Raptors Nightly

Kawhi Leonard is a Raptor again. He is 35 and starting his 15th season. Last season he averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 65 games. He shot 38.7 percent from three and had a plus-minus of 5.2. Scottie Barnes is still the everyday engine. He played 80 games last season and averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 33.5 minutes. His three-point shooting, 30.4 percent, is the part of his game to watch. RJ Barrett scored 19.3 points a game over 57 games last season. Immanuel Quickley added 16.4 points and 5.9 assists in 70 games and shot 37.4 percent from deep. With four players who scored at least 16 a game last season, the Raptors have more shot creation than the roster that won 46 games.

Three rotation players from last season are gone. Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick are now with the Clippers. Sandro Mamukelashvili is with the Lakers. Toronto sees both of those teams in the first two weeks: it beat the Clippers 114-106 in an Oct. 10 tune-up and plays at the Lakers on Nov. 1. The depth now runs through young players. Ja'Kobe Walter, 22, shot 40.9 percent from three last season in 72 games. Collin Murray-Boyles, 21, averaged 8.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in 57 games. Jamal Shead played all 82 games and handed out 5.4 assists in 22.6 minutes. Kyle Anderson, 33, and Trayce Jackson-Davis add veteran size at forward. Rookies Allen Graves and Jaden Bradley are also on the roster, along with Alijah Martin, Jamison Battle and Malachi Smith.

Jakob Poeltl is still the starting center. He is 31 and in his 10th season. Last season he averaged 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in 25.0 minutes, but he played only 46 games. Keeping him on the floor matters, because the depth behind him is thin right now. Nate Bittle, a rookie center, is listed as out with a right foot and leg injury. His estimated return is Oct. 28, the first Orlando game. If that holds, he would miss the Washington and Minnesota games. Jackson-Davis and Murray-Boyles are the most likely fill-ins in the frontcourt until then. Anderson can also play some small-ball minutes at the four. Bittle's status matters for the roster count too, given the reported move to put him on a two-way deal.

The front office made several moves before the opener. On Oct. 20, the Raptors were reported to have picked up their 2027-28 options on Murray-Boyles and Walter. That keeps both young players under team control for another season. On Oct. 17, Blake Murphy reported that Toronto converted Bittle to a two-way contract and waived five players. Three days earlier, the Raptors were reported to have waived two-way big man Trey Jemison. The team also appeared in injury notes on Oct. 20 and in a minor-moves roundup on Oct. 16. The Raptors were mentioned in Fischer's Oct. 22 notes as well. None of those items points to a trade. For now, the 16 players on the roster are the group that opens the season in Washington.

Toronto played five games in the run-up to the opener. It beat the Clippers 114-106 on Oct. 10 and blew out the Knicks 148-98 on Oct. 13. Then it lost two close road games, 122-120 at New York on Oct. 15 and 129-125 at Detroit a night later. The last tune-up was a 135-92 home win over Chicago on Oct. 21. Those results do not count, but the scoring fits with last season. The Raptors averaged 114.6 points a game in 2025-26, with an offensive rating of 115.0 and a defensive rating of 112.1, good for a net rating of 2.9. Pace was 99.2. Their effective field goal rate was 54.6 percent and their true shooting was 58.1 percent. The goal now is to turn that profile into more wins than last season's 46.