I get the Raptors were down Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley, but to put things quite bluntly, you cannot afford to lose to a team like the Sacramento Kings and especially at home. These matchups are essentially 'gimme' games meant to be that buffer in contrast to those tougher tilts on the schedule, but when you cannot even push past that level of competition, it raises some serious questions about the Raptors' true chances and ceiling with this present core.
Have the Toronto Raptors overachieved and then some? Absolutely.
At the same time, given all the factors and components at play, the Raptors were obviously built to win. I don't know about raising the Larry O'Brien trophy come June, but when you've spent so much to invest in this nucleus and after adding Brandon Ingram — it would've took some seriously bad luck to have Toronto only put up a mere 30 wins or less once again. Injuries and road blocks have come in their way all season long and yet the Raptors have rallied through, finding the right avenues to remain competitive in the interim, and they've tallied a 42-34 record as a result.
As much as that current record clears many of the preseason chatter, the Raptors now find themselves in the dreaded play-in territory, sitting as the Eastern Conference's seventh seed. The Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers have passed them by, occupying the fifth and sixth seeds that Toronto was trying to cling onto with a vice grip for much of the year.
Raptors teetering in the perilous dead zone that is play-in territory
If the season ended today, the Raptors would be matched up with the Hornets in the play-in, a team that has looked completely reinvigorated since the new year. The up-and-coming Charlotte squad is no joke and very much dangerous, considering they've already had Toronto's number twice this year, and while the Raptors also have two wins over them — they just merely squeezed by.
We can celebrate the Raptors' historic dismantling of the Magic not too long ago, but I was more so concerned about how Toronto could follow up on that momentum against the Cade Cunningham-less Pistons and the lowly Kings. Yet, Toronto dropped both affairs and while there was a level of accountability upheld in the post-Kings presser by Darko Rajakovic, you could also tell that the fears of a brutal reality have settled into their minds.
RJ Barrett looked especially distraught and almost like he was in a trance during his post-Kings media availability. Taking a pause after being asked an initial question, Barrett said: "We're tied for the play-in now, I think? Something like that. This is a game we're supposed to win [...] Our fight just wasn't there from the beginning of the game."
Later on in the presser, Barrett raised the same striking point I mentioned earlier in this piece, saying: "[...] I can't have five turnovers man. This one's pretty frustrating. You know, we've been playing well, we've been fighting hard all year. You want to get the reward of making it to the playoffs and fighting for a championship. So, nights like tonight definitely hurt, especially when we know how much work we put in. [...] I think over these next six games, we'll show and prove who we are."
The Raptors did not get here by accident.
Put up caveats or say the East was wide open and weak this year or whatever, but the fact of the matter is that Toronto has been steadily in the playoff picture all season long. Except now they've fallen into no man's land at a time where losing is just not an option. The bright side is that Toronto can still make it out of play-in purgatory, but the margin for error leaves no room for leeway. It's win at all costs from here on out against the Grizzlies, Celtics, Heat, Knicks, and Nets.
Whether it's a matter of mustering up more of a fight, instilling a mental toughness across the board, or capitalizing on the little things (especially free throws) — the Raptors need to be on high alert.