The Toronto Raptors are 4-4 through eight games, and that record looks a lot more respectable when you remember Kawhi Leonard has only appeared in two of those games because of a lingering injury. Still, the bigger issue isn’t the overall start. It’s what keeps happening after halftime.
Toronto’s third-quarter slide has turned into a real pattern. In the Raptors’ four losses, they have been outscored by an average of 13.5 points in the third quarter.
Even in the four games they’ve won, they’ve only taken the third quarter twice. That makes the 41-15 beatdown in the third against the Denver Nuggets feel less like a one-off and more like the latest warning sign.
The Denver game laid the problem bare. Toronto simply couldn’t get anything going offensively to open the second half, shooting 5/23 from the field in the third quarter.
That works out to just 21.7 per cent. The Raptors also coughed it up seven times in that stretch, while Denver piled up 41 points.
Sure, that kind of quarter can happen where everything goes sideways at once. But the larger issue is that Toronto seems to have a mix of problems when it comes to carrying momentum out of the break.
Leonard’s return is the biggest fix the Raptors need right now. When shots aren’t falling, Toronto needs someone who can create his own offense in the half court.
When the ball starts getting loose and possessions get messy, the Raptors need a veteran presence who can settle things down and help produce a clean look. Leonard can do both.
Toronto may also need to start mixing up its halftime rotations. The point isn’t to find some flawless group to open the third quarter. It’s to be able to react faster to whatever the other team throws at them after the break.
The Raptors don’t have to dominate every third quarter to have a good season. But if these second-half issues keep showing up, they could become a major problem later on.
In Other News...
Raptors May Have Found An Unexpected Answer During This Ugly Stretch
During an ugly stretch that has tested Torontos rotation, Collin Murray-Boyles has started to look like more than a promising young piece. His defensive activity has stood out, and so has the kind of versatility that lets the Raptors use him in different spots without losing energy or edge. He has also chipped in offensively enough to make the case that his impact is not limited to one end of the floor.
With Jakob Poeltl struggling and Leonard unavailable, the idea is simple enough: Murray-Boyles might be Torontos best temporary answer at center. It is still an opinion more than a confirmed change, but the logic is hard to ignore when the team needs steadiness, effort and some lineup flexibility. For a Raptors group searching for anything that can stabilize the present, he has at least given them a real option to consider. [Read more 🡒]
Former Knicks Guard Just Landed In An Uncomfortable Spot For New York
The Raptors filled their open two-way spot by bringing in Kevin McCullar Jr., a guard who had been on two-way deals with the Knicks and has spent most of his pro time developing in the G League. For Toronto, it is a low-risk move that adds another young backcourt option to a roster that has been willing to keep churning the edges of its depth chart.
McCullar can appear in up to 45 regular-season games for the Raptors, but his path to the postseason is a little more complicated. If Toronto wants him available once the games matter most, he would need to be moved onto the standard roster first, which gives this signing a practical upside beyond just filling a vacancy. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Linked Again To A Star Big Man They Once Passed On
The rebuilding chatter around Domantas Sabonis is picking up again, and it has a familiar feel for the Raptors. Toronto was among the teams that checked in on the Kings big man last season, when Sacramento was willing to listen but the talks never got far enough to produce a deal. Contract concerns and disagreements over the price tag helped stall things then, even as Sabonis remained one of the more intriguing names on the board.
Now the Kings are again exploring trade options as they sort through a reset, and the Raptors are in a different kind of pressure point of their own. With both Toronto and Charlotte struggling this season, the kind of player Sabonis is can become even more appealing, especially for teams looking to accelerate a retool instead of waiting it out. Whether that interest turns into real movement is still the open question, but the groundwork for another round of calls is clearly there. [Read more 🡒]