Because of the way the Raptors’ season has gone, finishing well behind teams who should be in the playoffs, victory is determined by defeat and the lessons learned from it.
Given that there are no franchise-altering prospects available in this year’s draft class—which many consider to be weak—tanking makes little sense.
However, a loss does provide the Raptors with the opportunity to keep their protected top-six pick, which might give them an extra advantage in negotiations for a possible trade.
In light of this, Sunday’s defeat in Atlanta—which included eight second-chance points—might have been the perfect situation, even if they lost almost instantly on a put-back by Saddiq Bey. Nevertheless, they managed to score a season-high 26 points.
As Toronto resumes its six-game road trip in Chicago on Tuesday night against the Bulls, it suffers its fifth straight defeat.
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The Raptors, who were without three starters, greatly benefited from their previously lacklustre bench, which was primarily made up of four players who outscored Atlanta’s reserves 56–10.
Gradey, the rookie With just 7.4 seconds remaining in the game, Dick made plays when he saw up in the corner and recorded the steal that set up Scottie Barnes for the game-winning bucket. Dick didn’t have that deer in the headlights expression.
After Jordan Nwora was acquired as part of the trade that sent Pascal Siakam to Indiana, he played in one of his best games as a professional, much alone having his best moment in his very first season as a Raptor.
Once more, Jontay Porter showed himself to be a valuable floor protector and roster addition.
Despite the tiny sample size, Porter has occasionally been present.
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Given his limitations, it is impossible to determine exactly what role Porter might be able to play at this time.
Despite his size, he doesn’t always play big.
He has a great feel for the game and can make three-pointers.
The book on Chris Boucher is almost over, but as the NBA’s trade deadline on February 8 approaches, speculation about Boucher’s future won’t go away.
To start again, the Raptors were defeated 126-125 by the visiting Hawks, who had four players score double-doubles.
The Raptors’ defeat put them three games outside of the last play-in tournament spot.
The Raptors hosted the Chicago Bulls in a play-in game a year ago, but the team lost, and the Bulls ultimately fell short against the Miami Heat.
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When positive signals appear and are seen as a win, it speaks volumes about the state of a team when there are no real wins.
Otherwise, the Raptors have been relegated to symbolic wins.
With starting players Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett sidelined and veteran Dennis Schroder, a former starter, fouled out, the Raptors were already a terribly thin and inexperienced team.
Even against teams with a losing record, the losses will undoubtedly accumulate, and it remains to be seen if players like Bruce Brown or Gary Trent Jr. will be traded.
On February 9, Toronto will play its first game after the trade deadline when Fred VanVleet, who is currently with the Houston Rockets, returns.
Let’s just say that the Raptors are going through a difficult period as they have moved into a new territory that will test the patience of everyone connected to the team.
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It’s hard to accept, but in some respects, losing might be tolerated as long as Barnes doesn’t pick up bad habits and as long as Dick can demonstrate that he really can play at this level.
Since Darko Rajakovic has a history of helping young players grow, he was chosen to be the head coach.
The two most accomplished players on the team at the time he took over were Siakam and OG Anunoby.
Every one of them is gone, and in the next few days, maybe a veteran or two may follow.
Rajakovic has plenty of time left to completely incorporate Barrett and Quickley into Toronto’s new core, with Barnes serving as the centre piece and main backup.
Rajakovic finds himself in the enviable position of having to coach on the fly, putting together teams partly out of instinct and maybe even out of desperation or simple need.
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Rajakovic had a group in Atlanta that included Nwora, Trent, Schroder, Brown, and Barnes at one point; it wasn’t exactly a big bunch.
Nwora finished with a season-high 24 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
After the defeat, Rajakovic remarked, “When this situation arises (in the wake of injuries), it is an opportunity for another player.” It is how I see it. We’ll do everything we can to compete in each game.
In the end, Rajakovic is limited in his options.
He knew that a lot of roster changes were both conceivable and feasible, but he was never going to turn down the chance to be an NBA head coach.
After the Anunoby and Siakam deals, when it was decided to go young, some clarification was given.
Rajakovic will be expected to get more out of Dick; other tasks on the head coach’s to-do list include developing Barnes’ game and making sure Quickley and Barrett fulfill their potential.
A head coach’s work never stops.
The current losing streak will break eventually, maybe even on Tuesday night.
It’s still unclear where this season will conclude in the end.
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