2020–21 Toronto Raptors season
NBA professional basketball team season
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The 2020–21 Toronto Raptors season was the 26th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 2019–20 Raptors finished the season with a 53–19 record (in a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and lost in the Conference Semifinals to the Boston Celtics.
| 2020–21 Toronto Raptors season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Nick Nurse |
| President | Masai Ujiri |
| General manager | Bobby Webster |
| Owners | Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment |
| Arena | Amalie Arena[1][2] |
| Results | |
| Record | 27–45 (.375) |
| Place | Division: 5th (Atlantic) Conference: 12th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | TSN Sportsnet |
For the 2020–21 season, the Raptors played a shortened 72-game season, as the season start was delayed until December. The Raptors needed a temporary home arena as a result of travel restrictions placed by the Canadian government due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On November 20, the Raptors announced that they would be beginning the 2020–21 season at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, (the home of the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning); they also considered the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville (home of the Nashville Predators), the KeyBank Center in Buffalo (home of the Buffalo Sabres), the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, the Prudential Center in Newark (home of the New Jersey Devils), or the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville (home of the Louisville Cardinals).[3][4] This would be the first season since 1995 (prior to the expansion of the Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies) not to have NBA regular-season games played in Canada following the Raptors' announcement on February 11, 2021, that they will finish the 2020–21 season in Tampa, as a result of further border restrictions. It was also the first time since 2007 an NBA team has been temporarily displaced from their home city since the New Orleans Hornets were relocated to Oklahoma City due to the damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina on stadiums in 2005. With a few exceptions, the Raptors played home games behind closed doors for the duration of the season. As with the Toronto Blue Jays (and unlike the Hornets) the Raptors did not change their geographical name on account of their temporary re-location.
The Raptors struggled with injuries throughout the season. On May 10, the Raptors were eliminated from playoff contention, ending their seven-year playoff streak and suffered their worst record since the 2011–12 season.[5] This was the first season under Nurse where the Raptors missed the playoffs.
This was the final season as a Raptor for longtime point guard and six-time NBA All-Star Kyle Lowry, who signed with the Miami Heat in August 2021.[6]
Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 | Malachi Flynn | PG | USA | San Diego State |
| 2 | 59 | Jalen Harris | SG | USA | Nevada |
The Raptors held one first-round pick and one second-round pick in the draft. Because the Raptors had the second-best record in the league, their selections were made at 29th in the first and second round, respectively. With the 29th pick, they selected Malachi Flynn.[7] With the 59th pick, they selected Jalen Harris.[8]
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Standings
Division
| Atlantic Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c − Philadelphia 76ers | 49 | 23 | .681 | – | 29–7 | 20–16 | 10–2 | 72 |
| x – Brooklyn Nets | 48 | 24 | .667 | 1.0 | 28–8 | 20–16 | 8–4 | 72 |
| x – New York Knicks | 41 | 31 | .569 | 8.0 | 25–11 | 16–20 | 4–8 | 72 |
| x – Boston Celtics | 36 | 36 | .500 | 13.0 | 21–15 | 15–21 | 4–8 | 72 |
| Toronto Raptors | 27 | 45 | .375 | 22.0 | 16–20 | 11–25 | 4–8 | 72 |
Conference
| Eastern Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c − Philadelphia 76ers * | 49 | 23 | .681 | – | 72 |
| 2 | x – Brooklyn Nets | 48 | 24 | .667 | 1.0 | 72 |
| 3 | y – Milwaukee Bucks * | 46 | 26 | .639 | 3.0 | 72 |
| 4 | x – New York Knicks | 41 | 31 | .569 | 8.0 | 72 |
| 5 | y – Atlanta Hawks * | 41 | 31 | .569 | 8.0 | 72 |
| 6 | x – Miami Heat | 40 | 32 | .556 | 9.0 | 72 |
| 7 | x – Boston Celtics | 36 | 36 | .500 | 13.0 | 72 |
| 8 | x – Washington Wizards | 34 | 38 | .472 | 15.0 | 72 |
| 9 | pi – Indiana Pacers | 34 | 38 | .472 | 15.0 | 72 |
| 10 | pi – Charlotte Hornets | 33 | 39 | .458 | 16.0 | 72 |
| 11 | Chicago Bulls | 31 | 41 | .431 | 18.0 | 72 |
| 12 | Toronto Raptors | 27 | 45 | .375 | 22.0 | 72 |
| 13 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 22 | 50 | .306 | 27.0 | 72 |
| 14 | Orlando Magic | 21 | 51 | .292 | 28.0 | 72 |
| 15 | Detroit Pistons | 20 | 52 | .278 | 29.0 | 72 |
Notes
- z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
- c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
- y – Clinched division title
- x – Clinched playoff spot
- pb – Clinched play-in spot
- o – Eliminated from playoff contention
- * – Division leader
Game log
Preseason
| 2020 pre-season game log Total: 2–1 (Home: 0–1; Road: 2–0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 2–1 (home: 0–1; road: 2–0)
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| 2020–21 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
| 2020–21 game log Total: 27–45 (Home: 16–20; Road: 11–25) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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December: 1–3 (home: 1–1; road: 0–2)
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January: 7–9 (home: 5–4; road: 2–5)
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February: 9–5 (home: 2–2; road: 7–3)
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March: 1–13 (home: 1–5; road: 0–8)
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April: 8–7 (home: 7–4; road: 1–3)
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May: 1–8 (home: 0–4; road: 1–4)
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| 2020–21 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
Regular season
| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley Johnson | PF | 61 | 13 | 1,006 | 153 | 89 | 52 | 18 | 267 | 16.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 | .9 | .3 | 4.4 |
| Chris Boucher | C | 60 | 14 | 1,453 | 404 | 63 | 35 | 111 | 818 | 24.2 | 6.7 | 1.1 | .6 | 1.9 | 13.6 |
| Pascal Siakam | PF | 56 | 56 | 2,006 | 405 | 250 | 64 | 37 | 1,196 | 35.8 | 7.2 | 4.5 | 1.1 | .7 | 21.4 |
| Aron Baynes | C | 53 | 31 | 980 | 273 | 47 | 17 | 23 | 324 | 18.5 | 5.2 | .9 | .3 | .4 | 6.1 |
| Fred VanVleet | SG | 52 | 52 | 1,899 | 220 | 328 | 87 | 37 | 1,019 | 36.5 | 4.2 | 6.3 | 1.7 | .7 | 19.6 |
| DeAndre' Bembry | SF | 51 | 12 | 972 | 146 | 107 | 53 | 18 | 293 | 19.1 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .4 | 5.7 |
| Yuta Watanabe | SF | 50 | 4 | 723 | 159 | 40 | 26 | 19 | 218 | 14.5 | 3.2 | .8 | .5 | .4 | 4.4 |
| Malachi Flynn | PG | 47 | 14 | 928 | 116 | 137 | 38 | 7 | 353 | 19.7 | 2.5 | 2.9 | .8 | .1 | 7.5 |
| Kyle Lowry | PG | 46 | 46 | 1,601 | 247 | 338 | 45 | 14 | 791 | 34.8 | 5.4 | 7.3 | 1.0 | .3 | 17.2 |
| OG Anunoby | SF | 43 | 43 | 1,433 | 237 | 94 | 66 | 32 | 682 | 33.3 | 5.5 | 2.2 | 1.5 | .7 | 15.9 |
| Norman Powell† | SG | 42 | 31 | 1,277 | 126 | 77 | 47 | 8 | 823 | 30.4 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 1.1 | .2 | 19.6 |
| Terence Davis† | SG | 34 | 4 | 493 | 66 | 37 | 17 | 7 | 234 | 14.5 | 1.9 | 1.1 | .5 | .2 | 6.9 |
| Paul Watson | SF | 27 | 2 | 297 | 45 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 111 | 11.0 | 1.7 | .6 | .2 | .1 | 4.1 |
| Matt Thomas† | SG | 26 | 0 | 192 | 21 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 71 | 7.4 | .8 | .3 | .1 | .0 | 2.7 |
| Freddie Gillespie | PF | 20 | 2 | 392 | 97 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 111 | 19.6 | 4.9 | .5 | .7 | 1.0 | 5.6 |
| Khem Birch† | C | 19 | 17 | 577 | 144 | 36 | 16 | 22 | 227 | 30.4 | 7.6 | 1.9 | .8 | 1.2 | 11.9 |
| Gary Trent Jr.† | SG | 17 | 15 | 540 | 61 | 22 | 19 | 4 | 275 | 31.8 | 3.6 | 1.3 | 1.1 | .2 | 16.2 |
| Rodney Hood† | SF | 17 | 0 | 216 | 30 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 66 | 12.7 | 1.8 | .4 | .2 | .2 | 3.9 |
| Jalen Harris | SG | 13 | 2 | 172 | 18 | 17 | 8 | 0 | 96 | 13.2 | 1.4 | 1.3 | .6 | .0 | 7.4 |
| Alex Len† | C | 7 | 2 | 76 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 10.9 | 1.6 | .4 | .1 | .9 | 2.3 |
| Patrick McCaw | SF | 5 | 0 | 33 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 6.6 | .6 | .8 | .4 | .0 | 1.0 |
| Henry Ellenson | PF | 2 | 0 | 38 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 19.0 | 6.0 | 2.5 | .0 | .0 | 7.5 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Raptors only.
Transactions
Overview
| Players Added Via draft Via trade Via free agency |
Players Lost Via free agency Via trade Waived |
Trades
| March 25, 2021[11] | To Toronto Raptors Gary Trent Jr. Rodney Hood |
To Portland Trail Blazers Norman Powell |
| March 25, 2021[12] | To Toronto Raptors 2021 second-round pick (via Memphis Grizzlies) |
To Sacramento Kings Terence Davis |
| March 25, 2021[13] | To Toronto Raptors 2021 second-round pick (via Golden State Warriors) |
To Utah Jazz Matt Thomas |
Free Agency
Re-signed
| Date | Player | Contract terms | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 24 | Fred VanVleet | 4 year $85 million | [14] |
| November 25 | Chris Boucher | 2 year $13.5 million | [15][16] |
| December 1 | Oshae Brissett | 2 year minimum deal | [17][18] |
| December 20 | Paul Watson | 1 year minimum deal | [19][20] |
Additions
| Date | Player | Contract terms | Former team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 24 | Aron Baynes | 2 year $14.3 million | Phoenix Suns | [21][22] |
| November 29 | DeAndre' Bembry | 2 year $4 million | Atlanta Hawks | [23][24] |
| Alex Len | 1 year $2.3 million | Sacramento Kings | [25][26] | |
| December 1 | Henry Ellenson | 2 year minimum deal | Brooklyn Nets | [18][27] |
| Alize Johnson | 1 year (Exhibit 10) | Indiana Pacers | [18][28] | |
| December 20 | Yuta Watanabe | Two-way contract | Memphis Grizzlies | [18][20][27][29] |
| February 26 | Donta Hall | 10-day contract | NBA G League Ignite (G League) | [30] |
| April 8 | Freddie Gillespie | Memphis Hustle (G League) | [31] | |
| April 10 | Khem Birch | Signed for rest of season | Orlando Magic | [32] |
Subtractions
| Date | Player | Reason | New Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 24 | Marc Gasol | Unrestricted free agent | Los Angeles Lakers | [33] |
| November 25 | Serge Ibaka | Los Angeles Clippers | [34] | |
| December 3 | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | Minnesota Timberwolves | [35] | |
| December 18 | Malcolm Miller | Utah Jazz | [36] | |
| November 26 | Dewan Hernandez | Waived | Raptors 905 (G League) | [37] |
| December 20 | Oshae Brissett | Fort Wayne Mad Ants (G League) | [20][38] | |
| Alize Johnson | Brooklyn Nets | |||
| Henry Ellenson | ||||
| January 19 | Alex Len | Washington Wizards | [39] | |
| March 8 | Donta Hall | 10-day contract expired | Orlando Magic | [30] |
| April 9 | Patrick McCaw | Waived | [40] |
See also
- Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans Hornets, a previous event of an NBA team temporarily displaced, in this instance due to Hurricane Katrina
Notes
- Spectators were in attendance, but the exact number was not reported.