The 21st-ranked problem holding the Raptors back

The Toronto Raptors are a top-four team in the Eastern Conference right now.

That's in the overall standings, but one ranking could be the thing that holds the Raptors back from making real noise when the playoffs arrive.

That ranking? Their No. 21 spot in the league's overall offensive rating, according to ESPN.

The Raptors are constructed to be a great defensive team, but to win in this era of the NBA, you also better be able to fill it up.

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And at least relative to most of the other contenders, Toronto doesn't score the ball very well.

"(Toronto) is in the bottom 10 in the league in 3-point makes, attempts and percentage," ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps wrote on Friday. "It's difficult to contend in the modern NBA on such low volume from beyond the arc."

The Raptors could move to improve their roster before next week's trade deadline.

"Sources have predicted that Toronto will be aggressive, with heaps of long-term money on the books and all of their future picks available to trade, giving them the ability to shed onerous contracts and also add talent to bolster a playoff run," Windhorst and Bontemps writes.

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They were rumored for Anthony Davis, but with him injured now, that seems less likely.

And there really aren't a ton of obvious offensive upgrades out there. The Raptors may wind up being stuck with a talented group that struggles to score when it really counts.

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