TORONTO, CANADA – JANUARY 15: Darko Rajakovic, head coach of the Toronto Raptors, talks with Scottie Barnes #4, Immanuel Quickley #5, and RJ Barrett #9 during the second half of their NBA game against the Boston Celtics at Scotiabank Arena on January 15, 2024 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
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If you’ve been consuming any offseason NBA content, you’ve probably heard that the Eastern Conference projects to be pretty wide open this year. We know that the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks have title aspirations. But after them, I could see a handful of different teams make some noise.
The Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, and Miami Heat all made moves this summer in the hopes of capitalizing on the East’s weakened state (caused by devastating injuries to Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton).
Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors largely stayed out of the news cycle. Their main additions are their draft picks, Collin Murray-Boyles and Alijah Martin (who is on a two-way contract).
The reason they stayed so quiet is that they made their big move during the regular season – trading for All-Star forward Brandon Ingram at the 2025 deadline. However, injuries prevented Ingram from suiting up for the Raptors in 2024-25.
But now that Ingram is healthy, what kind of team does Toronto project to be in 2025-26?
2025-26 Toronto Raptors Strengths
Along with Ingram, the Raptors’ starting five appears to be Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl.
Similar to the Ingram situation, injuries have limited the Raptors’ four best players to just 374 minutes together over the last two seasons (per PBP Stats). The group performed decently well together in these minutes – posting a +3.9 net rating in that time. For reference, five-man lineups from 2024-25 with that net rating this season were right around league average. Still, given how little we’ve seen them all play with each other and the uncertainty of how Ingram fits alongside them, it is hard to say anything definitive about their ceiling based solely on this datapoint.
In theory, they project to be a strong defensive unit. Between the five of them, they wield a ton of size and athleticism. Quickley is the smallest of them, and he still boasts a 6’8 wingspan (per CraftedNBA).
Another thing this lineup has going for it is its members’ ability to create shots for themselves and their teammates. Quickley, Barrett, Ingram, and Barnes have all had seasons where they have averaged at least 17 PPG.
Toronto also has a bunch of youngsters who are on inexpensive deals (a stark deviation from their starters) and could add unexpected value to next season’s team. Murray-Boyles, Gradey Dick (more on him in a bit), Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, and Jonathan Mogbo (and Barnes, for that matter) are all 24 years or younger and could take a leap next season.*
(A note on Murray-Boyles: Draft evaluators are really excited about his defensive versatility. The Ringer even went as far as to compare him to memorable glue guys like Draymond Green, Metta World Peace, and Anthony Mason.)
2025-26 Toronto Raptors Weaknesses
While the Raptors have a ton of talent, there are serious questions about how it all fits together. Their current starters are all proven scorers and ball handlers, but outside of Quickley, none of them are above-average outside shooters. Barnes and Barrett are sub-35% 3-point shooters for their careers. Poeltl has attempted just seven threes in his entire nine-year career. Ingram looked more eager to hoist triples last year (74th percentile in volume, per Dunks & Threes), but most of those were self-generated shots (26th percentile in assisted 3-pointers), so they do little to boost his team’s spacing.
As we’ve seen in the past (i.e., the 2013-14 Detroit Pistons), it is hard to build an efficient offense without spacing/shooting. Now, to his credit, head coach Darko Rajaković has done a phenomenal job of installing a movement-heavy offense in his last two seasons with Toronto (they were sixth in passes made last season). So, there is a world where he figures out a creative way to make this suboptimal amalgamation of talent work. But still, they were 25th in offensive rating last year. Even with the addition of Ingram, how much can they really improve from this ranking in a single season?
Guys like Ochai Agbaji, Dick, and Walter should help provide more balance here, but by bringing them up, we are met with another dilemma. Outside of their top five, there aren’t too many proven players on this roster. Yes, like we said, they have a lot of youth, and that means they have a lot of untapped potential. The drawback of that, though, is that there is a real chance that the potential never gets realized, at least not by the time next season rolls around. What kind of bench does this team have if Toronto can’t find a way to get at least two or three of the Rugrats to rise to the occasion?
This is why I think Dick is such an important player for them. He’s arguably the most dangerous shooter on the roster. In college, he hit 40.3% of his threes, and he’s placed in the top quadrant in 3-point volume in both of his NBA seasons. Plus, his size (6’9 wingspan) means that the Raptors wouldn’t be sacrificing one of their greatest strengths by having him on the floor.
Throughout the infancy stages of his life as a pro, Dick has had spurts of excellence. During his rookie year, Dick averaged 11.9 PPG on 56.6% true shooting in his final 34 games. And then, in his first 27 games as a sophomore, Dick averaged 17.6 PPG on 55.2% TS. In Year Three, Dick needs to turn these moments into a full season of efficient play if the Raptors are going to push for a play-in/playoff spot.
The Bottom Line
The Raptors are a young team with size and recognizable personnel. There is a world where they stay healthy, blend their core players well, and receive significant contributions from their inexperienced supporting cast. In that version of the timeline, Toronto could be a mid-to-high 40-win team.
But the key there is that it would be a surprising outcome, not an expected one. Realistically, Toronto will be an above-average defense (not an elite one) that will be tied down by its lack of spacing and depth. In that instance, the Raptors will still be better than teams like the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Hornets, but struggle to usurp the seven teams we mentioned in the opening.