This is your source of Toronto Raptors news, opinions, and ideas! Every week I go over my thoughts on how the Raptors have been playing both as a team and individually. I also give insight on what I think the future may look like for the Raptors. So without further ado, let’s get right into the Raptor Report!
This team needs help
Toronto is in a tough spot right now. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games, and two of those losses were blowouts. What’s causing this sudden skid? In my opinion, there are 3 main reasons why this is happening. First, Fred VanVleet has not been very good at scoring these past few games. In his last 5 games, Fred VanVleet has scorer no more than 13 points in one game, and he’s scorer under 10 points twice. This is not good coming from a player who usually averages around 20 points a game. The Raptors need VanVleet to step up and become the player he can be once again. The second reason for this skid is major defensive lapses. The Raptors only have 2, MAYBE 3 players that have been consistently great on defense during this stretch of games, and one of them isn’t even getting many minutes. The Raptors are having these defensive lapses and they allow the other team to score a bunch of points in a row, which has led to 3 bad losses against teams they could’ve beat, and 2 that they should’ve beat. This can’t continue to happen. The Raptors need to find that defensive spark they had at the beginning of the season and become the top 5 defense they are capable of being. The final reason that I believe is causing this skid is 3-point shooting. The Raptors are just flat-out terrible and shooting 3s. Sure they have their moments, but there hasn’t been a single player on this roster that’s consistently been able to make 3s. This is UNACCEPTABLE in todays NBA. If you can’t make 3s as a team, there is a good chance your going to fall behind the team your playing. The Raptors need to start looking out into the trade market to see if they can find a player who has proven that he can consistently make 3s so that they have at least one threat from behind the arch.
Thaddeus Young should be a starter
This is a take that I will stick to until the grave. Thaddeus Young should be starting for the Raptors right now. There was a short time period where the Raptors were missing Gary Trent Jr, Scottie Barnes, and Pascal Siakam to injury. Nick Nurse started Thaddeus Young during that stretch of games, and he player really well. There were times when he was our best player on the court. His defensive versatility saved the Raptors on multiple occasions, and his ability to pass on offense fit right in with the Raptors style of play. Now that all those guys are back though, Thaddeus Young has gone back to getting no more than 10-15 minutes per game. He should be starting for the Raptors though. Our current starting Center is Christian Koloko, and as much as I like him as a player, Thaddeus Young is better and fits better in the Raptors starting lineup. The Raptors lineup improves overall when Thaddeus Young is playing. He should be our starting center.
Scottie Barnes has been looking better and better over the last few games
Many people have been disappointed with Scottie Barnes decrease in points per game, rebounds, and efficiency. I wasn’t incredibly disappointed like some people due to him making a jump with his playmaking and defense, but you do want to see more from Scottie with his scoring and aggressiveness on the boards. Well that has greatly improved over the last few games. Scottie has been scoring more, he’s been more efficient, he’s been getting more rebounds, and he’s still the great playmaker and defender he’s is. I hope to continue seeing Scottie play like this as the teams potential is maximized with Scottie playing at his best.
Gary Trent Jr trade incoming?
It’s safe to say that Trent Jr has been disappointing this season. His inconsistency on both ends of the floor is hurting the Raptors. I’m liking how he’s played a little more these past few games, but he is still not the player we need him to be. Especially on defense, he seems to have regressed this season. With him likely entering free agency this off-season, I would consider a Gary Trent Jr if I’m Toronto. We can get value out of him and not have to pay a lot of money to keep him around next off-season. What should we expect in a return for Trent? Well despite his struggles, he is still a 17+ point per game scorer. I’d be hoping for the Raptors to get a good 3-point shooter in a Trent trade, as that is one of our biggest weaknesses right now. Somebody like Jae Crowder would be perfect for Toronto, though it’s hard to imagine how that trade scenario works out positively for Toronto long term.
The Raptors can hopefully turn things around soon, but if not then the front office is going to have to make tough decisions. We will see what happened if it comes to that. For now, let’s just watch our Raptors play and hopefully see improvement in key areas!