Raptors' spate of injuries highlights team's slim margin for error

A wonky back, an aching knee, thumb and ankle, the injury bug has been unrelenting in taking a bite out of the Raptors’ starting unit.

For the uninitiated, five players comprise a team’s starting group.

Even the least mathematically inclined can deduce that no team can afford to lose 80% of its projected starters and give itself a chance of posting a win.

And yet the Raptors were close, but not good enough to overcome an early double-digit deficit that swelled to the host Boston Celtics Friday night before expiring in a 125-117 loss.

The fact the Raptors fell to the Celtics should not come as a surprise given the short-handed nature of the visitors.

The fact the Raptors entered the night having lost seven in a row in Beantown also casts serious doubts on Toronto’s chances.

This season alone, the Raptors had dropped their previous two meetings against the C’s.

Toronto has shown an ability to regroup in times of distress, but its latest test may prove too daunting.

So much will be dependent on health.

For the first time this season, Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes weren’t able to play Friday night.

The good news is that Ingram, whose recent injury history is well-documented, was available for 38 consecutive games.

Major driving force

Except for the occasional off night, Ingram has been a major driving force for a team that finds itself competing for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.

But that positioning will not last long with the Philadelphia 76ers in town to play a back-to-back set beginning Sunday night.

The 21-15 Sixers reside in fifth place.

Philly has dealt with its own injury issues and much like every other team will have no sympathy for the Raptors.

To give one a perspective of the Raptors’ inability when venturing into Boston, consider the last time Toronto won a game on the Celtics’ home floor it came in Barnes’ rookie season.

Barnes has pieced together a very solid overall season as the Raptors will soon hit the NBA’s mid-season.

In fact, the halfway mark for Toronto arrives Monday when it plays its 41st game of an 82-game schedule.

All things considered, no one could have anticipated the Raptors being seven games above .500 at this juncture.

In the wake of the recent spate of injuries, things can turn suddenly.

Mind you, the turn the Raptors have taken is the stuff of disbelief.

What it does underscore is the thin margins this team is forced to operate and manage.

Alijah Martin shines

One person’s misfortune leads to an opportunity for someone else who would not have received extended minutes in normal times.

A case in point is Alijah Martin, who was part of a second unit in Boston that played well and even gave the Raptors a chance, albeit small, of pulling off the upset.

Injuries to Barnes and Ingram thrust second-year Ja’Kobe Walter and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles into the starting lineup.

Both played well, each deserving of more opportunities going forward, regardless of the state of the roster.

Toss in Jamal Shead’s continued maturity and self-assurance and the Raptors have uncovered three pieces, all young, each with plenty of room to grow, that should be staples for years to come, assuming one or two or even all three aren’t offered in some trade package.

Sandro Mamukelashvili had one of those under-the-radar games Friday night that get inevitably lost when a game is lost and when yet another starter is lost to injury.

He made 70% of his attempts, all from inside the three-point arc, hauled down a team-high eight rebounds and did not commit a single turnover.

Mamukelashvili shouldn’t be in a position where he’s starting, but that’s the hand Toronto has been dealt.

Potential bench nucleus

Ideally, Mamukelashvili, Shead, Walter and CMB would form the nucleus of a second unit.

By now, it should be painfully obvious that Gradey Dick has turned into a non-factor, an afterthought who sees the floor because the rules dictate five players must be on the court.

Even more problematic is the fate of Ochai Agbaji.

When the Raptors were dealing with Jakob Poeltl’s uncertainty, Agbaji made the odd start.

He didn’t see a single minute of floor time Friday night.

He also has an expiring contract.

In other words, his time in Toronto is numbered.

Agbaji doesn’t move the needle and neither does Dick.

Of the two, Dick may provide an element the Raptors dearly covet – perimeter shooting.

The problem is how to integrate Dick into a group knowing his obvious weaknesses.

Big picture, it’s the least of the Raptors’ concerns going into their two-game set against Philly.

They outgun the three-point happy Celtics by draining 11 more three-pointers, but the Raptors’ defence, if one prefers to describe it in such a way, allowed Boston to make 54% from the field and 50% from distance.

Jaylen Brown attempted more three throws (19) than the entire Raptors (10).

Toronto only turned the ball over six times, but yet another bad start ended up costing it.

The late-game ankle injury to RJ Barrett didn’t help matters.

Still, as the halfway point arrives, the Raptors’ glass is half full.

Clearly, progress has been made, but the NBA is a fickle business where nothing is ever taken for granted.

The Raptors should feel fortunate, but misfortune can arrive at any turn, as if they needed to be reminded.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com