Toronto Going Tonto
Prior to the start of the season, the Toronto Raptors was one of the teams I was very excited to follow despite not being a die-hard fan of the club. The amount of talent and potential on the team was something that caught my interest. I believed that if things develop well, the team had a legitimate shot at becoming one of the better teams not only this season but also in the near future. I was excited with the fact that I could be witnessing something special.
Well, so much for the excitement and expectation. I guess I was right in believing that they could be special as they are definitely a special kind of mess right now.
The Raptors are currently 4-7. You could argue that it's not too bad, considering the fact that they are currently holding the 8th spot in the east. However, if you watched them play this season, you'd understand me when I say that they play one of the ugliest game in the league right now. Although they perform fairly well on defense, it is negated by their pathetic offense.
Although I have seen all 11 games by the Raptors so far this season, I still can't make a thing out of what they are trying to do. I can't understand why their offense has to revolve around two wing players who are so inefficient at scoring. Although they don't turn over the ball much, their decision to constantly take bad shots allows opposing teams to attack transitions after their misses. It's a stupid offense and it needs to be changed if the team every wants to be at least competitive. Sadly, seeing that their coach has been on the team for two seasons now and hasn't made any offensive improvements, I doubt any change is going to happen.
This is bad because aside from losing games, the current offense of the team also inhibits the growth of players on the team. One player I'm concerned about is Jonas Valanciunas who has worked hard in the off-season to be a better player but is not given enough role to develop and really be effective. The big man has plenty of potential but with the way the Raptors are misusing him, he might not realize his potential or he could be unhappy and look for a way out of this mess. Although it might not be now, but a few seasons down the road.
