(All stats and records through Jan. 15; for report cards for all 30 teams click here.)
Offense: 113.6, 1st Overall
Defense: 105.6, 16th Overall
W-L | Pct. | GB:
27-13, .675, 2.5
Conf.: 16-5
Div.: 8-0
Home: 15-6
Road: 12-7
FRONTCOURT: B
With Jared Sullinger having missed the entire season, the Raptors haven’t had a second starting big man. Jonas Valanciunas remains a one-way player, but DeMarre Carroll has already played more games than he did last season.
BACKCOURT: A
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan will both be All-Stars for the second straight season. DeRozan has averaged 28 points on a career-high true shooting percentage, and Lowry is simply his team’s best player.
DEFENSE: C
With how potent their offense has been, the Raptors haven’t needed to defend well. But their regression on that end of the floor and their inability to rebound (they rank 29th in defensive rebounding percentage) could hurt them down the line.
BENCH: A
The Raptors always keep one of their All-Stars on the floor, but it’s when they play with reserves that the team plays its best. For two years, Cory Joseph and Patrick Patterson have been the best pair of subs in the East.
COACHING: A
Dwane Casey has managed to elicit the No. 1 ranking from an offense that takes inefficient shots and doesn’t move the ball very well. Once again, his success as a coach will be determined in April and May.
OVERALL GRADE: A
Over half a season, the Toronto Raptors scored more efficiently than an offense that featured Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
After reaching the conference finals for the first time in franchise history, the Raptors’ ran it back by re-signing DeRozan. They’ve taken another step forward statistically, but are still a step behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference. Of course, while they’re 0-5 against Cleveland and the Golden State Warriors, they’ve lost those five games by an average of just 5.4 points.
There might be an opportunity for Raptors general manager to “go for it” before the trade deadline by exchanging depth for an upgrade at power forward that would increase his team’s chances at beating the Cavs. This might be the Raptors’ best chance at competing for a championship with Lowry (30) and DeRozan (27).
Whether or not they make a trade, there will be a question of how sustainable their offense will be in the playoffs. In each of the last two postseasons, the Raptors’ offense has taken a big step backward as opponents have focused their attention on the two All-Star guards.
John Schuhmann is a staff writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.