The Toronto Raptors are dropping a ton of games.
They have lost a season-high 8 games in a row and they are 1-9 in March.
The team had their sights set on the Play-In Tournament coming out of the All-Star break, but an injury to their All-Star Scottie Barnes changed everything.
The Raptors struggled without him and then they lost more players. Jakob Poeltl (left pinkie), RJ Barrett (personal), Chris Boucher (right knee) DJ Carton (right ankle) and Immanuel Quickley (personal) are all out with no timetable for their returns.
Therefore, the Raptors now have their sights set on the sixth-worst record in the league, in hopes of keeping their 2024 first-round pick.
If Toronto finishes the season with sole possession of the sixth-worst record, they would have a 45.8 percent chance of keeping its top-six protected pick.
If the Raptors remain the seventh-worst team in the league, they would only have a 32 percent chance of keeping its pick.
In the event that both the Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies are tied for the sixth-worst record at the end of the season, then a coin flip would decide which of the two teams finishes with the sixth-best odds in the draft lottery.
Toronto owes its top-six protected pick to the San Antonio Spurs from the Jakob Poeltl trade that happened at last season’s trade deadline.
The Raptors are currently a half-game back of the Grizzlies for that bottom-six record. The Raptors have 13 games remaining, while the Grizzlies have 12 left.
Will Raptors pass Grizzlies for sixth-worst record?
Nine of the Raptors 13 remaining opponents have a winning record.
Their four other opponents are the Brooklyn Nets twice and Washington Wizards twice. But even then, those teams will probably be favoured against this version of the shorthanded Raptors.
With the way the Raptors are playing, it will be tough for them to win the rest of the way.
Meanwhile, 8 of the Grizzlies’ 12 remaining games are against teams with a winning record. Their other four matchups will see them take on the San Antonio Spurs twice and Detroit Pistons twice. Those are games the Grizzlies will be likely be favoured in.
Memphis also has Desmond Bane back and Jaren Jackson Jr. is playing so they have enough talent to pull out some wins.
This race to the bottom-six is likely going to come down to the wire. However, the Raptors should have a good chance of securing the sixth-worst record if they continue this tank.
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