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.
While the Toronto Blue Jays were busy handling business against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a whopper of a World Series Game 3 at Dodger Stadium, the Toronto Raptors were getting their business handed to them nearly 1,400 miles away at Frost Bank Center against the San Antonio Spurs, falling 121-103 on Monday night. By the way, both the Raptors and Blue Jays games started at 8:00 pm ET.
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.
The former ninth overall pick, Murray-Boyles, missed the team's last preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets with the same injury, with head coach Darko Rajakovic calling the issue day-to-day. Murray Boyles averaged 6.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over three preseason games. Yet his impact has jumped off the screen far more than the numbers indicated, particularly on the defensive end.
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.
For a while, Dick was the first action on every play down. They were playing out of delay, and waiting for Dick to jostle loose of his player and into a handoff to kick things off. It worked out alright, as his aggression helped create some looks (and some free throws that he uncharacteristically split 2-4) but by the end of the 8 minute stretch he was dog tired.
The New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors agreed to voluntarily dismiss a 2023 lawsuit involving the alleged theft of thousands of confidential files, according to a court filing Friday that was obtained by ESPN. Spokespersons representing the teams issued the same statement to ESPN: "The Knicks and (Raptors owner Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment) withdrew their respective claims and the matter is resolved. The Parties are focused on the future."
Brandon Ingram got to display his above-the-break 3-point shooting very early as the beneficiary of a Mogbo short roll pass, and then a baseline-corner-atb sequence for two separate makes. It was immediately different from game 1 of the preseason, as the Raptors were succeeding in the halfcourt, and not necessarily reliant on getting out and running. A different bring up ball handler nearly every time and playing in space.
No, the Toronto Raptors have lots to figure out.Even NBA intellectual extraordinaire, Zach Lowe, on his latest podcast with John Hollinger, proclaimed Toronto as one of the most confusing NBA teams heading into the season. Rightfully so. All the way down the roster there remain questions about fit, roles, rotations, long-term vision, you name it. General Manager, Bobby Webster, might claim to know the answers to those questions; so, too, might head coach, Darko Rajaković. But from the outside looking in, it's all opaque.
