In the long view, we can say this: the Raptors went 10-8 over the past quarter-season, which is better than their first mark of 7-11. If those numbers don’t jump off the page to you, that’s fine. Unfortunately, Toronto’s entire season has felt like this — incremental progress in fits and starts, yet with reason for optimism in the future. One could argue all of our lives are like that right now too, with the end of the pandemic seemingly just around the corner, yet always a step or two down the road.
Like many of us in the moment, the Raptors are decidedly not whole right now, and we don’t know how serious the situation is just yet.