Raptors' early struggles mount without injured stars Barnes and Leonard

TORONTO · The Toronto Raptors' early season has been defined by the absences of their two star forwards, Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes, leading to a string of losses against top opponents. The team has lost seven of its last eight games overall and is winless in six games against teams with winning records. Leonard has played only twice this season and will likely miss three to five more games, while Barnes has already missed four games, three of them losses, after playing in 80 last year. The Raptors are coming off consecutive defeats where they blew large leads, falling to the Boston Celtics after leading by 22 points and to the Philadelphia 76ers after leading by 16. Regular starters Jakob Poeltl and Immanuel Quickley have also missed a couple of games each. The team has used seven different starting lineups in only 12 games, and no group of five has started together more than three times.

"The question that should remain pervasive throughout the season should be 'can we win every night?'" Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said before the season. So far, without Leonard, the answer has been a resounding no. The team is 6-17 without Barnes over the last three seasons, a .230 winning percentage, compared to 75-78 when he plays. Barnes was showing an offensive leap before his injury and can carry the Raptors to a degree, but his absence leaves the team unable to take advantage of opportunities against strong opponents. The Raptors will provide an update on Barnes after practice Saturday and on Leonard on Tuesday. His groin strain is not considered particularly serious.

The schedule offers little respite for a team in need of easier matchups. After a long road trip and games against Memphis, Boston and Philadelphia, the Raptors now face two straight home games against the defending champion New York Knicks. The Knicks are sixth in defence and are the best rebounding team in the league. New York has won 13 straight games against Toronto, including five blowout wins last season, since acquiring OG Anunoby for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Knicks forward Mikal Bridges admitted this week he can play a lot better, but the team remains formidable and healthy. A year ago, Toronto went 22-30 against teams above .500, including 1-11 against the Eastern Conference's top three seeds.

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The Raptors' current roster is younger and less veteran-heavy than the 2019 championship team that went 17-5 in games Leonard missed. That squad had players like Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Danny Green, Anunoby and Norm Powell to pick up the slack. Barnes is arguably better than anyone on that championship squad, but the overall depth is not the same. If Barnes is unavailable often moving forward, even making the play-in tournament will be a challenge and earning an outright playoff berth like last season will not happen. The team needs both Leonard and Barnes to play to change the narrative that they are paper tigers who feast on bad opponents but cannot compete with the NBA's best.

There is some value in playing without the stars, as RJ Barrett just had a season high in points and is continuing to prove his value. Poeltl has quietly been looking more like his uninjured self again, and younger players are getting more development time. However, this season was meant to be about lockdown defence and gliding to the playoffs, not development. Leonard, now 35, was managed carefully last season and was mostly off the court until the new year before returning strong. His ramp-up process looks different now, but the Raptors need to be able to compete with and without him for the roster to work. Without Barnes to lead the charge in Leonard's absence, Toronto remains in dire straits. The team has a lot of basketball left this year, but must start playing the cards it is dealt.

With files from Toronto Sun, Yahoo Sports and Raptors HQ