Toronto is 3-1 and the No. 4 seed, with Kawhi Leonard sidelined until an estimated November 23 and a trip through Los Angeles, Denver and Milwaukee waiting after Friday's Cup game with Orlando. The defense says this team is legitimate, while the schedule and the jump shots argue for patience.
The Case for Belief
Through four games Toronto holds a 97.9 defensive rating and a plus-14.6 net rating. The Canadian Press, in a story carried by the Toronto Star, reported that the Raptors were allowing a league-low 102.5 points per game. Darko Rajakovic has called this the league's top defense and gave much of the credit to Jakob Poeltl, saying "Jak is our starter," according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN. This builds on what Toronto already was. Last season the Raptors went 46-36 with the league's fifth-ranked defense and only the 14th-ranked offense. The bench has also held up without Leonard. Ja'Kobe Walter is shooting 40.7 percent from deep, Collin Murray-Boyles is at 40.0, and Jamal Shead has absorbed a starter's workload. Toronto's power ranking climbed from 11th to 8th over the past week.
The Case for Caution
Look at who Toronto has beaten. The wins came against Chicago, Washington and an Orlando team without Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Isaac. The one loss came at Minnesota, and it was a 94-117 defeat. The two players carrying the offense are not shooting well. Barnes is at 12.5 percent from three and RJ Barrett at 22.2. Poeltl is giving 2.8 points and 4.5 boards in 19.5 minutes, and Trayce Jackson-Davis is pushing him for time. Nate Bittle is out until at least November 2. With payroll at $201.2 million, above the $200.4 million tax line, the front office has little room to add help in midseason.
Signal Versus Noise
The 62-20 pace is noise, but the defense is real, because it doesn't depend on Leonard. It comes from Barnes's range, Poeltl's positioning and a young rotation willing to guard. The offense is still an open question. Barnes and Barrett will shoot better than this, but until Leonard is back, no one on the roster can reliably create a good look late in the shot clock. So the answer is a qualified yes. Toronto is a good team whose ceiling depends on a 35-year-old's left knee. The road trip from November 1 to 6 is the first fair test. If the defense holds up against the Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets and Bucks, the start is real. If it doesn't, the first week was mostly about a soft schedule.
When will Kawhi Leonard return for the Raptors?
He is out with a left knee issue, and his estimated return date is November 23. On October 29 Rajakovic said there was still no firm timetable and that Leonard would be reevaluated.
Do the Raptors really have the NBA's best defense?
So far, yes. Toronto has a 97.9 defensive rating through four games, and the Canadian Press reported that it was allowing a league-low 102.5 points per game.
