Raptors: Handing out player awards after up-and-down first half

Toronto Raptors - Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

The Toronto Raptors have managed to somewhat put their calamitous 2-8 start to the 2020-21 season behind them, as the 17-19 club is right in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff hunt despite some extremely difficult circumstances.

Not only have the Raptors dealt with injury issues and played their entire season away from home in Florida, but some COVID-19 issues robbed them of their depth heading into the break. Despite all of that, there are some positive takeaways from the first chunk of the season.

Most of the usual suspects, like Kyle Lowry, have been playing some excellent basketball for the entire…