If the Toronto Raptors asked for good health to begin the new year, no one would have faulted them despite injuries increasingly becoming a norm to the NBA experience.
Canada’s lone basketball franchise has embarked on a tumultuous adventure of a season lined with just enough intrigue to have basketball fans wondering what exactly this team is capable of.
The Raptors (23-16) welcome the Philadelphia 76ers (21-15) to Toronto for a rare two-game set. Tip-off for game one is scheduled 6:00 p.m. EST on Sportsnet.
Both teams understand that their best chance of remaining out of the play-in is staying healthy and winning games against Eastern Conference rivals that neighbour them in the standings.
Here are three storylines to consider ahead of the matchup.
Welcome to The Pitt
The Raptors have arguably done a masterful job of navigating through the injuries of Jakob Poeltl and RJ Barrett. Through the emergence of Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin-Murray Boyles’ growth and Scottie Barnes asserting himself as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Toronto is 10-8 without Poeltl. They also went 7-9 without RJ Barrett.
Toronto learned a lot about itself through these trials and tribulations. While they have the pieces to scrape by, the Raptors can’t sustain a consistent level of play without a true centre, especially against the top half of both conferences. And while they kept their heads above water in the 16 games without Barrett, the Raptors’ offence was prone to abysmal slumps without the Canadian wing.
Convoluted matters is they’ve gotten lucky with the health of Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes - until now. Both are questionable ahead of their matchup against the 76ers. Ingram’s sprained thumb snapped his streak of appearances at 38 games, the highest mark since he played 35 straight contests in 2023-24. Barnes hasn’t played in more than 65 games since his first two seasons in the league. He isn’t injury prone but Barnes’ bowling ball offence and free safety type of defence often puts his body in precarious positions.
With Barrett officially designated as out due to his ankle and Poeltl continuing to recover from his back injury, it means the Raptors may be without four starters against another team in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Good luck with those guys
76ers head coach Nick Nurse and his travelling circus have recently been leaving reminders that there’s a sleeping giant somewhere in Philadelphia. They’re 5-1 in their last six games, with the lone stumble being a 125-124 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
At full strength, this team is as terrifyingly talented. They have enough defence and three-point shooting from their role players. While their offensive core is capable of going nuclear without giving notice. Joel Embiid has played in six consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 25 of the 2023-24 season. During this stretch, he’s averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
Tyrese Maxey has always given the Raptors fits since entering the league, but this latest version of the fleet-footed guard is a whole different beast. Maxey is averaging a career-high 30.7 points per game, good for third in the league behind the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Rookie sensation VJ Edgecombe recently had his streak of double-digit scoring snapped at 14 games but his athleticism will surely be problematic for the Raptors’ defence. Paul George is coming to terms with being lower in the pecking order but he’s brilliant on both sides of the ball.
Kelly Oubre finally returned to action after missing 22 games with a knee injury. He’s struggled in his first two games back but he’s historically had great games against the Raptors.
Call “5”…and whoever else is available
With Immanuel Quickley being the last starter standing, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic will again be asked to cast a wide net for his rotation. The trio of Jonathan Mogbo, Alijah Martin, and A.J. Lawson finally took a break from bullying G-League players for the Raptors 905 and logged meaningful minutes against the Boston Celtics on Jan. 9. While they didn’t produce noteworthy stat lines, they’ll be leaned on to minimize damage while the starters are out.
It was also interesting that Ochai Agbaji didn’t see the court against the Celtics. He’s been the subject of trade rumours on social media.
Mamukelashvili, Murray-Boyles, and Jamal Shead have earned the trust of the coaching staff and fan base. It’s easy to assume that they’ll step up in an elevated role. The potential x-factor could instead be Ja’Kobe Walter. The sophomore hit five threes and finished with 19 points against Boston. Both totals were a season-high. If Walter’s confidence soars with the added responsibilities, then there may be some good that comes out of the Raptors’ injury woes.