The Toronto Raptors, historically resistant to the tanking strategy seen in the NBA, are now participating in a tanks-off during the 2024-25 season. After failing to secure significant draft picks in recent years, president Masai Ujiri and head coach Darko Rajakovic have opted to bench star players to evaluate younger talent. This change of direction has drawn criticism and concern from players and analysts, highlighting a broader issue with the NBA's incentive structure that rewards poor performance. The Raptors' situation reflects a troubling trend within the league, as strategic losses detract from competitive integrity.
We're not doing that here, he later added. The Raptors made history in 2019 by becoming the first team to win an NBA Championship without a single lottery pick.
I don't think it's a great look for the NBA. And the Raptors have given bad looks this season.
After leading playoff-bound Orlando Magic by double digits in the fourth quarter on 4 March, Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic pulled the plug by sitting starters.
All I could do was laugh, Barrett said. While Rajakovic explained that for us, it's very, very important now to take a look at different players.
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