The Toronto Raptors are just about set to end their All-Star break when they return home tomorrow night at Scotiabank Arena for a showdown with conference rival, the Miami Heat. February might be the shortest month of the year, and it may seem like the 2024-25 regular season is flying by in the blink of an eye, but there's still a fair amount of work left for the team to take care of before the NBA year is all said and done.
The boys up north still have another 27 games left in their regular season schedule. As I noted before in a previous piece, the Raptors' final stretch of favorable matchups might not help their lottery odds of adding a generational talent like the esteemed Cooper Flagg.
Raptors fans might have conflicting feelings about this final stretch in their beloved team's 2024-25 campaign, just as they have throughout the entire season. There are a good number of fans hoping to see Toronto win as much as possible, while others want the Raptors to "keep the tank alive" and sink to the bottom as much as they can.
As easy as it is to simply call for a tank and actively try to lose games, we’re talking about NBA athletes; no one makes it to the league by trying to lose on purpose. They want to achieve success in whatever way they can. And that’s exactly what the Toronto franchise star, Scottie Barnes, said to senior Raptors insider Michael Grange in a comment about (some) fan excitement for the team's forthcoming schedule down the stretch.
Raptors star Scottie Barnes is not focused on team's draft lottery odds
Michael Grange would post on X (formerly Twitter):
I asked Scottie Barnes about (some) fans being more excited about the draft lottery down the stretch: "They can be excited about it, I don't really give a damn about it. I'm trying to win games ... my mindset is in a different place."
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) February 20, 2025
TSN's resident Raptors reporter, Josh Lewenberg, further contributed to the conversation with quotes from both head coach Darko Rajakovic and Barnes, as he referenced on X:
Raptors have the NBA's easiest post all-star schedule. Darko Rajakovic was asked if there's been any talk internally about maintaining draft positioning: "No."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) February 20, 2025
Why not?
"Because we're focusing on 1 game at a time, player development & going into every game trying to get better"
Barnes: "I look at the standings every day. We’re still in that fight. We still could make something happen. That’s my motivation. When I look at it, I see that we still have a chance. We feel like we still want to win."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) February 20, 2025
Now, there's also an element of standard NBA PR in this style of response. I mean, what player, coach, or executive is just going to admit, clear as day, that their sole purpose is to lose? Nevertheless, it's also an easy narrative to understand: these guys want to win games and at least try to chase a higher goal for the season, even if it appears far in the distance.
If the Raptors had star newcomer Brandon Ingram available immediately, the season might look a little more salvageable to some degree. However, at least in the interim, they can still try to be competitive with their talent at present. Nonetheless, accumulating losses should still be somewhat of a goal, as adding a top-end prospect could further elevate Toronto's future ceiling.
Regardless of which side of the Raptors fan spectrum you might be on, it's definitely a good thing to hear from your primary star that winning and being relevant in the NBA landscape are at the top of their mindsets. It could just be smoke and mirrors, but hey, take it for what it is at face value.