottie Barnes believes that the Raptors have all the tools needed to make some noise in the playoffs. Refusing to trade Fred VanVleet or OG Anunoby while adding Jakob Poeltl in a deal with the San Antonio Spurs shows that this team is gunning for it with some extra rim protection.
While most of the season has been a disappointment, the Poeltl acquisition has breathed new life into this team. With a good chunk of games left and some teams above them in the standings failing to supplement their roster at the trade deadline, Toronto shouldn’t count themselves out.
The Raptors can make good on Barnes’ wishes, as they are better equipped for success than they were at the beginning of the season. Thanks to these three factors, the Raptors are fully prepared to go on the hunt and climb up the standings.
3 reasons the Raptors can make a playoff run.
3. Jakob Poeltl
Poeltl has immediately proven to be a big upgrade for the Raptors at a position of need. In just his second start with the team following his trade, Poeltl recorded 30 points on 15-17 shooting and ended up as the third member of an exclusive scoring/efficiency club occupied by David Robinson and Klay Thompson.
Poeltl’s defense is what has stood out above the rest. The Raptors are allowing a preposterous 30.5 fewer points per 100 possessions (subscription required) when Poeltl is on the floor, showing that the 7-1 Austrian big man fits Nick Nurse’s defensive scheme like a glove.
Jakob Poeltl is boosting the Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors’ aggression on defense was contributing to their poor runs of form, as they lacked the rim protection needed to clean up for the defensive mistakes. Christian Koloko looked solid in his limited time, but he doesn’t have the same finishing as Poeltl.
While he is a free agent, the expectation is that Toronto will give Poeltl a long-term deal to man the starting center spot for the next few seasons. Poeltl will need to show that he can maintain this high level of play against a team with championship aspirations, however.
2. Manageable schedule
The Raptors were the victims of one of the most difficult schedules in the league in the first half of the season. Considering how they’ve played the pre-Kevin Durant trade Nets and red-hot Knicks four times each, Toronto has already multiple tussles with the 76ers, Heat, and Donovan Mitchell-led Cavaliers.
On top of the fact that Toronto had a very easy schedule right before the All-Star break, they will begin the next part of the schedule by playing a banged-up Pelicans team, the 10th-place Wizards twice, the disappointing Bulls, and the Pistons again. The team can do some damage here.
Will the Toronto Raptors win games in the second half?
While their first-half choke job against a depleted Jazz team shows that no team should be checked off as a victory before the game starts, Raptors fans have to like playing some of the league’s less impressive teams after running through a complete gauntlet early in the season.
With the new roster tweaks already taking shape, the Raptors should have more than enough raw star power and scoring skills to make themselves a viable postseason opponent. Wins might be easier to come by now that they won’t have to play a title contender four times in two weeks.
1. Weakened East
The Western Conference was much more aggressive than the Eastern Conference at the trade deadline, which likely played into Toronto’s refusal to sell many of their big players. Ujiri and the rest of the organization seem to think that there is some general vulnerability that this team can take advantage of.
The Hawks didn’t make any needle-moving additions, and the Heat struck out regularly when trying to make some noteworthy additions. The Nets will still be a team that the Raptors need to keep an eye on, but the Durant move likely took them out of the championship hunt.
The Toronto Raptors could run through the East.
Miami and Brooklyn are prime candidates to start regressing in the second half of the season. If Toronto is on their game, they could either leapfrog them in the standings or come very close to it. Avoiding the play-in will be hard, but not impossible for this roster.
The Raptors proved during last season that they could play above themselves whenever they have to take on elite competition. With many of the same players on this team, Nurse should be able to get the same high effort level if push comes to shove in the postseason.