Takeaways From Raptors Narrow Loss to Hornets

The Toronto Raptors rode impressive showings from RJ Barrett and Gradey Dick but it wasn't enough in Wednesday's loss to the Charlotte Hornets

Oct 30, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Seth Curry (30) drives past Toronto Raptors forward Jonathan Mogbo (2) during the first half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images / Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

Charlotte Hornets 138, Toronto Raptors 133

Capture the Flagg

It’s tanking time.

Nobody wanted to be doing this so early in the season. The hope had been Toronto could see Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett grow together this year as this young core developed for the future. But now with Barnes sidelined for the foreseeable future with an orbital bone fracture, the writing is on the wall.

The good news is this year’s draft class is loaded with talent from presumptive No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg to Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey and plenty of other highly touted prospects. With any luck, Toronto should have a pretty good shot at drafting one of those top players and beginning their ascent back to the playoffs next year with Barnes and another blue-chip prospect leading the way.

For now, though, it'll probably be pretty rough.

Toronto plays a ton of tough teams to start the season and it’s hard to envision the Raptors coming away with many victories against those teams. Wednesday’s loss, however, could be a big one when this season comes to an end because Charlotte should be in the mix again as one of the league’s worst teams vying for those lottery odds this summer.

Barrett’s Bigger Role

It’s the RJ Barrett show now.

With Barnes out and Quickley still ailing from his pelvic injury, the Raptors are relying on Barrett to step up and fill the playmaking void left by Toronto’s top two offensive engines. At times it looked a little awkward early Wednesday night. Barrett struggles creating buckets from a stand-still, but when he gets going downhill, he’s tough to stop.

He found Jakob Poeltl for an alley-oop out of a pick-and-roll in the first quarter and found Jonathan Mogbo cutting with a savvy dump-off pass for two in the second. It was part of an eight-assist effort from Barrett, one shy of his career high.

Barrett finished the night with 31 points on 10-for-18 shooting. He nailed a pair of big-time threes in the fourth, cutting Charlotte's lead down to just five in the final two minutes. He had 17 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't quite enough.

Five missed free throws from Barrett and 10 misses at the charity stripe for the Raptors burned Toronto who couldn't quite make up the difference with Charlotte converting its free throws down the stretch.

Gradey Getting Shots

Raptors coach Darko Rajaković went out of his way earlier this week to mention Gradey Dick's shot selection. It hadn't been horrendous, but there have been times early this season in which Dick has been a little too aggressive against tough defenses.

"Gradey is the type of a player that he needs to find his moments," Rajaković said following Toronto's loss to Denver on Monday. "There's going to be games and nights that teams are so locked in on him, and he might have three points in the first half. He's got to stay patient, and he's got to make good decisions."

Against the Hornets, Dick responded.

The second-year sharpshooter looked tremendous, helping Toronto claw out of a 23-point first-half hole with a flurry of jumpers in the second quarter. It was the kind of showing the Raptors are hoping to see more of from Dick as he develops into a more well-rounded offensive weapon moving forward. He nailed mid-range jumpers with ease, snaking around off-ball screens to get his shot off, and getting into the paint to finish around contact.

He cashed in a mid-range jumper midway through the fourth quarter to set a new career high for his 26th point of the night, finishing the game with 30 points on 11-for-17 shooting.

Dick's role is going to grow in these games with Barnes and Quickley sidelined and if Wednesday's game is any indication of what's to come, this will be a healthy development opportunity for the 20-year-old shooting guard.

Turnover Troubles

To some extent, turnovers were to be expected.

This is a young team, still getting acclimated to each other, and the losses of Barnes and Quickley have left the Raptors short on reliable ball-handlers. But it's been a little worse than expected.

Toronto came into Wednesday night leading the league in turnovers per game and it's what undid the Raptors against the Hornets. Seven first-quarter turnovers for Toronto turned into easy buckets for Charlotte who jumped ahead by double digits in a flash. When the Raptors climbed back, it was another bout of turnover troubles late in the third that squandered the lead for Toronto. Four turnovers in the final three minutes of the quarter allowed Charlotte to go on a 12-0 run, taking the lead again entering the fourth.