Raptors' RJ Barrett injury prompts power rankings problem

The hometown hero has missed the last eight games with a knee sprain.

Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett shoots in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers. | David Richard-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors are struggling, losing five of their last six games.

There have been a few reasons why the Raptors have lost the games that they have in recent days. That's part of the reason why the Raptors have fallen two spots in NBA.com writer John Schuhmann's power rankings. The Raptors sit at No. 13 after being No. 11 in the previous edition.

"The Raptors have come back down to Earth, losing five of their last six games, including two to the Hornets," Schuhmann wrote.

"That stretch of five in seven also included a loss in New York eight days ago, when the Raptors also scored less than a point per possession. They’ll have a chance at redemption (along with a trip to Las Vegas) when they host the Knicks in the Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday."

Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett drives against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill. | David Richard-Imagn Images

Raptors miss Barrett, fall in power rankings

There have been a few reasons why the Raptors have lost the games that they have in recent days. One of the biggest causes to the losing has been the absence of RJ Barrett, who has been out for the last eight games with a knee sprain.

"After ranking fifth offensively (119.2 points scored per 100 possessions) through their first 17 games, the Raptors rank 29th (107.0 per 100) over their last eight," Schuhmann wrote. "They’ve shot much worse in the last two weeks, but have also seen a big drop in free-throw rate and a big jump in turnover rate.

"That drop-off coincides with RJ Barrett’s absence, who has a much higher free-throw rate (33.8 attempts per 100 shots from the field) than the Raptors’ other three perimeter starters.

"Ja’Kobe Walter has started seven of the eight games in Barrett’s place, but has a much lower usage rate (13.6%) than Barrett (23.6%) and has an effective field goal percentage of just 44% over the eight-game stretch. He was 0-for-7 against the Hornets on Friday, when the Raptors scored just 86 points on 103 possessions, the second-worst offensive game for any team this season."

The Raptors will have a chance to make some ground in the power rankings tonight when they take on the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup quarterfinal. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET inside Scotiabank Arena. Fans can watch the game on TSN Sports or stream it on Amazon Prime Video.