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Raptors on Film: Analyzing what makes Brandon Ingram an underrated passer

2025-08-01T13:26:36-04:00

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

The Raptors have a new engine to power the offence, and it brings more than just an extra scoring gear.

When the Toronto Raptors traded for Brandon Ingram last season, it was clear the team missed the ‘break-glass-in-case-of-emergency’ type of skillset that defences fear.

DeMar DeRozan supercharged an unexpected We The North movement with his dizzying array of counters. Pascal Siakam blossomed into a mismatch nightmare during his last five years in Toronto. Kawhi Leonard showed fans what it looked like in all its perfection before he bolted for Los Angeles. Brandon Ingram is cut from a similar cloth. The six-foot-eight forward is gifted when it comes to shot creation.

There’s something else there that deserves attention. The Raptors, as mentioned earlier, had it too, and that’s Ingram’s passing ability. Since entering the league in 2016, Ingram has steadily improved as a facilitator. Over the last four seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, Ingram averaged 5.6 assists per game. As his game matured, Ingram figured out how to weaponize his shot-creation to open up passing lanes. The advanced numbers show it, too.

Assist percentage measures the percentage of a player’s teammates’ made shots that the player assisted on. Assist-to-usage ratio details how often a player recorded an assist, given how frequently he has the ball.

Ingram finished around the 97th percentile in assist percentage and comfortably in the top quartile for assist-to-usage ratio for all forwards in his final four seasons with the Pelicans.

Here’s a closer look at how Ingram dissects opposing defenders.

Midrange double teams

For all the questions that surround this year’s team, the one certainty may be Ingram’s astonishing midrange bag. Defences have graduated past the ‘hope he misses’ approach and occasionally send a second pair of arms to deter Ingram. The iteration of Ingram that the Raptors are getting understands where the soft spots are in the help coverage. He’s also demonstrated an ability to dissect double teams from this crowded area without four shooters on the court, something that bodes well for this Raptors team.

Pick-and-roll

Ingram’s otherworldly combination of scoring ability and length makes him an exhausting cover in the pick-and-roll. He’s a maestro with the ball in his hands, and it pops on film with his creative bounce passes that always seem to be in rhythm. Like Scottie Barnes, he can also make passes that others can’t because of his wingspan and height. Ingram is more of a perimeter threat than Barnes, and defences appropriately blitz him hard, which is when his length truly comes into play.

A feature-length film

There’s an exhaustive list of players with wingspans that front offices covet. But only a handful of those players have the vision to pair it up with. Ingram has an extensive portfolio of dimes that make fans wonder if he’s viewing the game through an ‘eye-in-the-sky’ 2K-type of camera. Even when Ingram leaves his feet - by choice or unintentionally - he’s still able to throw strikes from angles that shouldn’t be possible.

Break starter

Ingram is a fairly active weak-side defender and rebounder, which subsequently puts him in a position to ignite fast breaks. The film above is reminiscent of Barnes and Pascal Siakam teaming up for easy points in transition. When defences stifle the initial look in transition, Ingram’s ability to score from anywhere on the court eventually reveals secondary windows.

One skip away

Defenders respect Ingram’s scoring prowess off the dribble. Teams often ask their bigs to meet Ingram at near screen-depth, and have an off-ball defender tag the roller. This leaves the weak side corner susceptible to open looks. Ingram is an expert at getting the ball to the corner shooter with accuracy and velocity. We know Ochai Agbaji is elite in the corner role. Gradey Dick is above average when he’s confident. But can RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes - when he’s not in the screen action - be efficient in this spot, with the expectation that they’ll be on the court during crunch time with Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl?

Reviving dead-ball scenarios

Like many of the midrange greats, Ingram enjoys a good pump fake or two, but sometimes it leaves him stuck on an island. But even when Ingram picks up his dribble or jumps in the air, he’s still very much a problem for defences.

Five-out

It won’t be common this season, but there will be opportunities for the Raptors to showcase Ingram’s passing in five-out lineups. A unit that includes Quickly, Agbaji, Dick, and Mamukelashvili would be a fun group that unlocks additional spacing for Ingram, especially when Barnes and Barrett need a breather.

Set up shop

Ingram also enjoys operating out of the corner where opposing defences must cope with limited coverage options. Ingram still has access to his arsenal of midrange counters, but defences can only do so much when a clear-out cut is used or a screener gets involved.

Does “No Dogs” in Toronto still ring true?

2025-07-31T19:00:00-04:00

Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Patrick Beverley’s bold claims about the Raptors have been proven wrong in the aftermath of the 2024-25 season

The Toronto Raptors have had a long history of facing star guards in big moments for the team. Whether that was Allen Iverson in the 2001 Eastern Conference Semi’s or Steph Curry in the 2019 Finals, Toronto has had its fair share of contending with dangerous backcourts. Yet, in the past five years, one of the most notable guard confrontations with the Raptors did not take place on the basketball court: rather, on the podcasting circuit.

Patrick Beverly, the defensive specialist who most recently played for the Israeli team Hapoel Tel Aviv, had a viral moment in 2023, drawing attention with his claim that the Raptors had “no dogs” on their team, specifically referring to a lack of fear he felt about Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby.

Are there no dogs in the 6️⃣? pic.twitter.com/sB9r2TBW0h
— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) October 23, 2023

He would go on to reiterate this point after his then-team, the Philadelphia 76ers, defeated the Raptors on October 28th, 2023, where Beverly put up two points. However, the state of the league is almost two years removed from that incident, and almost everything about the situation of all parties involved has changed. So, with the value of hindsight, an examination of the current state of affairs is in order to determine the validity of such a statement in 2025.

In the months that followed the comments, the two maligned Raptors, Siakam and Anunoby, would leave Toronto, traded respectively to the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks, while Beverly would join the Milwaukee Bucks the next year for his final season of NBA basketball before leaving to play overseas. In the time since then, Siakam became the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals MVP while helping lead the Pacers to the Finals, holding out for 7 games against eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Anunoby has reached similar heights this year, helping guide the New York Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000, where he and the Knicks would eventually fall to Siakam and the Pacers.

Beverly would meanwhile average 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in Israel before leaving his Tel Aviv club to resume status as a free agent. He is currently not signed to an NBA roster.

Trying to define what a “dog” is in the world of basketball cannot be done by any one metric. Does being a dog playing gritty defence? Does it mean having a dangerous personality, one that you’d hate to cross paths with on the basketball court, or in that metaphorical dark alley? Does it mean putting up great numbers, or having the killer mentality so many superstars are famed for?

Well, if you consider all of those things together, and consider Anunoby having put up his highest points per game in New York while grabbing a steal and a half, alongside Siakam becoming an All-Star and an NBA finalist this year, you’d be hard pressed to find a “dogish” quality that they don’t have, other than the nasty personalities.

But yet, the question remains: do the Raptors currently have any dogs on their roster? This season will be the real test of that. The Raptors went on to miss the playoffs with an injury-riddled roster in 2024-25, winning 30 games in their first full season without Siakam and Anunoby. However, going into the 2025-26 season, having bolstered their roster with former Most Improved Player Brandon Ingram, and entering the pre-season with a largely healthy roster, this year will be the real test to see if the Raptors, as currently constructed, have a chance to make noise in the Eastern Conference.

The notion that the Raptors did not have any “dogs” on their team in 2023 has been thoroughly disproven by the success of those former Raptors in this year’s playoffs, but the nature of this coming year’s team is still yet to be determined on the hardwood. Meanwhile, Patrick Beverly’s time apart from professional basketball may allow for him to turn either to introspection (or his podcast) to further deliberate on what it means to be a dog in the NBA. Perhaps the examples of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby may prove good cases to study.

Toronto Raptors have waived one of their young players

2025-07-31T16:08:22-04:00

Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Journeyman centre Castleton off roster as centre picture for 2025-26 season becomes clearer

The Toronto Raptors waived Colin Castleton on July 28th, 2025.

Coming off a turbulent sophomore season, the big man played eleven games for the Toronto Raptors, posting averages of 7.2 points and 6.9 rebounds on two 10-day contracts before a brief stint with the Philadelphia 76ers to finish off the year. Castleton has now played for four teams in the NBA, after earlier terms with the LA Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies.

Before entering the league, Castleton played for both the Michigan Wolverines and Florida Gators in the NCAA. Breaking out in 2021 with the Gators, Castleton led the SEC in blocks with 3.0 per game in the 2022-23 season, while also leading his team in points and rebounds.

The twenty-five-year-old’s departure is indicative of the Raptors’ restructuring at the 5 this offseason, after ringing in Canada Day by signing free agent Sandro “Mamu” Mamukelashvili, and seeing Ulrich Chomche demonstrate potential off the bench at Summer League. Castleton started several games in Summer League, but frequently played the fewest minutes of any starter on the team. With centre Jakob Poeltl locked in for a long-term extension after posting career highs of points and rebounds in the 2024-25 season, the future of the team at the centre position is secure.

Due to all that, the Raptors announced they had let go of Castleton earlier this week. As we approach the lull of August before training camp picks up, more and more about the Raptors’ roster is becoming clear. This season will likely be the first time we get a full look at the core of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley.

Prized for defensive upside, Colin Castleton may yet come to find his place in the league, but for now, that place is not in the current Raptors’ roster.

Toronto Tempo launch Fan Club with exclusive perks

2025-07-29T11:52:11-04:00

Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

The WNBA’s Canadian franchise continues to prepare for its inaugural season in 2026.

We are another step closer to welcoming the WNBA to Toronto!

On Tuesday, the Toronto Tempo launched their Fan Club, which advertises exclusive perks for members such as giveaways, merchandise, access to a fan section at games and more. This is just the latest step in the franchise’s efforts to engage the fan base before tipoff in 2026.

The Tempo also held “Tempo Live” earlier in the year, where fans could buy merchandise, meet staff members, and also attend community events such as pickup basketball games, workshops, and panels.

The WNBA has been expanding at full speed, starting with the Golden State Valkyries, who entered the league officially this season. Their home-game atmosphere at “Ballhalla,” as they are calling their court, has quickly become one of the most fun places to be league-wide. The Tempo were the second expansion team announced after the Valkyries, followed by the Portland Fire — both teams are set to join the WNBA in 2026. Last month, the WNBA announced that three more expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia would all join the league by 2030.

The Toronto Tempo will be the WNBA’s first international expansion franchise. After two successful preseason games in Toronto and Edmonton, the WNBA will also play a regular season game in Vancouver this month — the league’s first international regular season game. The effort to bring women’s basketball across Canada aligns with the Tempo’s efforts to ensure all of Canada feels included in the team’s historic entrance into the WNBA.

Expansion preparations are full-speed ahead despite the WNBA’s ongoing contract negotiations with the Players’ Union. Their current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires in October, and a new deal has yet to be reached. At the WNBA All-Star Game a few weeks ago, players met with league officials to attempt to progress negotiations, but by the players’ accounts, it didn’t help much. The players then showed up to All-Star Game warmups wearing “Pay Us What You Owe Us” shirts. Among many negotiation points, the players are asking for increased revenue share from the WNBA, which currently sits at 9.3% compared to the NBA’s 49-51% share.

While the Tempo aren’t officially participating in this WNBA season, this may affect their opening season if a deal is not reached. The WNBPA has been vocal about being open to a work stoppage in the form of a strike or lockout. If a deal is not reached, this stoppage could leak into the 2026 WNBA season, when both Toronto and Portland are supposed to start playing.

There is still time to avoid this, though, and efforts to build hype around the Tempo’s entrance into the league continue. On the backend, the Tempo have been hiring staff in various departments, including basketball operations, ticket sales, and marketing. A search for the franchise’s first head coach is almost definitely going on behind the scenes, and once the current WNBA season ends, the focus will shift to the upcoming expansion draft as well as a highly anticipated free agency period.

Admission to the Toronto Tempo’s Fan Club is currently $50.00 (CAD) and can be purchased on their website.

A new look coming for Raptors HQ in August

2025-07-24T12:00:00-04:00

Our coverage remains the same but with a new look

In just a couple of weeks, Raptors HQ is switching to a new platform as part of SB Nation’s network-wide move to a new publishing platform. This will change the look of the site and also make it faster and more reliable on any device you use. This is an upgrade.

When you land on the site, it will look cleaner – less clunky, with more white space, a better ad experience with faster load times – but will still have all the usual articles, analysis, and news by all the folks you know.

Community discussion and content created by you will be more prominent in the new design. The best comment threads will be easy to find, and staff and commenters alike will be able to start conversations whenever they like with a brand new tool.

We’re planning on an early August reveal, so we wanted to give you a heads up. You’ll hear more from us when it’s almost here. The site will look a little different, feel a little faster, and, most importantly, have a bigger role for you, the community.

So, stick around and check it out!

Toronto Raptors are relocating again ahead of 2025 season

2025-07-22T13:02:21-04:00

Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors kick off their preseason schedule with a game against the Denver Nuggets on October 6.

A fan-favourite Toronto Raptors tradition is their annual training camp trip — when the team relocates for a week to kick off the season. This year, the team will be spending a week in Calgary, Alberta, they announced today. Moving into the University of Calgary facilities, the team will hold closed-door practices from September 30 - October 2, and then open it up to fans for their annual Open Practice on October 3. This will be a chance for the Calgary community to see the Raptors live and in person, in an event where the team holds a light-hearted practice for the public.

From there, the Raptors will then travel further West to Vancouver, BC. They will kick off their preseason schedule with a game against the Denver Nuggets at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on October 6. Fans can get more information about purchasing tickets for this game at NBA.com/CanadaSeries.

“This will be the seventh time we’ve started our year with a preseason game in Vancouver, and we’re really excited to be back to tip off the 2025-26 season. We love the vibe, the city, the arena and especially the fans,” Raptors General Manager Bobby Webster said. “Part of the experience is seeing the players on our young team realize how much support the Raptors have across Canada. It’s awesome – the realization that they play for a country, not just a city, is an important moment. It’s also really fun. We’re looking forward to being back.”

After the game on October 6, the Raptors will continue their preseason in Sacramento, California, against the Kings on Wednesday October 8. They’ll return to Toronto for their first preseason game at Scotiabank Arena on Friday October 10, before heading to Washington and Boston for games on October 12 and 15. They will wrap up their preseason schedule on October 17 at home against Brooklyn.

The Raptors are not the only team playing preseason games in various locations. The NBA will again hold two games between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers in Abu Dhabi on October 2 and 4, as well as a series of games between the New Orleans Pelicans and teams in the Australian NBL in Melbourne on October 3 and 5. Then on October 10-12, the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns will play a series in Macao, China.

The NBA regular season begins on October 21, but the team schedules have not been released yet. Last season, the Raptors opened their season the day after the season officially tipped off.

The team also announced that the preseason broadcast schedule would be released at a later date. The Raptors are heading into their 31st NBA season in 2025-26, their first without Masai Ujiri on the staff in over a decade, and one in which the expectation will be to make the playoffs.

Raptors fall in final Summer League game

2025-07-19T18:31:11-04:00

Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter both led offensively, but it wasn’t enough to earn Toronto a trip to the finals.

The Toronto Raptors played their fifth and final game of Summer League against the Sacramento Kings, dropping the contest 98-88. The score truly doesn’t communicate how close this game was at times, with the Raptors making multiple efforts to come back. Despite a 22 point deficit, they jumped to within a single possession repeatedly. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough, and their time in Las Vegas comes to an end.

Sacramento, a two-time Summer League champion, is looking to become the only third-time champion. They were aggressive from the start of this game, moved the ball well to find their shots, and were able to build a substantial lead early on. They never lost their composure, leading wire to wire to clinch their spot in the finals.

Isaac Jones, an un-drafted sophomore led all scorers with 36 points. His size and athleticism allowed him to dominate in the paint. His timing on cuts and ability to draw fouls also helped him generate offence that the Raptors struggled to find an answer for. Mason Jones chipped in 17 points, including a trio of 3-pointers that helped lift the Kings’ scoring.

For Toronto, Ja’Kobe looked to be struggling initially in a similar fashion to Thursday, but fell into rhythm after watching his first long-range shot fall. He began to drive the offence, scoring 10 of the Raptors’ first 16 points. He went on to finish with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals, but he fouled out in the fourth shortly after Ulrich Chomche.

YEAAHHH Ja'Kobe pic.twitter.com/LBGJmjSU3a
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) July 19, 2025

Jamal Shead, Jamison Battle, and Alijah Martin all scored in double figures as well, helping drive the Raptors’ scoring. The absence of A.J. Lawson was certainly felt, in addition to the whistle that limited playing time for those who did suit up.

Backdoor cuts and alley-oops were the Raptors’ initial downfall, letting the Kings generate a double-digit lead. Turnovers and shooting troubles contributed, making it look as though Toronto started this game on their heels. In the final minutes of the second quarter they righted the ship. Down 30-42, a timeout reinvigorated their defence, and they started to chip away, play by play to bring the game within two possessions.

JB FOR 3 pic.twitter.com/9mf96onXcn
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) July 19, 2025

After halftime, the Kings made adjustments that allowed them to ignite their offence and the Raptors stalled. By the end of the third quarter, a 15-point deficit loomed.

The Raptors never went away in terms of effort, picking up full court and frustrating the Kings’ ball handlers. They forced double digit turnovers in the final quarter, almost mounting a complete comeback.

DEFENCE ➡️ OFFENCE pic.twitter.com/m27l7i2B6j
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) July 19, 2025

Despite the loss, we can still manage a few takeaways from this contest:

Collin Murray-Boyles had another solid performance for the Raptors despite early foul trouble. It always takes time for rookies in the league to be able to guard aggressively without every little thing being called. It also takes time for them to build discipline on the defensive end. He isn’t there yet, made obvious by the 3 personal fouls he earned within the first 12 minutes. Despite that, his defensive chops meant that James Wade had enough faith in him to leave him in the game, at least for a bit, to play out his visible frustration. He finished with 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks, including this one at the start of the game:

️ DEFENCE pic.twitter.com/HaaKLnKLeE
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) July 19, 2025

Jamal Shead exploded in this game for one of his best performances in a Raptors’ uniform thus far. His presence on the floor was obvious on both ends, helping orchestrate better ball movement and scoring on offence and locking in defensively to deny Sacramento. He finished with a double double, scoring 24 points, grabbing 4 boards, and dishing out 12 assists. While it wasn’t enough to give Toronto a win, it was really promising in terms of his abilities as a back-up point guard for the club this season. He even managed some high-pressure 3-point shooting, something everyone hopes to see more of from him.

BIG 3 FROM JAMAL pic.twitter.com/luDTPcHQTK
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) July 19, 2025

Undoubtedly the most obvious issue in this matchup was Toronto’s offence. The major lulls made it impossible to stay within striking distance. Solid defence matters only so much when you can’t make any plays at the other end. This has been a common theme throughout the Raptors’ season and now in Summer League as well, raising questions of who is able to contribute scoring. Shead and Walter have both presented themselves as options, but without help and consistent ball movement, it appears as though this will continue to be the outcome of games. Shooting 9-31 from 3-point range and 21-30 from the free-throw line aren’t going to be part of a winning recipe. Of course, with the rest of the summer, this will likely be a big part of their focus.

Although they went to Vegas with hopes to become champions and came up short, so much of this run was productive and encouraging. The growth of the sophomores, the defensive effort, and the spark of the Raptors’ new identity can hopefully keep everyone going until the season tips off in October.

Raptors secure Summer League semifinal berth

2025-07-18T01:00:27-04:00

Photo by Ian Maule/NBAE via Getty Images

Collin Murray-Boyles’ best performance so far helps lift Raptors to a dominant win over Golden State

The Toronto Raptors’ fourth Summer League matchup had them toe-to-toe with the Golden State Warriors. With the Summer League Championship playoff on the line, the Raptors showed up and delivered. With a 81-69 win, they will now advance to the semifinals.

This was a game of defence and grittiness, with both teams showing a high level of effort on that end of the floor. In the first half alone, there were 30 fouls, with the whistle sounding often to try and slow some of the physicality in this contest.

The incentive for the defensive effort was clear, as both teams struggled shooting. Toronto finished with 32.5% from the field and 14.3% from long range while Golden State’s numbers were 32.8% and 27.6% respectively. Transition scoring was vital for both teams, leading to a frenetic pace for much of the game when it wasn’t paused by free throws.

STEAL & SLAM to end the 2nd quarter pic.twitter.com/7a54Dvveg5
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) July 18, 2025

Despite Jonathan Mogbo being scratched from this game due to a right hand sprain, his presence on the bench was felt, often on his feet and encouraging the Raptors’ aggressive defence and rim-rattling dunks. He captained the energy on the bench that continues to go all out to support their squad.

There was plenty to celebrate. Collin Murray-Boyles really came alive tonight, doing everything the Raptors needed. Jamison Battle had a strong performance with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 stocks. Alijah Martin bounced back as well to finish with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. A.J. Lawson, who has arguably been one of the best players in Summer League, once again did a little bit of everything: 12 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.

YEAHHHHH AJ‼️ pic.twitter.com/V3Dg5XR8sX
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) July 18, 2025

For the Warriors, Alex Toohey had a strong and versatile performance, ending with 8 points and 4 rebounds. Chris Manon led Golden state, scoring 14 points to go along with 9 rebounds. They split their first four games, taking themselves out of contention but will still play a fifth game based on their position in the standings.

Although it wasn’t a pretty game, there are three big takeaways from this one:

Collin Murray-Boyles had his best game so far as a Raptor as he continues to adjust to the NBA level. He was virtually single-handedly keeping the Raptors in the game at times. In the first half he was the only player to be able to consistently score. In the third quarter, he helped trigger a 8-point Raptors run through forced turnovers, offensive rebounding, and decisive scoring that helped build momentum. His former coach from South Carolina, Lamont Paris, joined the broadcast to reiterate everything that has been said about CMB since the draft. He spoke specifically about Collin’s basketball IQ and defence, both of which were on full display tonight. At the buzzer, he led all scorers with 20 points. Along with that, he had 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals.

GET UP ROOK!!! pic.twitter.com/gz9EWN3Zg2
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) July 18, 2025

Now that the defensive system and identity seems to be working for the Raptors, it’s time they start to hone their offensive skills. It’s remarkable that they were kept in this game at all with their shooting struggles. They relied heavily on momentum swings and stretches where they were able to score off turnovers and in transition, but not reliably against a set defence. This has been the theme for a while now, often resorting to isolation plays that make the drought worse. They play their best when the ball is moving, guys are cutting, and they’re finding the best shot. There were flashes, but I’d like to see this development continue.

The Raptors have done it! They’re heading to the semifinals on Saturday. Not only that, but their point differential has placed them as the #1 seed. Before Summer League even started it was almost consensus that the Raptors were sending a stacked roster with lots of previous NBA talent to Las Vegas. They really showed up, making things miserable for every team they faced.

Tune in on Saturday at 4pm ET to watch as the Raptors face the Sacramento Kings, now one win away from the Summer League Championship.