When the Toronto Raptors take the court against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, it’ll mark their most challenging test yet.
The issue for the Raptors – and their fans – is that they are neither ready to solve the problem ahead nor will it serve as an accurate reading of where they sit in the self-healing Eastern Conference.
Toronto is stuck in a hellish .500 landscape due to injuries to several key players like Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and Collin Murray-Boyles.
Meanwhile, Boston
has won four in a row and five of its last nine contests.
Here are three storylines to consider ahead of the scheduled 7:00 p.m. tip-off on TSN:
This team needs to get healthy fast
According to the team, Leonard will remain out due to the continued reconditioning process following treatment for left knee swelling. The next update is scheduled for a week from now. When it was initially announced that Leonard would be out on Oct. 25, there wasn’t a clear timeline for his potential return. Later that week, NBA Insider Chris Haynes reported on Oct. 29 that Leonard would miss three to four weeks. It appears that report will be the likely outcome.
Toronto is 3-5 without Leonard in the lineup. The team is 5-5 and currently sixth in the Eastern Conference.
The goal seems obvious: stay afloat until reinforcements arrive.
Barnes remains out against the Celtics, but Quickley and Murray-Boyles are listed as questionable.
The Jakob Poeltl situation
On the topic of Quickley, it’s worth investigating how his absence affects the rest of the lineup.
Albeit on a minuscule two-game sample size, the player who has seen the most noticeable uptick in numbers is Jakob Poeltl.
In two games without Quickley, Poeltl is averaging:
- Points: 18.5
- Rebounds: 9.0
- Assists: 2.0
- FG%: 69.2 per cent
- Steals: 2.0
- Blocks: 2.5
In six games with Quickley:
- Points: 5.2
- Rebounds: 5.7
- Assists: 1.0
- FG%: 59.1 per cent
- Steals: 0.5
- Blocks: 0.3
By default, this also puts a spotlight on Jamal Shead, who has done an admirable job of filling in for Quickley in the starting five. This isn’t surprising considering how great Shead was as an emergency starting point guard in the playoffs last year against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Despite Shead’s areas for improvement, he’s grown into an excellent set-up man. The numbers back it up. Since Quickley’s injury, Shead is averaging 13.5 assists, with many of those coming in the pick-and-roll with Poeltl or on dump-offs.
Obvious chemistry aside, Poeltl may also just be finally getting healthy. The Raptors are also better together as a whole. Quickley’s shooting is severely missed (33.3 per cent). If Quickley and Poeltl can find a similar synergy, it’ll help boost Toronto’s firepower ahead of a nightmare set of opponents that lurk around the corner.
An Eastern Conference gauntlet awaits
After their game against the Celtics, the Raptors’ next three games are against the Philadelphia 76ers and a back-to-back set with the New York Knicks. Considering the team’s health, it’s entirely plausible that Toronto could be 5-9 after this stretch.
Finding a way to split the next four contests should be considered a massive success.
