Toronto Raptors: Defense Is Holding Back Raptors From Winning The East

By Greg Chin | Feb 2, 2015

Jan 31, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) looks to pass as Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) defends during the first half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

The Toronto Raptors have had an interesting season so far. They kicked off the 2014-15 season in supreme form, and quickly rose to the top of the Eastern Conference. The franchise’s faith in Kyle Lowry was quickly rewarded as he established himself as one of the best point guards in the East. DeMar DeRozan was playing like an All-Star, and the rest of the team was gelling well.

Everything seemed fine, and people were talking about the Raptors as a potential title contender.

More from Toronto Raptors

Then, after starting 13-2, DeRozan fell to a strained groin in the game against the Dallas Mavericks. With DeRozan out, Lowry stepped up, and began to lead the Raptors’ offense single-handedly. They carried themselves to a 24-7 record, an admirable feat for a team who had just lost their primary scorer.

But then, they went 1-5 in their next six games and ultimately relinquished their first seed rank in the East to the Atlanta Hawks. The toll was finally getting to the team, and Lowry, who was playing incredibly during DeRozan’s injury, was starting to slump.

Thankfully, DeRozan was slated for a return the next game. They haven’t played like they did during the beginning of the season, but have gone 8-3 since his return. However, the damage had already been done, as the Raptors are now seven games behind the league-leading Hawks.

With half of the season gone, the question remains: can the Raptors win the East?

The problem with the Raptors so far has been their defense. In their first 14 games, the Raptors were the second-best defense in the league. They gave up a paltry 97.8 points per 100 possessions, and frequently relied on their defense to win games. However, since then, they’ve allowed a whopping 110.5 points per 100 possessions – the worst mark in the league.

Many will point to DeRozan’s injury as a reason for the drop in defensive intensity, but even in the 11 games since his return, the Raptors’ defense is the fourth worst in the league.

The Raptors’ calling card on defense earlier in the season was creating turnovers. Opponents averaged 18.2 turnovers per game against the Raptors in the first 14 games, but haven’t had much luck since, with only 13.5 turnovers from the opponent. Since DeRozan’s return, that number jumped to 15.2 – an improvement, but still a far cry from one of the league’s best turnover rates.

In four of their last five games, the Raps have allowed the opponent to break the 100-point mark. Two of those games were against the Brooklyn Nets and the Detroit Pistons, whose offenses are in the bottom ten of the league. That is simply unacceptable for a team with postseason expectations.

The Raptors have risen as a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference this season. With the preseason favorites (Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls) still sorting out their chemistry issues, there’s a very real chance the Raptors could make it all the way to the Finals.

But doing so would require them to fix their broken-down defense. The Raptors are the fourth best offensive team in the league, scoring 109.5 points per 100 possessions. It is their defense which has let them down so far.

With less than half a season left, the Raptors will need to find a way to plug their leaky defense. If not, they might just have to kiss their title chances goodbye.

Next: NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of All Time

More from Hoops Habit

Home/Toronto Raptors