The final NBA regular season stretch between March and April is typically a period in which some teams (at least those competitive enough to warrant a playoff berth) might start to take their foot off the gas a little bit. At the same time, it gives teams (those both in and out of the postseason mix) a sample wherein they can experiment, assess, and utilize talent that may not have had as much of a showcase for much of the regular season.
Unfortunately for the Toronto Raptors, this five-game sample so far has been less than stellar to say the least. The Raptors are just 1-4 in the month, with their most recent loss to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans coming as almost the ultimate gut punch to what has already been a gloomy trend. Toronto still has 10 games left in the month of March and seven games to round out their entire 2025-26 schedule after that in April.
Failing this crucial hurdle will jeopardize the Raptors' playoff hopes
We've come to know for quite a while now that Toronto hasn't been exactly equipped to hang with the NBA's top brass, outside of a series sweep over the Cavs and a skin-of-the-teeth win over the Thunder. As I touched upon earlier, to make things even worse, it looks like the Raptors have begun to even lose their edge against the weaker teams they're expected to beat.
That scary thought is not one that Raptors Nation wants to have in their minds, especially during such a critical stretch. Though, perhaps this is what motivated the Raptors' front office to hang onto this year's draft pick, knowing that their best-case scenario might have been a bit overblown and that coming back down to earth was very much in the cards.
After dropping from the fifth spot to the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference — a position they held for a while — the silver lining is that the gap between fifth, sixth, and seventh remains within reach. However, if Toronto’s late-season struggles continue, they could fall further in the standings and find themselves battling in the lowly play-in race.
Even if the Raptors somehow manage to squeeze into the playoffs, it’s hardly a cause for a high sense of optimism. Their glaring weaknesses (especially size, rebounding, collective team defensive effort, and especially shooting) have been exposed by elite competition, and those very teams are what await in the postseason. It’s the ultimate measuring stick that separates contenders from pretenders, if you will. Once again, an embarassing loss to the 22-45 New Orleans Pelicans makes the situation even worse.
I understand that every team goes through the grind of a long season, and it's natural to feel a bit burnt out of steam and momentum. While Toronto can stay relatively competitive over 48 minutes, they just can't seem to close out games with authority. Opposing teams know how to read them, shut them down, and expose their weaknesses. And with the playoff environment being even more unforgiving, the margin for error will shrink even further for the Raptors.
To approach this with a bit more optimism, perhaps the main goal of the Raptors' current trajectory is simply to test out a full season with this core group, identify which players are truly winning contributors, align with the long-term vision, and give the young guys a taste of a genuine postseason environment. However, while I try to stay realistic, the stark reality is that Toronto produced something strong — though perhaps at the wrong time — and now,the inevitable outcome many predicted is beginning to unfold.
Honestly, it's a real shame.