The Raptors made it look quite easy in the Big Easy on Wednesday night as they earned their first road win of the season against a truly putrid New Orleans Pelicans team.
Up next is a Friday night date in Miami in the first tip of a mini home-and-home set with the Heat.
A split is more than doable, perhaps even a sweep as a very home-friendly portion of the schedule awaits.
What to make of the Raptors at this juncture, what questions must be addressed moving forward aren’t so easily discernible.
Do the Raptors risk the possibility of falling into that middle-of-the-pack trap no team wants to ever reside?
The simple and most basic answer is a resounding yes.
It won’t sit well with fans pining for a high draft pick and thoughts of securing Cooper Flagg when wins are produced, which paradoxically reduce Toronto’s chances of earning the greatest odds in the lottery.
No one should put any substance in the win over the Pelicans, a depleted and disjointed team that was embarrassed on its home court.
In the aftermath of the Pels’ beatdown, players were quite honest in airing their displeasure at the team’s effort level.
Say what you want about the Raptors, but at no point during this season, which began with a 10-game road losing streak, has any hint of dissension been palpable.
So far, everyone seems to be on the same page. The team is entertaining and even in losses the Raptors have always competed.
At the same time, it does beg the question whether it’s best for the team, long-term that is, to win more often than it loses.
The East is not good. Boston seems poised to once again run the table in the playoffs and give itself a chance to repeat at NBA champions — the same Celtics team that needed a Jayson Tatum buzzer-beater in overtime to beat the visiting Raptors.
This was supposed to be a rebuild season for the Raptors. The problem is this team does not have the feel of a rebuilding squad and its play bears it out.
Then the whole issue of finding any sense of accomplishment in qualifying for the play-in tournament gets raised knowing the price is securing fewer odds in the lottery.
The compete level figures to always be high and the schedule, especially late in the season, will favour the Raptors.
The toughest part is behind them. Perhaps the toughest question is whether this rebuild approach must be changed or at least tweaked.
Players won’t quit, but management can also engineer moves to fit an agenda. Only time will tell.
How will head coach Darko Rajakovic manage a roster when its fully healthy?
It’s almost unthinkable to even suggest the second-year bench boss will have a problem on his hands when he has an injury-free lineup at his disposal — that’s assuming there are no other setbacks.
By all accounts, Bruce Brown is close to making his season debut following an off-season knee procedure.
In the wake of Gradey Dick’s calf injury, Ochai Agbaji and Jamison Battle had break-out performances in New Orleans with the latter — who is on a two-way contract — producing a career high in scoring. Agbaji, whom Rajakovic had called out following a poor outing in Detroit on Monday night, responded with a season high in scoring.
Combined, the two went 18-for-21, including 12-for-15 from distance on a night Toronto heaved 53 three-pointers.
That feel-good spirit permeating through the team might be challenged if players accustomed to getting minutes and shots are suddenly seeing both decreased.
What will happen is roles will have to be adjusted when the handful of injured bodies do return.
Immanuel Quickley is a core piece, but twice he has been sidelined by injury.
Brown was never viewed as a core piece when everyone knew he was best suited coming off the bench.
The same could be said for Kelly Olynyk, but his passing and ability to spread the floor in a small lineup seems better fitted to what Rajakovic wants to run offensively.
Once Dick returns, it’s hard to see fewer touches for a player who has taken such a huge jump from his rookie season.
Then again, never one knows because there’s only one basketball to go around.
The simple answer to this intriguing question is it will allow Rajakovic to open his playbook knowing he will have more options.
The other part involves potential trade chips when players are making an impression.
Should RJ Barrett have the ball in his hands more often than Scottie Barnes?
That’s another can of worms, but it’s an enviable position to be in.
In late-game situations, Barnes needs to have the ball because he does draw more attention.
The way Barrett seemingly always gets to his left, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t have the ball in the half court.
He had a game-high 11 assists in New Orleans and scored 22 points on 15 attempts. He also turned the ball over four times.
Barnes had a game-high five turnovers and, combined, the two missed 14 three-pointers on 19 attempts.
Barrett missed four three throws, while Barnes attempted only two from the stripe.
When Barnes was dealing with his orbital fracture, there was great chemistry between Barrett and Jakob Poeltl, who scored two points on a 1-for-4 shooting night in New Orleans.
Once Quickley returns from his elbow injury, the Raptors will have three players capable of facilitating.
In the end, it’s all about situational basketball, time and score. In close games with the outcome riding on one possession, the Raptors have options on the offensive end. Either way, they have to convert from the line.
Keep in mind the Big 3 of Barnes, Quickley and Barrett has yet to be on the floor together at the same time. Only then will a clearer picture become available.