#toronto-raptors

#toronto-raptors

Talk about a warm welcome. If by warm we mean being thrown right into the flames. The principles of a "trial by fire," which originated during medieval times, were simple: if a person was innocent or righteous, then divine intervention would seemingly protect them through the ordeal. Unfortunately for Murray-Boyles, the basketball gods won't be steping in to help, no matter how many times he gets burned by an NBA megastar during his rookie campaign.

Coming into this season, there was no doubt about what the starting lineup would be, there was no doubt about how Sandro Mamukelashvili would be used, and there was no doubt that the second unit would need a point guard, Jamal Shead, to handle the ball. Two big questions remained, I think, and they were: How much would Collin Murray-Boyles, the forward, play on this very forward-y team? Who will ascend to the #1 off-ball bench guard between Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Ja'Kobe Walter, and perhaps even... Jamison Battle?

Wilkens' basketball resume boasts a storied career, not only in his time as an active player, but also in the years that followed in head coaching roles. Wilkens is a nine-time NBA All-Star, recognized on both the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams. His accolades only grew further, as I mentioned earlier, for his stellar efforts as a coach. Wilkens won an NBA championship as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers in 1979.

That tagline, " Balanced attack," is exactly the way to put it. Balanced attack 🔥The @raptors are currently the ONLY team that has 3 players averaging over 20+ PPG! pic.twitter.com/IEjj87iW7e- NBA Canada (@NBACanada) November 5, 2025 For a while, the common belief was that the "BBQ" trio - referring to the initials of young stars RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, and Immanuel Quickley - would take the mantle in Toronto. But that sentiment largely shifted when the Raptors acquired Brandon Ingram.

In the first five games of the season, the young and inexperienced rotation - Sandro Mamukelashvili is the oldest at 26 with the most years played [4] - looked to already be an insolvable quandary. It was 16th in net rating, 21st in points scored, and as resistant as rotten fruit on the glass (25th in rebounding percentage). The lot of them looked lost, small, and, ineffectual. Only Jamison Battle had a positive plus/minus in their losses, and he played limited minutes in just two games.

I wrote a couple of pieces about ex-Raptors big man Precious Achiuwa over the offseason after I noticed he wasn't gaining any traction in free agency. That is, until news broke that he signed a non-guaranteed training camp deal with the Miami Heat, which I described as the Kyle Lowry trade coming full circle in a somewhat ironic way. However, that reunion in South Beach proved to be short-lived, as he was let go before the start of the 2025-26 season.

The Toronto Raptors have won three consecutive games against postseason-caliber teams and now sit at .500. With this in mind, the NBA should be buzzing about the potential of an unorthodox unit that seems to have the tools to exceed expectations. Unfortunately, ESPN isn't ready to believe in the Raptors. Instead, their recent power rankings revealed that Toronto is still viewed as a below-average team.

Navigating their last two contests without the team's only true center, veteran Jakob Poeltl, who is currently dealing with a back issue, the Raptors have had to experiment with their starting lineup. They've taken a route that pays homage to recent years, reflecting the style of the current NBA, and also offering a glimpse into the future - all at the same time.

After a few lackluster efforts to start the season, the Toronto Raptors are muscling up down low and making adjustments. The Raptors were outrebounded for four straight games after their season-opening victory over the Atlanta Hawks but have now put together back-to-back winning efforts on glass. Their defensive rotations were also visibly more connected in a 117-104 win over the Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday at Scotiabank Arena.

The Memphis Grizzlies are in town for a matchup against the Toronto Raptors, and both teams find themselves in similar positions so far this season. Memphis has also found themselves with internal conflict that has resulted in their franchise superstar Ja Morant being suspended for a game. So with a de-fanged Grizzlies next up on the schedule, Toronto will have another game with the odds tipped in their favor against another hampered team.

However, with a depleted Cavs squad, it became more a matter of handling Mobley and supporting pieces like De'Andre Hunter and Jaylon Tyson. While the Cavaliers' size might lead some to believe they would outclass Toronto, it was worth noting that the Cavs have been struggling with rebounding too, ranking in the bottom five league-wide ( averaging 40.7) alongside the Raptors (who are averaging 38.0).

Very quiet first half after scoring relatively early in the first quarter, but he managed to knock down a deep three from Curry range before the break and then got to the free-throw line on the ensuing possession. He hit another long three late in the third quarter and had a solid night of playmaking for others as well.

But unfortunately for the Hawks, they were met with a Raptors team that looked like men on a mission. It was evident in the strong, balanced play of their starters and the impressive contributions from their bench pieces like Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Jamal Shead, and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Toronto clearly took advantage of the Hawks' weak transition defense and interior struggles, scoring 86 points in the paint compared to Atlanta's 56. The Raptors also employed a pace and aggression that the Hawks just couldn't keep up with, evident in the fast break points discrepancy - Toronto had 34 while Atlanta managed only 11.

It is not an exaggeration to say that practically every Raptor played his role to perfection. The bench flat-out dominated. Even erstwhile weaknesses turned into strengths, at least for one night. And so the Raptors are 1-0, first in the East, after smacking a team that even plugged-in, intelligent observers believed to be clearly superior to Toronto coming into the season. The Ingram era is off to a blazing start.

There is no clear go-to guy on the Toronto Raptors. That could be viewed as a big problem; without an obvious No. 1 option, the hierarchy of a team can get jumbled. But it can also be considered an advantage, because the Raptors have plenty of capable scorers, as we saw in their season-opening win on Wednesday night. Brandon Ingram had 16 points, Gradey Dick had 21, Scottie Barnes had 22, and RJ Barrett led the way with 25.

And, here we are. With a team that seems to be considered by most to be middling ( super rude @Bleacher Report [25th]), still sticking it out. As passionately infuriated as ever about all the wonderful minutiae. Like, no one appreciating Ochai Agbaji's defence. Or, celebrating Scottie Barnes as one of the best basketball minds in the game. Or, noticing that for the last two years Jakob Pöltl has been top 20 in on/off efficiency in the league.

Lawson made his way to Toronto by a circuitous route. The Canadian native attended South Carolina before going undrafted in 2021. After a year in the G League, the Minnesota Timberwolves scooped him up onto a two-way contract and he made his NBA debut. A few months later, he was waived and joined the Dallas Mavericks, ultimately hitting free agency once more last fall.

The eighth overall pick in June's draft checked in with 10:40 left in the second quarter, Brooklyn trailing by 14, and was immediately met by Toronto's swarming defense. The moment tested his composure, but Demin looked comfortable from the start - handling the ball with confidence, helping organize the offense and flashing his defensive instincts with an early block and a pair of sharp deflections.

Reese is a 6'9″ forward who mainly plays under the basket and uses him length and size to aid him on the defensive end. He was a four-year player at Maryland and saw steady improvement to his game during his time there. In his final season at Maryland he posted averages of 13.3 points per game, 9 rebounds per game, as well as 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 55.5 percent from the field.