Raptors clinch dubious record after frustrating loss to Clippers

Nick Nurse and the Toronto Raptors may be the most disappointing team in the Eastern Conference this season. Fresh off winning 48 games in a season where everyone thought they were going to rebuild, Toronto ran it back with largely the same core (and Otto Porter Jr) as they tried to claw their way through a tough Eastern Conference.

Unfortunately, the Raptors find themselves trying to muster the effort needed to avoid the play-in tournament rather than breaking through into the elite tier of the eastern Conference. While Jakob Poeltl plugged a huge hole at the center spot, he hasn’t fixed all the problems on this team.

The odd roster construction and consistently poor performances tin he fourth quarter have helped Toronto sink to 32-35 on the season, putting them just a few percentage points ahead of the 10th-place Washington Wizards. Last year feels like it was ages ago.

Wednesday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers handed Toronto their 35th defeat on the season, meaning there is no mathematical way they can equal or surpass their win total from last season. Not only is a top-five seed no longer realistic, but escaping the play is also looking difficult.

The Toronto Raptors lost their 35th game in 2022-23.

While most of the big names on this team have missed some time due to injuries, no team stays healthy all season long. The blame should lie with the coaching staff and front office nearly equally for the general downturn in morale and overall performance.

The front office believed in their “Vision 6-9” philosophy with too much fervor, failing to address the lack of 3-point shooting and rim protection on the roster until most of the season had elapsed. The Poeltl trade and Will Barton signing haven’t fixed everything just yet.

Nurse is far from blameless. Masai Ujiri’s hesitancy to change the roster was based on the belief that Toronto could develop their best role players into stars. Precious Achiuwa is still inconsistent (albeit promising), Scottie Barnes’ scoring hasn’t taken the monumental leap forward many expected, and OG Anunoby remains stagnant offensively.

The Raptors might be able to sneak into the playoffs, which should always be encouraged and commended. However, it is very clear that this team’s ceiling is escaping the play-in tournament before getting flattened by a top seed in the East. Fresh off winning 48 games, that is less than ideal.