Raptors report card grade suggests improvement needed

The Toronto Raptors are no longer the straight-A student they were in the beginning of the season.

Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram dribbles against New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson. | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors have lost six of their last seven games after winning nine in a row, proving to be one of the streakiest teams in the NBA.

Their roller coaster season has prompted Bleach Report writer Greg Swartz to give them a B+ in his latest report card.

"The Toronto Raptors have been extremely streaky this season, yet they are still better than we expected with a 15-11 record overall," Swartz wrote. The Brandon Ingram trade looks like a success (21.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists), as he's established himself as the offensive alpha on a team with a number of scoring options.

"Scottie Barnes' three-point shot has been much better (38.3 percent) and Immanuel Quickley has missed just a single game following an injury-plagued 2024-25 campaign. This may not be a title contender just yet, although the Raptors have established themselves as a playoff-caliber team in the East once again."

Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram handles the ball against the New York Knicks. | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Raptors just miss out on acing report card

Had Swartz graded the Raptors two weeks ago, the grade probably would have been an A. However, the team's recent struggles have brought them back down to earth a little bit and pushed their grade down to a B+.

The recent failures could be linked to RJ Barrett's knee sprain, which has caused him to miss the last nine games. The Raptors are 3-6 in those games, including their NBA Cup loss to the New York Knicks.

Luckily for the Raptors, it is a long season, and they still have plenty of time to turn things around. In order to do that, they will need to get Barrett back healthy and ready to go. The Raptors offence has struggled mightily without him as a third option, and the other members of the rotation have failed to pick up the slack in that regard.

The defence still ranks 9th in the league, just 2.5 points in defensive rating behind the Houston Rockets, who rank No. 2. The Oklahoma City Thunder are at No. 1 with a jaw-dropping 103.3 rating, which is far and away the best in the NBA.

The Raptors will have a few more days to go back to the drawing board and figure out a way to reverse their fortunes. Their next game comes on Monday when they take on Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET inside the Kaseya Center. Fans can watch the game on TSN Sports or stream it on NBA League Pass.