The Toronto Raptors are 12-9 this season after losing a close game to the Golden State Warriors over the weekend but they haven't taken that step forward that they hoped they would. DeMarre Carroll was the Raptors' big offseason acquisition that they thought would put them over the top but so far that has not happened and it is fair to wonder why. Carroll missed three games earlier in the year with a foot injury and that injury may still be bothering him, according to Eric Koreen of the National Post.
Carroll is currently dealing with plantar fasciitis and although he has only missed three games with the injury it is pretty clear that he has not been himself. The 29 year old forward refuses to admit that the foot has been a problem but his numbers indicate that he is not the same player as he has been the past couple of seasons. So far this season Carroll is averaging 12.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and his PER is down at 11.5.
Plantar fasciitis is an injury that is known to linger and can really effect a basketball player in a major way. A couple of years ago Al Jefferson was dealing with the same injury in the playoffs and he had a bad series against the Miami Heat after having a tremendous regular season. Carroll is considered one of the toughest players in the league so he is playing through the injury but he has not played at the level the Raptors hoped when they signed him this offseason.
Carroll signed a four year $60 million deal with the Raptors this offseason and he has played the defense that they expected so far this season but they were hoping for him to be a big part of the offense and that hasn't happened. The injury is unfortunate because, while he won't admit it, it has clearly affected his play and that in turn has hurt the Raptors ability to take that next step forward.
Carroll will likely be dealing with this issue for quite a while as plantar fasciitis is not the kind of injury that goes away quickly. He will likely continue to play through the pain but until it he feels 100 percent the Raptors likely won't be getting the return on their investment they expected this season.
