Raptors aim to reset, heal up and reclaim winning identity

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The Raptors are in the midst of a period of inactivity following a hectic stretch, a time best served to reflect on the good and bad, a time to exhale knowing their next game isn’t until Monday when they play the host Miami Heat.

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By any measurement, the good far outweighs the bad, even as the Raptors come off a very disappointing 1-4 homestand capped off by a non-competitive loss to the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup quarterfinal.

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At 15-11 and residing in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, a case can be made that the Raptors have surprised many when taking into account the injuries that have compromised the starting group and when sizing up a bench that far too often underperforms.

Gradey Dick has yet to step up as the Raptors search for ways to get him more engaged in games when he does get minutes.

Ja’Kobe Walter and Collin Murray-Boyles have been asked to start in the wake of injuries, but neither fits the profile as a starter.

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CMB has shown flashes, but the rookie has shown his deficiencies, while Walter — who is in his second year — has shown a knack for being consistent.

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Sandro Mamukelashvili can be effective when he’s playing in transition, spotting up or attacking the rim, but he’s limited.

Jamison Battle is one-dimensional, but his shooting is something the Raptors desperately covet — his ability to knock down open three-pointers were critical in a Toronto win in Cleveland.

Of Toronto’s second unit, the player who has stood out the most has been Jamal Shead.

Shead has started for an injured Immanuel Quickley and has also been on the floor in a two-point-guard look that allows Quickley to play off the ball.

As of today, the Raptors seem prepared to allow their bench to develop.

Toronto’s reserves — at least the players that get used in meaningful moments — are inexperienced with Dick, who is in his third season, representing the most seasoned of the group in terms of tenure with the Raptors.

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Just as the Raptors resume play with a tip in South Beach on Monday, the day also represents the unofficial start of the NBA’s trade season.

Beginning Monday, players signed this past off-season, 82 in total, will become eligible to be moved.

Beginning next Friday, officials from every NBA team will gather in Orlando for the G League Showcase, an annual event that often turns into a hot-stove session.

When the season began, expectations weren’t that high for the Raptors, a franchise that has been in a rebuild following the trades of OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam as well as the free-agent departure of Fred VanVleet.

The biggest unknown was Brandon Ingram and whether he could stay healthy for an extended period, and how his offensive game would mesh with Scottie Barnes.

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Ingram has more than lived up to the billing of bucket getter. His presence has taken a lot of the pressure off the likes of Barnes, whose overall game keeps improving, though it would help if he attacked the basket more often and if he somehow was able to refine his jump shot.

Jakob Poeltl continues to deal with a lower-back issue that has prevented him from playing on back-to-back nights.

His role on offence has changed given the presence of Ingram, but the Raptors need to find more creative ways to integrate Poeltl in the offence. He remains the team’s lone big man and true rim protector.

Quickley doesn’t have to foist so many shots, but he’s more of a shooting guard than a true facilitator, a profile already known when the trade with the Knicks was engineered.

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When healthy, Barrett has been a reliable complementary player on offence, someone who is very adept at coming off screens, someone who has proven to be very good in transition.

The Raptors have been providing weekly updates on his knee, which has kept Barrett out of the lineup for the past nine games. During his absence, the Raptors have gone 3-6, including dropping their past four in a row.

It goes without saying that the Raptors are better with Barrett in the lineup, but it would also be wrong to say the team’s recent poor play is a direct result of his absence.

In two losses to the Knicks, when the Raptors were outscored by a combined 38 points, lack of toughness and lack of defence led to Toronto’s demise. In a home loss to Boston, the Raptors yielded 77 first-half points, including 43 in the second quarter.

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Toronto has yet to play conference-leading Detroit and Orlando, which will face the Knicks in the NBA Cup semifinal. Toronto has twice beaten Cleveland and Atlanta and went 1-1 against the 76ers with both games played in Philadelphia.

To illustrate the slim margins, consider the Hawks at 14-11 occupy the ninth seed in the East. In essence, the Raptors are one-half game ahead of Atlanta.

When the Raptors vaulted to as high as second in the conference on the strength of a nine-game win streak, no one believed it was sustainable. Now that they’ve lost four in succession, the Raptors are in a spot many could have envisioned.

What no one could have seen was how the Raptors reached this point because four-game losing streaks have twice played out.

Perhaps this ease in action will help the Raptors return to their winning ways.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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