When Playoffs come around, players are bound to be starting to feel the toll of the 82 game regular season. When you start to get even deeper into the Playoffs, injuries become a crucial part of the game, changing whole strategies in a series and even the outcome depending on the situation. The Toronto Raptors were eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals in 6 games, which was a valiant effort by a far less talented team compared to the star-studded Cavaliers.
The Raptors fought hard to tie the series 2-2, but lost the last 2 games, not showing a lot of energy and frankly seeming a little tired of the wear-and-tear of the Playoffs. One Raptors who was especially feeling the pain was Forward DeMarre Carroll. Carroll had suffered a knee injury that kept him out of the majority of the season for the Raps, and came back for the Raptors early in March and played all Playoffs for them as well. During the course of the Playoffs, Carroll added an array of more injuries to add-on to the already injured knee. According to Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star:
DeMarre Carroll had a hyperextended elbow, a sprained wrist, a hip pointer, a sprained ankle, and was coming back from knee surgery
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) May 28, 2016
Sounds like DeMarre Carroll was gambling … with his health
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) May 28, 2016
Carroll was gambling with more than just poker chips, he was gambling with his health. He had given a big contract of $15 million a year this summer by the Raptors, and frankly has underperformed for them this entire season, when he wasn’t injured. Carroll struggled shooting 39% from the field and from the 3-point land, averaging 11 points and 4 rebounds and 2 steals in the 26 games he played. In the Playoffs it was even worse, averaging 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal, shooting 32% from the 3-point line and 39% overall. In the series against Cleveland, he shot 19% from the 3-point line. For a guy who was signed to be that signature ‘3&D’ player for the Raptors, he’s not really adhering to the title. The Raptors head into offseason mode, where they will look to build on an exceptionally great season, their best ever, but DeMarre Carroll will be going into recovery mode, something the junkyard dog desperately needs.
