The start of this season was a nightmare for the Raptors. They lost eight of their first 10 games, entered February with a below-average defense and saw their center position stumble from reliable strength to legitimate concern.
Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka have been missed. Aron Baynes and (briefly) Alex Len have not been credible replacements. Incoming temporary patches like Stanley Johnson, Deandre’ Bembry and Yuta Watanabe have been up and down trying to find their role, and there’s been less certainty from night to night with their entire rotation. Compared with the last two years, when Nick Nurse leaned on his starting lineup more than any other coach (and had a ton of success doing so), Toronto’s starting five frequency has dropped all the way down to 22.