The Toronto Raptors head into the final part of their 2024-25 season.
The team has 27 games left in what has turned into another lost year.
The Raptors approach for the rest of the season was revealed by team general manager Bobby Webster. Toronto has its sights set on the upcoming draft. Therefore, expect them to try and remain in the bottom of the standings.
Currently, the Raptors are 17-38, which is the 5th worst record in the NBA. They have a 42.1 percent chance of landing a top-4 pick and 10.5 percent chance at landing the no. 1 pick, via Tankathon.
The Raptors have a bit of separation between the 6th worst team Philadelphia 76ers. They have a 3.5 game cushion over Philadelphia in the reverse standings. Meanwhile, Toronto is 2.5 games back of the Charlotte Hornets in the reverse standings for the 4th worst record and 3.5 games back of the 3rd worst record Utah Jazz.
It will be tough for the Raptors to get into the bottom 3. However, if they play their cards right they should be able to maintain their current 5th worst record position.
The Raptors schedule coming out of the break will be tough, so that will help their case. Six of their next 7 matchups come against playoff teams. However, the Raptors schedule eases up towards the end of the season, which could complicate their tank.
In the Raptors’ last 19 games of the season they play: the Washington Wizards three times, Charlotte Hornets twice, Jazz twice, Portland Trail Blazers twice and Brooklyn Nets twice.
All of those teams are expected to be in the race for the bottom as well. If the Raptors get healthy and see Brandon Ingram return to the starting lineup, they could end up winning games, which would hurt their draft lottery odds.
Therefore, it will be interesting to see how the Raptors approach the final part of the season. Will they bench key starters? Will they only bring back Ingram for a few games? These are all questions that will be answered as the seasons winds down.
Former Raptor Pascal Siakam reflects on final basket at Oracle Arena during 2019 NBA Finals
With All-Star Weekend taking place in San Francisco, former Raptor Pascal Siakam got a chance to relive memories from the 2019 NBA Finals.
Siakam detailed the final shot he hit in that iconic arena to clinch the 2019 NBA Championship for Toronto, via hello and welcome podcast.
Have you subscribed to the Raptors Nation YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
