Blinksportsnews247The trade of RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley has made the Toronto Raptors a considerably more potent scoring squad in recent weeks, but the team’s defensive efficacy has been severely compromised by the loss of Jakob Poeltl and the departure of OG Anunoby.
Over the course of their schedule, the Raptors’ defense has transformed from a slightly above-average squad to a team that every opponent views as a possible get-right matchup for the offense due to a lack of rim protection, poor perimeter defense, and a dearth of healthy NBA rotation players.
The Raptors’ slide is evident in the standings, where they currently share the sixth-worst record in the NBA. It’s not hard to notice how Toronto’s defense performs far worse when compared to the other teams in the league.
Minnesota’s defense has been the best in the league by a wide margin thanks to Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards. The Rockets, who have made significant progress this season, are closely trailed by contenders such as Denver and Los Angeles.The Warriors, Blazers, and Spurs are all in the bottom three of the West’s opponent PPG rankings and are not in the playoff picture.
The Raptors, who spent the majority of the season in the top three when Anunoby and Poeltl were healthy, have slipped alarmingly down the rankings, now sitting in the middle of the pack. They appear to have been overtaken by division rivals like Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.
Four of the league’s lowest five teams in terms of points per game allowed are not in the running for the Eastern Conference playoffs, with the exception of teams like Indiana, who intentionally play at a fast pace that will result in a lot of extra points being given up.
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