The Raptors finished the regular season with a top-five defensive rating led by Scottie Barnes. Strong defense provides a foundation for competing soon, but offense still needs significant improvement because top NBA teams are two-way teams. Four teams remain in the 2026 championship chase: Oklahoma City, San Antonio, New York, and Cleveland. Cleveland is the only team in that group that did not finish top-seven in both offensive and defensive rating. The Raptors have a star in the frontcourt who can score at a higher level, but their guard play is a key weakness compared with other young two-way teams. Teams with top defenses also feature star-level guards, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cade Cunningham, and De’Aaron Fox.
"Led by Scottie Barnes and his unreal versatility, the Raptors finished the regular season with a top-five defensive rating. That defensive identity is a great foundation for a team hoping to compete relatively soon, but the Raptors still have a ton of work to do on the offensive end. After all, all of the best teams in the NBA are two-way teams."
"The Cavs are the only team in that group that didn't finish the regular season at least top-seven in both offensive and defensive rating. The Raptors need to improve offensively if they want to compete. They already have a star in the frontcourt, who proved in the playoffs that he could take his scoring to another level. However, the most striking difference between the Raptors and some of the best young two-way teams is the strength of their guard play."
"The top five defenses in the regular season were the Thunder, Pistons, Spurs, Celtics, and Raptors. The first three have young cores, but they are a few steps ahead of the Raptors-miles ahead, really, when it comes to the Thunder and Spurs-because of a few differences. Not only do the Thunder, Pistons, and Spurs all have MVP candidates-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took home the award, and Cade Cunningham and Victor Wembanyama both received votes-but they also all have star-level guards."
"Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points and 6.6 assists per game in the regular season and is still producing at a very similar level in the playoffs. Cunnigham's regular season was impacted by a collapsed lung, and the Pistons' offense is far from perfect, but his stardom is undeniable. He averaged 28.1 points and 7.5 assists over 14 playoff games. The Spurs may not have an MVP-level guard, but they have De'Aaron Fox, who was an All-Star this season, and Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, who already"
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