TORONTO — When you think of what a Toronto Raptor looks like, how a Raptor plays, what feeling or emotion they embody, a few images come to mind. The stubbornness of a Kyle Lowry, the versatility of a Scottie Barnes, the win-by-any-means defensive relentlessness of a Collin Murray-Boyles.
In that, Kawhi Leonard has always been the superstar who best exemplifies the Raptors. It’s not about the flair in Toronto, or shine over substance; it’s a lunchpail and hard-hat style of play, one that Leonard's game over the years best suits.
So it only makes sense that, with the 2019 champ back in town, that side of the ball would be the Raptors’ calling card once more.
“We’re gonna be a top-five defensive team again,” head coach Darko Rajakovic asserted at Monday’s media day.
It’s not a bad bet, but he may be selling the team — and himself — short.
Under his guidance, the Raptors went from the 26th-ranked defence in the 2023-24 season (his first with the team) to the 17th in 2024-25, and finally, the fifth-best unit last year, capping things off with a 113.0 defensive rating.
Taking the top spot from the Oklahoma City Thunder, who finished with a 107.7 defensive rating last year, certainly won’t be an easy task, but with Barnes at the head and Leonard close behind, and with several contributors littered throughout, a four-spot climb up those end-of-year rankings, as compared to the bigger jumps the Raptors took in years prior, shouldn’t be too daunting.
At least Barnes doesn’t think so.
“Dangerous,” Barnes said of how he thinks the Raptors’ defence will look this season. “We can be real dangerous on that end of the floor. Just with our personnel, we got guys that move their feet really well, picking up full court. It’s starting from 94 feet throughout the whole game. We just got bodies and bodies, that’s gonna be able to work. With our personnel, we’re gonna be trying a lot of different things and seeing what works.”
Motivating Barnes to take another step on defence is his snub from last year’s NBA awards ceremonies.
Though he earned a spot on the NBA’s all-defensive squad for the first time in his five-year career, he had to settle for a place on the second team. That’s despite finishing with the third-most defensive win shares (4.5), sixth-best defensive box plus-minus (2.3), and a highlight-compilation of buzzer-beating blocks.
To Rajakovic, that second-team finish was “not fair — he deserved to be on the first all-defensive team,” but to Barnes, it felt more like disrespect than a question of fairness.
“I feel like I’m… I know I’m one of the best defensive players in the world,” he said, taking a confident tone indicative of the self-assuredness you’d want from a No. 1 option. “I wanna say how I really feel. It just felt kind of disrespectful that I didn’t make it [onto the first-team all-defence]. I know for sure I’ll be on there this year, make that statement.”
It’s not about feeling anymore, it’s about having that degree of certainty, that not only can they contend with any team on any given night, that they can beat any team on any given night. That all starts with defence.
“It’s gonna be real scary,” Barnes said.
I want to be a part of it, New York, New York
Ask DeMar DeRozan, it’s never easy watching the team you helped build win a title without you.
While not a one-for-one situation, given that RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley are a couple years removed from their time in New York, watching the Knicks finally scale the mountain after a 53-year wait could be bittersweet for Toronto’s ex-Big Apple brothers.
But there’s no bad blood from Barrett and Quickley, rather, a sense of pride that, in their own way, they played a role in helping marching bands of Manhattan sound their drums once more.
“I still have a lot of friends over there, so, you know, I was kind of happy for them. That they’re able to achieve that,” Barrett said of the Knicks’ NBA championship. “Also because, when I got drafted, the team was horrible. And then I’ve been to the playoffs twice over there, so I definitely was able to have a small part in them getting to where they are now, so I felt a little pride in that. The mayor shouted out Quick and I, so I have a little pride in just being able to help something like that.”
Added Quickley: “I’m just a fan of basketball. Period. So just to see high-level basketball [was exciting]. I was with a lot of those guys for like three or four years. So just seeing hard work… it just pays off. You see guys work day in and day out, it just keeps my aspirations high, because you never know when it’s gonna be your turn. So you gotta continue to come into work every single day.”
Well, with the expectations for the Raptors this year, outlined by general manager Bobby Webster, Rajakovic, and Toronto’s star duo of Leonard and Barnes, it could very well be their turn this season.
Quickley, who had to sit out the first-round series against the Cavaliers last May, worked heavily on his inside scoring this summer, trying to figure out better driving angles and add layers to his more perimeter-oriented game.
Barrett, meanwhile, spent the summer away from the Canadian men’s senior team, but took a more all-around approach to improving. Heading into his eighth season in the NBA, he’s confident in his ability to affect winning, but feels there’s more to come, especially after watching New York break the glass ceiling.
“It definitely motivated [me] to get the job done over here,” Barrett said of watching the Knicks. "I think we have a good team and we’re starting to have enough experience to get it done.”
Always room to grow
Trading for Leonard was an all-in move, a window being forced open. That doesn’t mean that the Raptors are anything close to a finished product, however.
Age-wise, the Raptors are all over the spectrum. Leonard, on-paper, is past his prime heading into his age-35 season — his MVP-calibre play last season would beg to differ— and Jakob Poeltl is officially on the wrong side of 30; Barrett and Quickley, 26 and 27, respectively, are firmly in their prime, while Barnes is just on the brink at 25; and youngsters Murray-Boyles, Ja’Kobe Walter and Allen Graves represent the next group of contributors.
Despite the generational divide, in Rajakovic’s eyes, there’s room to grow, regardless of age and win-now expectations.
"What really excites me is the development of every other player on the team,” Rajakovic said, making it clear that Leonard isn’t the only straw that stirs this drink. “Jamal [Shead], Quickley, RJ — you saw how he took a step in the playoffs, we expect him to continue there — CMB, we added Allen Graves who’s also great defensively with his disruption and creating steals. When Jak [Poeltl] is healthy, when he’s on the court, he helps us defensively tremendously. I think this summer, watching Jamison Battle, I thought that he improved a lot. Ja’Kobe Walter, he’s a proven defensive player.
“As you can see, it’s not one player that’s gonna change a lot, but it’s a contribution of all the guys together.
It’s been a summer of work for everyone in Toronto. Murray-Boyles improved his shooting and offensive play, Poeltl worked on his conditioning after a year on and off the injured list, Walter “skipped leg days but he did not skip any arms,” according to Rajakovic, adding that he put on 10 pounds of muscle. Even Rajakovic himself put his nose to the grindstone, leading by example and cutting 10 pounds.
“I think, having those years… to really build up everybody that’s here now — to turn them into the players they’ve become and gain confidence — has really helped us be in this position right now,” Poeltl said of the importance of development in the past and present. “There was a process, and I’m really happy that we’re in a situation now where we can hopefully reap some of the fruits of our labour… The expectations are high but we’re excited for it.”
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