Welcome to the Weekly Rap, a resource for getting you caught up on what went down and what’s on the docket in Raptorland.
“Hard-fought battle.” “Well-played loss.” “Moral victory.”
For Toronto Raptors fans, these have been familiar and oft-heard phrases for a long time.
Raptors’ history is laden with many a close-but-no-cigar defeats, and with the franchise in building-for-the future mode for the better part of its 19-year existence, the plucky loser narrative has been a popular sell.
Looking at the team’s record, its developmental path and current spot in the standings now, however, it’s clear that getting close is no longer good enough.
The Raptors have dropped their last two contests. Losing to an exceptional club like the Dallas Mavericks is somewhat acceptable, especially given the injury to DeMar DeRozan. But Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday shouldn’t have happened—even without their all-star.
Statistically, Toronto looks like a legitimate title contender. But the friendly schedule they’ve had to start the season has cast some doubt on the team.
The Lakers are the worst team in Western Conference. The Raptors allowed them to score 129 points on 49 percent shooting from the field. That’s bad. Even worse is the fact that the Lakers’ league-worst defensive unit held Toronto to 43.3 percent shooting for the game, including 31.3 percent in overtime.
No matter what kind of spin you put onto it, those are atrocious figures. Yes, the Raptors came back in the second half, but they shouldn’t have had to—they’re the far superior team.
Losing two straight isn’t the end of world. But if Toronto is to reach its full potential and catapult itself into the NBA’s elite, making spirited comebacks and falling short is no longer good enough.
Record
13-4 (1st in Atlantic Division, 1st in Eastern Conference)
What happened?
This Kyle Lowry sequence:
What was learned?
The extent of DeRozan’s injury: According to multiple reports, DeRozan will be out for a month with a torn left adductor longus tendon—suffered against the Mavericks. Bad news for sure, but given that the team officially said there’s no timetable for his return it could’ve been a whole lot worse.
The Raptors are confident in their depth: Toronto is one of the deepest teams in the league—and they know it. Despite losing their top scorer in DeRozan, the Raptors appeared quite confident in their personnel, believing they have the depth to manage through a short-term DeRozan absence.
Upcoming slate
- Tuesday 10:00 pm – TOR at SAC
- Wednesday 9:00 pm – TOR at UTA
- Friday 7:30 pm – TOR vs CLE
Storylines to follow
Will Vasquez remain in the starting lineup? Greivis Vasquez was given the start Sunday in place of DeRozan and he performed well, racking up 19 points on 50 percent shooting, to go along with five assists. However, those individual numbers belie the effectiveness of the Vasquez-Lowry backcourt. The Vasquez-Lowry combination was a team-worst minus-seven on Sunday.
Looking at combinations with Lowry and potential spot starters, it’s worth noting that Lou Williams has been incredibly effective (he and Lowry are a plus-64) and the two have played more minutes together than Lowry and Vasquez or James Johnson. However, given how potent a weapon Williams is coming off the bench, and the fact that Raptors coach Dwane Casey has cited how well Vasquez and Lowry played together during the playoffs last year (a post-season best plus-8.7), chances are the Venezualan remains in the starting lineup for now.
Terrence Ross’s golden opportunity: The DeRozan injury will also provide Terrence Ross another opportunity to take that next step as a player. The best way the 23-year-old can accomplish this is to improve his consistency on the offensive end and continue to play solid defence. Despite Kobe Bryant’s excellent game (and this move), Ross played the future-Hall of Famer very well. Over the next few games the Washington product will get a chance to guard a few more of the league’s top wing players in the Sacramento Kings’ Rudy Gay, the Utah Jazz’s Gordon Hayward and four-time league MVP LeBron James. All are tough assignments, but there’s no better way for Ross to heat up than to be tossed into the fire.