3 Toronto Raptors who will make or break the playoff push
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors may be the most difficult team in the entire league to figure out. They will look like Michael Jordan’s Bulls in one game and the seven-win Bobcats in the next despite some tangible star power. That inconsistency has relegated them to ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
The team’s recent two-game series on the road against the Washington Wizards was the microcosm of the entire season. Just two days after getting ripped apart by Kyle Kuzma, thanks to poor transition defense, Toronto managed to grind out an overtime win that pushed them to 32-33.
The Raptors will embark upon a very difficult stretch on the West Coast that includes dates against both Los Angeles teams and the Denver Nuggets twice. The Raptors could make up some ground in their postseason race during this stretch, or they could sink further down the pecking order.
Toronto has placed a great deal of responsibility on one of their most important duos, and time will tell if they are able to prove that the team’s trust was not misplaced. These three Raptors could make or break the team’s unlikely push toward a postseason spot.
3 Toronto Raptors who could spoil playoff push.
3. SG Gary Trent Jr.
Trent has been moved to the bench with all of the starters healthy and Jakob Poeltl in the center spot. While some fans might want to see OG Anunoby (or even VanVleet) put on the second unit, Nurse’s decision actually does have some semblance of logic behind it.
The Raptors have a painful lack of shot creation on their bench, so moving Trent to the second unit will give Toronto the luxury of staggering GTJ’s minutes to let him be the reserve leader. When that 3-point shot is falling, he is as deadly as any player in the rotation.
Gary Trent Jr. is still important for the Toronto Raptors.
While Trent did have some very promising performances as a Sixth Man earlier in the season, some of his first few games back in that role prior to his Saturday explosion with the new-look lineup have been underwhelming. For all his strengths, Trent can be a very streaky shooter.
If you can forgive the editorializing, I believe that Trent should have an expanded role on a Raptors team. Having said that, Trent will be shouldering an enormous offensive burden. Showing that he can answer that call for the second year in a row will help the nine-figure paydays roll in in free agency.