The Toronto Raptors find themselves in the unfavorable position of being one of basketball's most average teams. At 24-23, the Raptors are a hair over .500 on the year as they've managed to navigate a slew of injuries and COVID-related absences. With the Eastern Conference still wide open, the Raptors are absolutely still in the hunt for the playoffs, and if the season ended today they'd be battling it out in the NBA's play-in tournament.

But if the Raptors want to make a real splash in the NBA Playoffs, the current roster simply won't get it done. While they have a ton of talent at starting positions, the team lacks depth in a few key areas, and also could use a dominant big man to help shore up the defense and corral rebounds. These are two areas the Raptors will likely look to address if they're serious about contending this year, and with the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline looming, it could be the perfect time to facilitate a deal.

Toronto is one key piece from being a true threat out of the East, and if they want to take a shot in 2022 they could look to make a move at the impending Feb. 10 deadline. With that in mind, here is the one area the Raptors need to address at the deadline.

Raptors Biggest 2022 NBA Trade Deadline Needs

The Raptors' lack of depth has been a major concern for them throughout the season, but it was most evident this weekend during their triple-overtime win against the Miami Heat. Despite the three overtimes, the Raptors only utilized an 8-man rotation during the game, with each member of the starting five playing more than 54 minutes in the game. Those numbers prove that Nick Nurse has a significant lack of trust in his bench unit, and likely suggest that he's overworking his starters as a result. Only getting eight players into the triple-overtime game was a pretty shocking move on the part of Nurse, whose rotation consisted solely of starters Siakam, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Fred VanVleet, and Gary Trent Jr., as well as bench pieces Chris Boucher, Precious Achiuwa, and Dalano Banton.

Banton has been serving as VanVleet's backup, despite having just been called up from the G-League. The fact that Nurse is calling upon the services of a G-League call up as the team's backup point guard is a major concern, as it shows just how little depth the team has behind VanVleet.

In addition to their worrying lack of depth, the Raptors are in need of a big man. As it stands, the Raptors utilize a small-ball rotation with Pascal Siakam starting at center. Siakam is traditionally a power forward, and would likely fare better playing at his natural position, however, the team lacks depth behind him. Behind Siakam, the Raptors deploy the likes of Chris Boucher, Khem Birch, and Precious Achiuwa in the frontcourt. While these players are all serviceable, none figure to be an everyday starter at center, and none have moved the needle enough to convince Nurse to move away from his small-ball rotations. Adding a defensive-minded center who can dominate on the glass would be a crucial addition for the Raptors, as that's the prototype of a player the team sorely lacks.

Whether or not the Raptors are serious about contending in 2022 remains to be seen, but there are certainly areas the team could stand to improve on ahead of the Feb. 10 NBA Trade Deadline.