The Toronto Raptors will likely miss the Play-In Tournament this season.
After Friday’s 125-115 overtime loss to the Chicago Bulls, Toronto is now six games back of Chicago for the 10th seed and the Bulls hold the tiebreaker over them.
Ultimately, Toronto fell apart late in this game. They had the game all but won, before they gave up a backbreaking game-tying three-pointer and-1 to Coby White with 4 seconds left. Scottie Barnes then had a chance to win it on the other end, but missed the game-winning shot. In overtime, the Bulls ran all over the Raptors on its way to victory.
With Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl and a healthy Brandon Ingram, the Play-In will be a realistic expectation for the Raptors next season. In addition to a lottery talent that can play right away along with those five players.
With 22 games remaining, the Raptors would need a lot to happen in their favor. The Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets are above them currently.
Now that Joel Embiid is out for the rest of the season, Toronto could climb up to the 11th seed. But, they would have to play essentially perfect basketball to do so.
Ultimately, the Raptors should continue to play their young talent and evaluate them heading into the offseason. It would be smart to hold Ingram out as well to make sure he is fully healthy heading into the 2025-26 season. The Raptors main focus now should be draft lottery positioning.
Scottie Barnes focused on winning
Heading into this season, tanking was a focal point as there was an expectation for the Raptors to be in the mix for Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft.
However, NBA players are competitors and they play to win every single game. Regardless of expectations, Scottie Barnes is focused on winning as the regular season winds down.
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