There were big expectations for the Raptors coming into the season. They had a new starting point guard in Kyle Lowry and a potential all-star big man in Jonas Valunciunas. Lowry has been playing phenomenal for the Raptors, and Valanciunas is starting to realize some of his pre-season potential, notching a double-double in each of his last two games.
Even DeMar DeRozan is playing better. His scoring is up from 16.7 ppg last season to 19 ppg this season, his rebounding is up from 3.3 rpg to 5 rpg, and his shooting percentage has crept up from 42 per cent to 45 per cent. So, then why are the Raptors off to such a slow start?
The Raptors just aren't stopping teams on the defensive end
According to ESPN, the Raptors are 24th in the league in points allowed, giving up 100.2 ppg. To compound their less-than mediocre defence, Toronto is scoring only 96.3 ppg, good enough for 18th in the league. Considering the defensive improvements head coach Dwayne Casey was able to coax out of the Raps last season (Toronto was ninth best in the league, allowing only 94 ppg last season), it's surprising to see such a sharp drop off.
Bargnani isn't producing
Okay, maybe the subheading was slightly misleading. Yes, Bargnani is producing, just not very much. His scoring is down from 19.5 ppg last season to 17.4 ppg, and his rebounding has declined from 5.5 rpg to 4.4 rpg. What's more disconcerting, is it looks like Bargs has lost that intensity he showed during early stretches of last season before he suffered his calf injury. Too often this season does his face have his familiar uninterested look.
If the Raptors want to start winning again, Bargnani is going to have to step up and be the offensive force he's supposed to be.
The Raptors just aren't a good team
This is the most difficult of the reasons to accept, but the Raps, so far, haven't shown that they can beat any of the elite (or even good) teams in the NBA. They've lost to Brooklyn (107-100), OKC (108-88), Dallas (109-104), and Boston (107-89).
Toronto hung in their games against Brooklyn and Dallas, but got absolutely crushed against the Thunder and Celtics. They've also lost to Philly twice, Indiana once, Utah, and Charlotte (last night's game). It's understandable the Raptors will lose some games big. Especially against championship-contending teams like the Thunder. But if Toronto wants to keep their chances of making the playoffs alive as the season rolls on, they'll have to beat teams like Charlotte (played extremely small ball) or Philly (Bynum has been injured all season).
The only excuse I can think of for the slow start, is the Raptors have played seven of their first 12 games on the road and have already played four back-to-backs. I hope the Raptors can turn their record around once the schedule becomes more favourable.
The Raptors play next on Friday, Nov. 23 against the Pistons in Detroit.
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