The Toronto sports landscape presents a stark contrast as November unfolds, with the city's basketball and hockey teams heading in dramatically different directions. While the Raptors are riding high with one of their best starts in years, the Maple Leafs are mired in a concerning slump that has fans questioning the team's direction.
Raptors Building Momentum
The Toronto Raptors have emerged as one of the early success stories of the NBA season, winning seven of their past eight games and currently sitting tied for third place in the Eastern Conference. Their 9-5 record marks the franchise's best start in eight years, showcasing significant improvement under coach Darko Rajakovic.
Monday night's narrow 110-108 victory over the Charlotte Hornets exemplified the team's growth. The game required clutch defensive plays from Toronto's stars, with Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram combining for five blocked shots, including Barnes' game-saving block on Collin Sexton in the final seconds.
Ingram delivered a spectacular performance, scoring 27 points and electrifying the crowd with a Vince Carter-esque dunk in the fourth quarter that brought the entire Raptors bench to their feet. Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles described the play as "amazing" and "the type of play that makes the NBA fun."
Maple Leafs in Crisis Mode
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs are experiencing the opposite trajectory, having lost five consecutive games and finding themselves tied for last place in the NHL's Eastern Conference. The team's struggles are compounded by a growing injury list that includes key players.
Captain Auston Matthews remains out with an undisclosed injury, joining Chris Tanev, Brandon Carlo, Nicolas Roy, and goaltender Anthony Stolarz on the sidelines. The absence of these core contributors has left the team vulnerable, particularly in net where Stolarz's injury leaves the Leafs "rather unprotected in the most important area."
The frustration appears to be mounting, with coach Craig Berube reportedly dropping "rather loud F-bombs on the ice" during recent practices. The Leafs, who have made the playoffs for nine consecutive seasons, now find themselves in unfamiliar territory, tied with the Buffalo Sabres—a team that has missed the playoffs for 14 straight years.
The Tanking Debate Emerges
The divergent paths of Toronto's professional teams have sparked discussions about whether the Maple Leafs should consider adopting the NBA's approach to tanking—intentionally losing games to secure better draft position. With seven NBA teams currently playing below .300 basketball in what appears to be a strong draft year, the strategy has become commonplace in basketball circles.
The San Antonio Spurs serve as the prime example of successful tanking, having twice abandoned seasons to secure franchise-changing players Tim Duncan and Victor Wembanyama. For the Leafs, whose first-round pick is lottery-protected, a poor finish could yield a valuable selection in what's considered a strong draft class.
With two years remaining on both Matthews and John Tavares' contracts, the team faces crucial decisions about its direction. The Raptors, conversely, show no signs of tanking mentality, with Barnes developing into a potential all-star in his fifth season and Ingram appearing revitalized after years of injury concerns.
As coach Rajakovic noted about Barnes, "He's constantly finding ways to improve. He always comes with a new approach, new energy, new experiences, new solutions and he continues to get better every single day"—praise that once described Auston Matthews but now contrasts sharply with the Leafs captain's current situation.
