Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA Power Rankings: Hot or Cold Edition

By Maxwell Ogden

Jan 11, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) shows emotion against the Washington Wizards in the second quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) shows emotion against the Washington Wizards in the second quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
21 of 31
Next
Jan 10, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson (left) and head coach Dwane Casey and Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (right) discuss a play against the Boston Celtics at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Boston 109-96. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson (left) and head coach Dwane Casey and Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (right) discuss a play against the Boston Celtics at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Boston 109-96. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

11. Toronto Raptors

Previous: No. 10

Record: 25-12

Last Week: 1-2

Verdict: Cold

The Toronto Raptors miss All-Star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan. After opening the season at 13-3 with him, Toronto is 12-9 in 21 games without him.

Fortunately for the Raptors, Dwane Casey’s crew will catch a huge break with DeRozan set to return this week.

Toronto will rise back up this list. There’s not much question about that.

The Raptors are currently in a rut with five losses in six games. Most have been against high-quality teams, but Toronto’s hit a patch of inconsistency and unusual inferiority

DeRozan will take some time to get off of a minutes limit, but he’ll offer a massive helping hand.

Next: Returning to Championship Form?