The Toronto Raptors are dead last.
Through the first 11 games of the season, Toronto has the worst record in the NBA at 2-9.
The Raptors have been hampered with early-season injuries. Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley have all missed time. Key rotation pieces in Ja’Kobe Walter, Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown have also been out.
Making things even harder is the fact that the Raptors have had one of the league’s toughest schedules to start. Toronto just went through a gauntlet of taking on Western Conference teams that have title aspirations for this season.
Although it is still early, the Raptors have put themselves in a prime position to cash in on a top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft if they continue this type of losing pace.
If the season ended today, Toronto would have a 14 percent chance to land the No. 1 pick and a 52.1 percent chance to land a top-four pick in the upcoming draft. More importantly, the Raptors would be guaranteed a top-five pick in a loaded 2025 draft class.
Adding a blue-chip prospect to this group of young players in Toronto would be enticing.
However, it is hard to imagine the Raptors staying this bad all season long.
Despite their record, the Raptors have been competitive in most of their games and once they get Scottie Barnes back in a couple of weeks, he will certainly provide a big boost. The team’s schedule will also lighten up a bit and give them a chance to make up some ground if winning is the goal. That’s the decision the Raptors need to make going forward.
It’s rare to be at the top of the lottery, so the Raptors could make the most out of this opportunity and commit to being bad for one more season for future gain.
3 takeaways from Raptors loss to Lakers
The Toronto Raptors ran out of gas in the second night of a back-to-back, falling 123-103 to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Toronto is now 0-4 on their road trip and they have lost 4 straight games.
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