Don't sleep on the Toronto Raptors

The deal sending Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors is officially official. The Raptors were a good team last year but adding Leonard catapults them to legitimate Eastern Conference contenders status. Pairing Leonard with Scottie Barnes gives Toronto one of the best duo’s the league has. Is it enough to compete in a stacked Eastern Conference?

Outside of the big Leonard trade, the Raptors had a quiet offseason. The team drafted Allen Graves in the first round and signed Kyle Anderson as a free agent. However, the Leonard trade was a big one and he is a great fit for this Toronto team. An elite defensive player, low turnover offensive player who can be a high-level number 1 option is just what the doctor ordered for the Raptors. Kawhi was one of the best players in the league a season ago, averaging a career high 27.9 points per game along with 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Pairing him with Scottie Barnes gives Toronto a duo as good as any in the Eastern Conference. Barnes also had a huge year last season averaging 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per contest. I really like their fit together as both are elite defenders who can rebound the ball while their offensive styles are different. Barnes is a guy who likes to play fast and get downhill while Leonard is much more methodical in his approach. He can score at all three levels and is very good at getting to his spots no matter what. The Raptors duo is going to decide the ceiling of this team. However, they will need help on both sides of the basketball.

Jakob Poeltl had a bad season last year. He looked slow on his feet and spent much of last season injured. Since the Raptors gave him a big contract extension last summer, they are now locked into him for the next few seasons and they need him to bounce back. They do have versatility behind him as Collin Murray-Boyles is going to have a big role as the Raptors backup center (if Poeltl doesn’t improve, CMB might become the starter) and as a wing off the bench. Leonard, Barnes and Poeltl will be joined in the starting 5 by former Knicks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. In 423 minutes last year, the 4-man unit of Quickley, Barrett, Barnes and Poeltl was +9.4 per 100 possessions. Adding Leonard to that mix should only boost this roster. Ja’Kobe Walter and Jamal Shead will be relied upon a lot off of the bench this season. Those guys played well for the Raptors last season and Toronto will need them to follow it up with good years this year. Toronto is relying on those players because the depth isn’t great. Kyle Anderson will have a role but he is nothing to write home about at this point in his career and first round pick Allen Graves is a player Toronto could really benefit from being ready to play right away.

The Raptors will be an improved offensive team. When you add a player like Leonard to replace Brandon Ingram, it makes everyone’s lives easier. Scottie Barnes is now the 2nd option and Immanuel Quickley is back after he missed the Raptors first round series against the Cavaliers, a series Toronto lost in 7 games. Those three guys will boost the offense in a real way and I think they should be either in the top 10, or just outside the top 10 in offensive efficiency. One reason you can be concerned about the Raptors offense is the shooting around the three best offensive players. Walter has shown the ability to knock down threes but other than him, who is the catch and shoot guy on the Raptors? RJ Barrett is going to need to make some threes this year or he could become an interesting name at the deadline if Toronto decides they need more shooting.

The defense is going to be good. I think the lineups with Leonard, Barnes and CMB are going to be so much fun to watch on that end of the floor. They are all good perimeter defenders who can switch and also do a pretty solid job on the glass. Toronto as a whole is a really switchable defense who can create a ton of issues for teams using their length on the wings. I do think we should mention Jakob Poeltl being the only true center on the roster. The Eastern Conference has a lot of really good bigs and Toronto doesn’t. However, I do think Murray-Boyles showed he is up for the challenge of playing the 5. Leonard and Barnes are also really versatile defenders who can guard on the ball and effect the game off the ball using their length and strength to impact big men on a nightly bias. With that said, it would really help the Raptors if Poeltl could play some defense this year. He remains their best rim protector and defensive rebounder. While the Raptors can be a good defense without Poeltl, they can maximize their defense if he is playing well on that end. 

With that said, I do think Toronto is going to be a tough team to play in a playoff series. Obviously Leonard’s health will always be a point of discussion but to Kawhi’s credit he’s been healthy for the last year and a half, since returning from right knee surgery on January 4th, 2025. I think New York, Philly and Boston are the three best teams in the conference but all of those teams, even the defending champion Knicks, have questions and the Raptors could have the best duo in the conference. I’d still take Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns but Leonard and Barnes are both elite two-way players who make so many winning plays and should compliment each other very well. I’d like to see them split the Barrett contract into two guys as the trade deadline approaches. The Clippers giving up Max Strus and Kris Dunn for Barrett is an example of a deal I would like to see the Raptors make. If they do that, I think Toronto would need to be taken seriously as a legit threat in the east. Even if the Raptors don’t make a trade, this is a really good team that I think is going to be better than some might be expecting.