Raptors Making the Grade in Midseason Report Card

The Toronto Raptors are a team to watch as the season crosses the halfway point.

Toronto Raptors guard Gradey Dick moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors are at the halfway point in the season and are playing better than their preseason expectations had them.

Despite losing their last two games to the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers, the Raptors are 25-19 through 44 games, which is good for a .568 winning percentage. The team sits just two games back of the number two seed in the Eastern Conference standings. That's part of the reason why ESPN analyst Kevin Pelton gave the Raptors a "B-plus" in his midseason report card.

"I was higher on the Raptors than their line, but even a rosy outlook didn't include Toronto in a top-four spot in the East at midseason. The Raptors' four perimeter starters have fit together better than expected, paced by Scottie Barnes playing at an All-NBA level," Pelton wrote.

"Plus, they've shrugged off an injury to center Jakob Poeltl (who hasn't played since Dec. 21) with rookie Collin Murray-Boyles stepping into the starting five. Toronto might come back to its plus-1.3 differential, having gone 15-7 in clutch games, yet should still blow expectations away."

Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes shoots against the Los Angeles Lakers. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Raptors receive positive report card grade

The only teams that have better grades than the Raptors are the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, and Boston Celtics, all of whom have an A- or better.

The Raptors have shown throughout parts of the season that they can be elite on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. The only thing plaguing them from getting an A in the report card is their consistency. The team has stretches throughout the season where they play well on defense or offense, but the only time where both were truly seen over a long period of time was during the team's nine-game win streak in November.

If the Raptors can capture that energy once again in the second half of the year, they should be able to clinch a strong spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, where they could host a playoff series or two.

The Raptors return to the court tonight against the Golden State Warriors, who are struggling after losing Jimmy Butler to a torn ACL 24 hours ago. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET inside the Chase Center in San Francisco. Fans can watch the game on TSN Sports or stream it on NBA League Pass.