The 29-19 Toronto Raptors are currently the 3rd-best team in a wide-open Eastern Conference, but things aren’t the same over the in the West. It’s pretty obvious that the Western Conference poses the biggest
threat to take home this season’s NBA Championship, but who makes it from the Eastern Conference is up in the air. After a plethora of injuries have left the East in a wonky position, the Raptors have capitalized. Yet, that wasn’t the performance expected when Toronto went on its yearly winter West Coast road trip.
Despite the tough competition, the Raptors went 4-1 on their five-game road trip, losing only to the LA Lakers, and then went on a four-game winning streak, defeating the Warriors, Kings, Trail Blazers, and defending champion Thunder. It was a statement performance, done while the Raptors have been struggling with injury, and more proof that this team has something going for them.
They are on the precipice of winning more games before the All-Star Break than they did all season last year (they need one more win), and are six games behind the top spot in the East. The Knicks, who are coming to town on Wednesday, are on their heels.
In terms of individual performances, Scottie Barnes is having an all-time career season. He is widely believed to be a top contender for a reserve All-Star spot, which should be announced soon. He is also looking like a shoo-in for First Team All-Defence, and has a believable campaign for Defensive Player of the Year. Brandon Ingram could very well join him at the All-Star game in Los Angeles, if not as a reserve than as an injury replacement. Immanuel Quickley shut the haters up in his West Coast trip performance, averaging 25.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting better than 60% from both the field and three-point range in that stretch, per the NBA.
It’s an interesting time to be putting up these numbers as a team. The Feb. 5 trade deadline is just over a week away now, and the Raptors have been connected to several trade rumours. It’s always good to take these Raptors rumours with several grains of salt, though. The franchise is notorious for not leaking information out, and these whispers are likely coming from other teams that are engaging in talks with Toronto. You never really know what the Raptors are thinking until they actually do something.
Yet, there are several things the Raptors could do before next Thursday, and this road trip may have shaken those plans up a bit. Quickley, likely feeling the heat, definitely proved something during these past few games — whether that his trade value is high or that he is an asset to this current team. As someone who has been heavily involved in these talks, it will be interesting to see if this changes anything regarding his future.
The other big question mark is Poeltl. He left the Raptors’ road trip early to return to Toronto and receive some more treatment on his nagging back issues. Not only has this left the Raptors without a true centre (something that didn’t seem to hinder them too much during their road trip), but it’s also made the idea of trading him harder. Not only does he have a massive contract to move (he is signed until 2030), but this mysterious and ongoing back injury would make anyone wary of committing to that kind of deal.
The question then leads to, do the Raptors move other players then, in order to get a backup big to replace Poeltl? Do you move on from hometown hero RJ Barrett, whose trade value has definitely risen in his time with the team, to get a decent (and taller) player back? Do you move on from Quickley and task someone with Barnes with ball handling duties in order to build a bigger lineup (vision 6’9 reboot)? Or, do you trust in the incredible chemistry this team has built, ride out the rest of the season without a 7-footer (potentially), and regroup in the summer?
Bobby Webster has about a week and a few more games to watch before he really needs to make a decision on this, but this last week could have the potential to change the course of the Raptors’ season.
