The Toronto Raptors will be a problem in the playoffs

Fresh off another impressive win vs. the Philadelphia 76ers, the Toronto Raptors are peaking at the right time. Amit Mann discusses how they've measured up to the best teams this season, ways they're hitting their stride and some of the flaws playoff teams will look to expose. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more Raptors content.

Video Transcript

AMIT MANN: Man, no one wants to face the Toronto Raptors in the first round.

FRED VANVLEET: If we're rolling, I think we have the potential to do some damage, some real, real, real damage in the playoffs if we got it going.

AMIT MANN: Fred VanVleet appeared on "TSN Overdrive" the other day, and he revealed that during all-star weekend, a few of the players were joking around, and they had a conversation about which team they hate playing the most. And guess who won? Yeah, it was the Toronto Raptors. I would love to know which players were in that vote, but anyways, it makes perfect sense. Energy, intensity, physicality-- the Raptors eat those as a bunch of long, athletic players who take away your space but will also get into yours. And then their coach, Nick Nurse, just loves making star players uncomfortable. They are a royal pain in the ass.

- [LAUGHING]

AMIT MANN: Just like Jayson Tatum said regarding their bubble series, the Raptors will make you earn every last bit of a series. And they will be hella annoying. Also, they might beat you. Toronto, for whatever reason, all season have played to their competition. They're 12 and 9 versus the bottom four teams in each conference but also 12 and 10 versus the top four teams in each conference.

Now, on the season, the Raptors' opponent field goal percentage is 46.1%, ranking 17th in the NBA-- not great. But in those 22 games versus the top eight teams in the league, that field goal percentage drops to 43.7%. Now, sure, there is some variance in that, injuries and what have you. But there's no mistake about this. They have the fifth-best record in the NBA since January 1. And a big part of that, of course, is their All-NBA player Pascal Siakam.

- Rebound, and the foul! Big time!

AMIT MANN: Who's averaging 23.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists on 50% shooting and 38.5% from 3 since the calendar turned. Other players to average 23, 8, and 5 in 2022-- we're talking Giannis, Luka, Jokic, LeBron, KD, and Dejounte Murray. And for those asking if he's doing this against some of the best teams in the NBA or if he's just beating up on some of the bottom feeders, how about this? 24, 8, and 7 this season against the top 10 defenses in the NBA.

His game has matured throughout the season, and his mid-range prowess has really opened up his isolation game. And as we go here, he is adding different elements. You think about a push shot.

- Siakam against Okongwu. Goes to the jump shot.

- He is lethal.

- He's finishing with his left more. And if you decide, hey, let's make Pascal Siakam a playmaker, he will deliver pass after pass on time, on the money, and find his teammates. It's not unreasonable to say he's better than he was in January-- heck, even February, maybe even March. He's that good right now. And whether or not he is All-NBA, Pascal Siakam is entering these playoffs playing the best basketball of his NBA career.

Another integral piece, the guy that was in the locker room when all those All-Stars were talking about their disdain for playing the Toronto Raptors-- Fred VanVleet, the engine, the leader of the Raptors. Now, of course, his knee issues have muddied the Raptors ceiling just a little bit. You're not really sure what you're going to get from him. Sometimes he looks like an All-Star. Other times, you're questioning whether he should actually be on the court at all.

He looked terrific against the Miami Heat, where he broke Kyle Lowry's single-season record for most 3-pointers made in a season. But then you fast forward to the Hawks game, and he's shooting .421, and you're not really sure if this guy, again, should be on the court because he looks like he's laboring that much.

FRED VANVLEET: Hasn't been a pretty all the time, as we saw tonight.

AMIT MANN: But then, of course, when you really need Fred VanVleet, like really need him in crunch time, he's there.

- Siakam attacks. Fred, 3. Yes!

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

AMIT MANN: His effort on defense won't ever be questioned. He still seems like he's going to be able to be effective on that end of the court. But offensively, if he's able to get back to some semblance of his true self where he's breaking down defenses, he's driving and kicking and finding open shooters, the Raptors are really cooking in the playoffs. And of course, some rest is coming his way down the stretch of the regular season.

Speaking of 3's, opponents are doing their damnedest these days to clog the paint because they don't want the Raptors' mismatch heavy team with Pascal and OG and Scottie feasting on one-on-one matchups. And fortunately for the Raptors, that does represent a good portion of playoff offenses. So when those kick-outs happen, the Raptors need to hit shots.

And look no further than that Miami Heat game where Scottie Barnes was hanging out on the 3-point line because the Heat said "I want to see you hit shots," and they decided to clog the paint. And Scottie shot 3 of 9 from 3-- not a bad percentage, but when you factor in that most of those are wide open, it's not the best percentage. And I am not ragging on the future cornerstone of this franchise.

I'm not doing that. He's going to get better at that range. I'm just saying that this is the importance of OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. There is no backup for those two. That's why they're 19 and 19 when either or both of those guys are out of the lineup.

- Boucher from [INAUDIBLE]!

AMIT MANN: But regardless-- Precious, Thadd, Chris-- they have to come off the bench and be ready to shoot and make 3's. Because if they're not, the Raptors half-court offense looks really dicey when anyone other than their starters are on the court. And if they do struggle and they go a 4 or 5-minute stretch where they're not able to hit shots, the other team does, all of a sudden, now you're looking at a 10-0 run over a 4 or 5-minute span. And that could decide a playoff game. It's that tight.

So yes, of course, half-court offense is their Achilles heel. And I'm sure Masai and company will address that during the offseason. But make no mistake-- defensively, they will sink their teeth into their opponents. Since March 1, they have the second-best defensive rating in the NBA. And let's not forget the players the Raptors have on their team. These are championship-caliber players, guys who have already done it-- Fred, Pascal, OG. I don't shoot trying to miss, and Anunoby is right in that conversation. These are guys that know how to get to that extra gear mentally and sustain it over the course of a 48-minute game. So please, get healthy.

Every team in the East above the Toronto Raptors is looking at this year as a championship window year. They're all top 10 in payroll. It's truly a championship or bust for all of them. Meanwhile, for the Raptors, it seems like they won't be able to get home court advantage. But it does seem like they've got a real shot at finishing fifth. If not, they will be in the sixth spot, meaning Boston, Philly, Milwaukee. That is probably your first round match-up.

And for all of those teams, you've got to be thinking that if you're in that third or fourth spot, you want nothing to do with the Toronto Raptors. And you will definitely favor taking on the Chicago Bulls, who have shown time and time again that they do not measure up against the best teams in the NBA. Lonzo Ball is not coming back this year.

Meanwhile, on the other side, you got the Toronto Raptors, who have shown that they can pretty much hang with anyone in the NBA. They're resilient. They're energetic. They're tough. They do lack depth coming off their bench. But win or lose, whoever faces the Raptors in the first round, they will remember their series against the 2021-2022 Toronto Raptors.

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