Toronto Raptors: The DeMarre Carroll Conundrum

Initially expected to return in time for the playoffs, the Toronto Raptors could likely be without DeMarre Carroll for the rest of the season. How will that impact their season and playoff chances going forward?

It hasn’t been exactly smooth sailing for the Toronto Raptors recently.

The team has endured double-digit losses over the last week, but the bigger problem that lies afoot for the team has been injuries and it has hit the team hard, with the most recent player being one of the stars of the team, Kyle Lowry.

We’ll have to wait and see what happens with Lowry, but the recent flurry of injuries have dampened some of the enthusiasm surrounding the team, especially when you consider the team is on the cusp of achieving 50 wins this season (which would be a high mark in the franchise’s history).

However, there’s one player the Raptors won’t be waiting on as it looks like DeMarre Carroll‘s season could very much be in doubt.

After emerging as a “3-and-D” player as a member of the Atlanta Hawks last season, it’s been a lost first season in Toronto for Carroll after signing a four-year, $60 million contract with the Raptors last offseason.

To the Raptors’ credit, the team has weathered the storm without its big free-agent acquisition and have held its own in the areas the Raptors specifically brought Carroll in to address.

While there was no specific timetable for Carroll to return, the team expected him to return some time before the playoffs ever since he was sidelined and underwent surgery on his right knee in early January.

But the Raptors have been quiet about Carroll’s progress in recent weeks and according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, there may be a good reason why that’s the case:

"The prized free agent signing, who is also the team’s highest-paid player, appeared close to a return a few weeks ago when he was driving to the hoop against assistant coaches and launching three-pointers. The next step was clearance for contact. But then all went dark.Carroll’s been in Atlanta tending to some personal matters (he is due back this week), the team has kept tight-lipped, but every indication from talking to various people is there has been some sort of set-back and his return this season is very much in doubt."

Of course, it’s important to remember the health of Carroll comes first and foremost, but the question that all Raptors fans have to be asking right now is how will the likely loss of Carroll affect the Raptors’ season going forward?

On one hand, not having Carroll for most of the season has forced Raptors head coach Dwane Casey to look at players like James Johnson and Norman Powell to start at the team’s small forward spot and it’s paid off for the team all throughout the season.