As much as anything else, the story of the 2020-21 Toronto Raptors campaign has been one of heartbreak.
The Raptors have been in some close games this season they’ve let slip away and, as evidenced on Thursday, have been the victims of great shot-making from unlikely sources.
And this, perhaps, is what’s been most frustrating about Toronto’s 17-20 record. Outside of the 2-8 start when the team was really out of sorts, the effort and ability has been there for the Raptors, who own the ninth-best net rating in the league and should be better than their record suggests.
But what they should be and what they actually are, unfortunately, are two different things. As has been the case all season long, the Raptors will need to continue to scratch and claw their way back to .500 and beyond to prove not just to the rest of the league but to themselves that they are actually a better team than their record has indicated for most of the season.
The journey continues Saturday when they face off against the Charlotte Hornets – one the NBA’s surprise success stories of the season – at 7:00 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet One.
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Here are three things to watch for in Saturday’s game.
Raptors remain shorthanded
A major reason for the Raptors’ fall back down below .500 has been because the team has been dealing with the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Malachi Flynn and Patrick McCaw have all missed the last three games and will miss Saturday’s contest, as well.
That’s five players, including three key starters, who the Raptors have been without and the team has suffered for it, losing to a bottom-feeding Detroit Pistons squad, coming up just short against the Boston Celtics, despite an outstanding defensive job against all-stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and, of course, getting buried by a Tony Snell buzzer-beater for their third straight defeat Thursday versus the Atlanta Hawks.
But as bad as the Raptors’ situation is, there are still no excuses to be had. Every team deals with injuries and, given these COVID-19 times we’re all living in, the strict health and safety protocols the NBA has setup is another thing that every team has to deal with.
The Raptors aren’t special in this regard.
So, as difficult as it may be to do so, the team is going to have to find a way to get a W, even as shorthanded as it is.
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Norman has been storming
The best way these shorthanded Raptors can pick up a win will probably come down to one simple strategy: give the ball to Norman Powell.
As has been well documented already, Powell has been on a tear since being inserted as a full-time starter, but in Toronto’s last three games as the team has dealt with COVID protocols, he’s been particularly excellent, averaging 31.3 points per game on 56.1 per cent shooting from the floor and 53.6 per cent from three-point range (in 9.3 attempts from distance per game).
That’s remarkable efficiency for the amount Powell has been pouring in of late and, as simple as it seems, the Raptors really should be trying to exploit this as much as possible.
Powell has been the Raptors’ best player while the club’s been shorthanded, but the most shots he’s taken over their last three games has been 14. Why not increase that number to 25, or even more, like a true feature player and see what happens?
The results can’t be much worse than what’s been happening lately.
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The Rookie of the Year
The Hornets have been one of the NBA’s best surprises this season and it comes down to one reason: LaMelo Ball.
The clear frontrunner for rookie of the year – and there’s no way anyone else should win it barring an injury – Ball’s special court vision, ambidextrous passing and general creativity has unlocked the Hornets and made them a League Pass darling this season.
Ball leads all rookies in scoring, rebounds and assists, averaging 15.6 points, six rebounds and 6.4 assists per game, and has proven to be a more accurate shooter than his older brother Lonzo already, making a respectable 37.4 per cent of his three-point attempts so far this season.
But more than just statistical brilliance, highlight-reel passes and plays he’s made this season, Ball has brought an air of confidence not seen in Charlotte since the early 2000s when the likes of Jamal Mashburn and Baron Davis were seen as the franchise cornerstones.
With Ball in the fold, Gordon Hayward has looked to have rejuvenated his career and Terry Rozier is enjoying his best season.
The kid’s got the goods, and the Hornets find themselves in seventh place with an 18-18 record in the Eastern Conference as a result.
