RJ Barrett and the Toronto Raptors fell 115-107 to the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night at the Target Center. Their struggles against the league’s best were on full display in Minneapolis, as a one-point halftime deficit turned into 13 going into the fourth quarter. Toronto’s record against the top-10 teams in the NBA now lies at 1-17, outside of the pre-James Harden Cleveland Cavaliers. 

The Raptors’ lack of second-half adjustments was the cause of their eventual demise, yet again. Toronto’s leading scorer on the season, Brandon Ingram, struggled against Minnesota’s best perimeter defender in Jaden McDaniels and finished with just 14 points on 5-for-16 shooting. Barrett was able to pick up some of the slack by contributing 25 points and six rebounds on 9-for-14 shooting. 

Toronto Raptors guard/forward RJ Barrett (9) | © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

While the former No. 3 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft has been criticized for his lack of production since returning from separate knee and ankle injuries, he has not been the one at fault for the team’s recent failures. In his last five games, he has averaged 19.8  points and 6.0 rebounds on 53.5% shooting from the field and 47.8% from beyond the arc, despite just a 1-4 record in that span (via StatMuse). 

Postgame, Barrett spoke with the media and did not mince words when expressing his frustration with the team’s recent play. 

“When we play these good teams, something has to change,” said Barrett. “I think we’re working hard, I think we had good intentions. Coming from last year to this year, now being here, this is the part that we gotta figure out. This is the challenge that we gotta overcome, and I’m confident that we will. But, something’s gotta change, and we gotta figure something out.”

Whether the change will actually come is to be determined, but what he is right about is that the change needs to come now if they want to start seeing a different outcome. At this point in the season, the Raptors have essentially developed a reputation and identity that they didn’t sign up for: a good team that can and will beat any average or worse team, but will almost certainly lose to any top team.

It all comes down to execution against the top teams in the league. Most of the top teams possess some of the best defenses in the league, as the Raptors do. The difference is that other teams have consistent schemes and plays they can go to when they need a basket, while the Raptors simply do not. Their best chance is to give the ball to Ingram and let him try to run isolation, or go to a pick-and-roll led by Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl. 

While both of these are typically viable options, the main flaw in this equation is outside shooting. The primary ball-handlers don’t have people to pass to who consistently and effectively shoot from the three-point line, which allows teams to pack the paint and blitz the ball. With 20 games left in the season, this is no longer a personnel issue; it simply comes down to what plays head coach Darko Rajakovic can draw up for his team, and whether or not they can efficiently execute when opposing defenses are at their strongest.