Throughout the 2016-17 NBA season we’ll take a look back at the week that was and set up the week to come in Raptorland.
Three straight games against Atlantic Division rivals led to three wins in a row last week, and now things are looking up for the Toronto Raptors with more good news on the horizon.
After a brutal schedule to start the year, the remainder of the regular season will be much lighter for the Raptors.
Over the first 40 games the Raptors have faced the second-toughest schedule in the NBA, playing opponents with a total win percentage of .514. Starting Tuesday night against the lowly Brooklyn Nets, however, Toronto goes up against 23 different teams with a combined winning percentage of just .489 entering Tuesday evening’s action.
To put this into context, the Orlando Magic have faced the fifth-easiest schedule so far this season with a strength of just .488, meaning the turbulent waters the Raptors have had to navigate thus far will calm down, leading to what should be easy sailing.
Looking specifically at this week, we see a microcosm of how the rest of Toronto’s season could pan out. On the slate the Raptors have the Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets and Phoenix Suns. All are teams, with the exception of Charlotte, that the Raptors should be able to handle with ease.
Thanks to last week and this upcoming stretch against division opponents, the Raptors look well positioned to wrap up at least the second spot in the East yet again.
Even more encouraging is the fact the Raptors have managed a stellar 27-13 record despite the gauntlet they’ve been forced to slog through, putting them on pace to win 55 games and maybe take a shot at 60.
The only thing that may throw a wrench into all of this is the Raptors’ defence. They’re still sitting in the bottom half of defensive efficiency, giving up 105.6 points per 100 possessions. With a few uninspiring defensive performances that have seen Toronto surrender 110 points to the Minnesota Timberwolves and 114 to the Los Angeles Lakers, it doesn’t seem as if quality of opponent determines how well the Raptors perform on defence.
Still, there are still 42 games left. Maybe things will change.
D-League Showcase
If you’re a hardcore basketball fan living in or around the GTA, the NBA D-League is running an event this week that may interest you.
The annual D-League Showcase is coming to the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ont., from Jan. 18-22.
The D-League Showcase is a neat event that sees every team in the league come to one central location for a week and play some of their regular season games. The kicker to all of this is that scouts and personnel from all 30 NBA teams will also be in attendance looking for a diamond in the rough.
With 10-day contract season just getting started, this is a good opportunity for an NBA club to sign some help it may need of for cheap and what is essentially a short rental period.
For the players involved, this is their chance to stand out and get a legitimate shot to prove they belong in the best basketball league in the world.
Toronto affiliate Raptors 905 will be participating in two games over the span of the showcase, playing Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. ET against the Grand Rapids Drive and at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday versus the Long Island Nets.
