A Quickley trade, and more predictions for the Toronto Raptors’ second half of the season

The first half of the year has been quite the roller-coaster of emotions for the Toronto Raptors. First the 1-4 start to the season had everyone in a panic, and then the 13-1 stretch where the team peaked as high the 2nd seed had people crowning them champions. And then, RJ Barrett went down with his knee injury and the team seemed incapable of generating offense. Now, the Raptors are coming off back-to-back excellent wins and through all of the ups and downs they hold a record of 20-14 and sit at 4th in the Eastern Conference.

Before the season began, if you told any Raptors fan that after 34 games, the team would be that high in the standings they would be ecstatic! If you told them they did that with Barrett missing 16 games and Jakob Poeltl missing 13, they would be bewildered.

All that to say that I think the team, and the fanbase should be quite happy with where they’ve ended up heading into the new year, even if there have been some low points along the way.

Now, with their eyes set on the playoffs, the Raptors have an uphill battle in clinching a top-six seed. The Raptors have the hardest strength of schedule in the Eastern Conference the rest of the season. While I still think they can clinch a spot, this team loves to lose ‘easy’ games, so they have to be far more consistent on a night-to-night basis to do so. Let’s talk about some of the key matchups they have coming up in the second half of the season.

Key Games

Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics – January 9th, April 5th

The Celtics have been one of the team’s that has had Toronto’s number this season, winning both matchups handily. Currently the Celtics sit just half a game up on the Raptors in the 3rd seed, and if the standings stay relatively the same, these games will count majorly in the standings.

Toronto Raptors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder – January 25th, February 24th

If the Raptors hope to be one of the premier teams in the league some day, it’s good to see how they stack up against the best team in the league. While the results of this game may not mean much for the standings, it could go a long way in benchmarking just how far along this team is.

Toronto Raptors vs. New York Knicks – January 28th, March 3rd, April 10th

The Raptors are yet to face the Knicks fully healthy, and I’m interested in seeing how well they can stack up against one of the premier teams in the Eastern Conference. New York is fully expecting a Eastern Conference finals run at the bare minimum, so some good battles against the Knicks could instill some confidence ahead of the Raptors playoff push.

Toronto Raptors vs. Orlando Magic – January 30th, March 29th

After Monday night’s huge comeback win over the Magic, the Raptors have proven they have the grit to compete against a strong and physical opponent. If the playoffs started today, this would be the Toronto’s first round matchup so I’m interested in seeing how it goes when both squads are fully healthy.

Toronto Raptors vs. Detroit Pistons – February 11th, March 15th, March 31st

I really wish we had seen this matchup earlier in the season when the teams were the 1st and 2nd seeds in the Eastern Conference. The real intrigue in this matchup is Scottie Barnes vs. Cade Cunningham, Barnes’ absolutely loves to show up players in his draft class, and he’ll be chomping at the bit to knock Cunningham down a few pegs.

Expectations

1. Make the playoffs: This was a goal before the season began, but given the start they’re off to, this is now an expectation. The team has shown that they can compete, and should absolutely expect to be a top six seed.
   
2. Refine the rotation: This has slowly been happening of late as we see which players head coach Darko Rajakovic trusts. There are still lots of question marks though. We’ve seen Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Collin Murray-Boyles continue to gain playing time. While in his last game, Immanuel Quickley was benched down the stretch. Playoff teams have to know who they can trust.
   
3. Make a trade: This is almost a guarantee, the team as currently constructed is a tiny bit over the tax line, and the roster isn’t balanced. There is a surplus of wings and a shortage of size without Poeltl. As Walter continues to expand his role, maybe Gradey Dick and/or Ochai Agbaji find themselves on the trade block in return for some size?

Goals

1. Win a round: We’ve already established that making the playoffs is now an expectation. So naturally the next step is to win their first-round matchup. Advancing and gaining as much playoff experience as possible will go a long way in figuring out what the team needs. We saw that with the Thunder a few years ago when they traded Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso after a playoff run, giving up young talent for a better fit.
   
2. Barnes All-Defensive 1st Team: Barnes has been by far one of the best defensive players in the league, and is having the best defensive season a Raptor has ever had. If he continues on this trajectory, he should be a shoo-in for one of the two All-Defense teams. In my eyes, Barnes should undoubtedly be on the first team, but for the voters to recognize that, he can’t take nights off like he’s done a couple times this year.
   
3. Collin Murray-Boyles All Rookie Team: If you’re not watching Raptors games, then you may not realize just how much of an absolute wrecking ball this man is on the defensive end, and his offensive rebounding is otherworldly. Murray-Boyles is by far one of the ten best rookies in the league, he just has to show the world that.

Hot Takes

1. Barnes makes All NBA and finishes top two in DPOY: Barnes absolutely has the opportunity to win Defensive Player of the Year this season. He has been a whirlwind of defensive destruction akin to the Tasmanian Devil. Currently Barnes is seventh in betting odds to win the award, but in my opinion should be no lower than third and I think has a real chance to finish top two in voting. When that happens, there will be no arguments for Barnes to not be on an All-NBA team as well.
   
2. Raptors finish top 3 in the East: Yes, I said it. Given where they currently sit in the standings, and the injuries they’ve suffered, I think the Raptors can finish a top 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors get up for big matchups, so even with the hard schedule, it’s absolutely possible. The current 3 seed is the Boston Celtics, who I can absolutely see falling off hard in the second half of the year.
   
3. Immanuel Quickley is not a starter by the end of the season: Specifically, I think the Raptors should trade Quickley, the biggest issue is that with his contract I have no idea what team would want him. The thing is, Quickley is clearly not a starting point guard and Shead provides so much more value in that role. Even if the Raptors can’t find a trade partner I think the team would be better suited with Quickley coming off the bench. He can be a supercharged, superpaid sixth man with his shooting and it would allow him more freedom to play off-ball or do his own thing off the bench.

Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, I’ve already had way more fun watching the Raptors this season than the past few seasons combined. The second half of the season will be tough, but the team has shown they can be tough when they choose to.

Got any hot takes burning a hole in your pocket? Now’s the time to let em’ out or forever hold your peace.

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