#toronto-raptors

#toronto-raptors

When a reporter inquired whether there was a particular reason for his decision not to use Agbaji, Toronto's head coach simply replied, " No. I just made the decision to go with other guys." The exchange didn't end there, as the reporter followed up with, " How come?" Rajakovic responded, " That's how I decided to give opportunity [sic] to other guys. Coach's decision." Now, there's no more point-blank answer than that from Coach Darko, who has a knack for replying in this blunt tone.

Raptors Outlook Record: 22-15 | 4th in Eastern ConferenceOffensive Rating: 114.0 (19th) | Defensive Rating: 111.8 (4th) | Net Rating: +2.1 (11th) Charlotte is an extremely weak defensive team, with injuries to an already subpar center position. Their point-of-attack defense is also compromised as it is led by LaMelo Ball, a notoriously poor defender, and Kon Knueppel who is also not a standout defender.

Fans are seeing ups and downs in the Raptors' 2025-26 campaign. After a rough 2-4 start in October, they posted a 12-3 record in November, then went on somewhat of an underwhelming 6-8 run in December. But mind you, there are plenty of uncertainties surrounding the Raptors lately - especially when it comes to Jakob Poeltl's injury issues, whether the high-cost Immanuel Quickley investment is really paying off, and thought-provoking trade scenarios that could unfold as the deadline approaches.

At first, it seemed like Orlando was on track to take care of business against a Raptors squad that had come out of the Warriors game feeling low on gas and steam. But Toronto rallied the troops and mounted a daunting effort to overcome a comfortable 21-point lead by the Magic. This turnaround represents the largest comeback for Toronto in the 2025-26 campaign to date.

I mean, I think we're doing really good job [sic]. I want to remind everybody where we at [sic]. We're in the second year of our rebuild. If somebody told us, all of us, in September that right now we're going to be with a score [record] 19-14 - all of us, we would sign it up right away, right? So, we're seeing a lot of growth.

December 29, 2025 Ingram sits at 12th on the All-Star fan voting list currently at a total of 130,618. Ingram's flashy mid-range scoring and his recent late-game heroics have been enough to get the support of the fans early on. Ingram has posted averages of a team-high 22 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, and 3.8 assists per game this year.

In the Raptors' last game on December 26, they went up against the Washington Wizards, who hold one of the worst records league-wide at 6-23. Even though Toronto has been going through quite the rough patch lately, their struggles persisted into this Boxing Day affair, where they completely faltered against Washington, thanks to some great performances from Kyshawn George, wily veteran CJ McCollum, Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, as well as efficient showings from youngsters Tre Johnson and Bub Carrington.

It's extremely disheartening to see how far Gradey Dick has come up to this point in his NBA career and Toronto Raptors tenure. For the handful of times I find myself writing about the positive developments in the 22-year-old former Kansas standout's journey, I feel like it's offset by the countless examples of his costly slip-ups and inconsistent play.

So it was something of a surprise when, on Valentine's Day, my boss started her show that day with a tirade about my friend. I didn't know they had broken up. But she went into some detail about the event and his emotional failings, and she had topical breakup songs to go with it. All I could think was, 'what a pro.' It was great radio.

One of the biggest reasons for the Brooklyn loss was poor offensive play for the Raptors, who were only able to put up 81 points against a current lottery team. The absence of RJ Barrett has really affected the offence as Toronto now ranks at a poor 20th in offensive rating after being top 10 for a good part of the season when they were on their season high nine game winstreak before the Canadian was sidelined with a right knee sprain.