It's Official: The Toronto Raptors have to tank the rest of the season

Hope is extinguished for the Toronto Raptors.

It has been one thing after another for a team that tried so hard to begin this season with optimism. Bruce Brown's knee, Kelly Olynyk's back and Ja'Kobe Walter's shoulder have kept them out in every game thus far. Immanuel Quickley got hurt in the first game and hasn't been back. RJ Barrett just returned, in time for Scottie Barnes to suffer a fractured orbital bone that will keep him out for 3 weeks or more.

Wednesday night was something of the tipping point for the Raptors. Despite the rash of injuries and a 1-3 start, the Raptors still had life. Their players were competing every game, their rookies were outperforming expectations, and they played the Charlotte Hornets. For the last decade or more, if you needed a get-right game, you wanted to play the Hornets.

Instead of a reassuring win to set the Raptors on the right path, they instead were taken down by the likes of Tre Mann and Cody Martin, 138-133. Their defense that had seemed so inspiring against the Denver Nuggets was crushed by Nick Richards. Even a career night from Gradey Dick wasn't enough to beat the lackluster Hornets.

It wasn't just that the Raptors lost; all of the supposedly "bad" teams in the NBA picked up wins. The Detroit Pistons handled the 76ers. The Washington Wizards took down the Hawks. The Chicago Bulls beat the Magic. The Trail Blazers conquered the Clippers. And most inexplicably, the Brooklyn Nets won handily in Memphis vs the Grizzlies.

Toronto is now tied for last in the Eastern Conference, its lone victory by eight points over a Philadelphia 76ers team playing without Joel Embiid and Paul George. The Raptors' point differential is -8.0, which ranks last in the entire conference. They are giving up an average of 124 points per game, tied with the 2-2 Wizards for worst in the East.

The schedule ahead isn't going to get any easier, either. Toronto opens the month of November with seven-straight games against teams who finished last season with a winning record, including a five-game road trip against the likes of Nikola Jokic, LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo. After a game against the Pistons - certainly not a gimme - they play the Celtics, Pacers, Timberwolves and Cavaliers. It's not unreasonable to think they could go 1-11 against that schedule, and anything more than 3-9 would be shocking.

It would be easy for the Raptors and their fans to despair. But instead, they should simply pivot with resolve to another path: tanking.

It's time for the Raptors to TANK

By the time the Toronto Raptors could have any hope fo getting their core players on the court together, the season will essentially be over - if the goal is to maximize winning. If that is not the plan, then what the Raptors have done thus far this season is a perfect strategy.

They are giving significant minutes to rookies like Jamal Shead, Jonathan Mogbo and Jamison Battle. Second-year wing Gradey Dick is being stretched as a scorer higher up the food chain than he eventually will be, developing skills he wouldn't get a chance to if he was in a low-usage movement shooter role.

In the process, the Raptors should have their focus on losing as many games as possible and positioning themselves in a strong position for the Draft Lottery. The 2025 NBA Draft class looks extremely strong, from Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey to Nolan Traore and VJ Edgecombe. The Raptors can have an excellent chance at adding a difference-maker if they get a top-5 pick in next year's draft.

And if they do land at No. 1, Cooper Flagg would be a tremendous addition, a player who would transform their ceiling and give Toronto a pair of incredible two-way forwards in Scottie Barnes and Flagg. Right now their ceiling doesn't appear to be a contending team; with Flagg it very well could be.

The core of this team is locked up for multiple seasons, with a wave of young players coming in behind to be developed into rotation pieces. The Raptors can take steps to accelerate the process, including trading Jakob Poeltl; without his presence inside they will be hard-pressed to beat anyone. Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk are also prime trade candidates.

The Toronto Raptors have historically not tanked under Masai Ujiri, but one time they pivoted when a season turned sour and managed to land the No. 4 pick: they used that on Scottie Barnes. Now they have the chance to do the same thing, and if they strike early, they can beat their competition to the bottom.

Losing is painful, but the reward could be oh-so-sweet. Given the week that Toronto just had, they don't have any other choice.