From Louis:

“At long last preseason has mercifully ended. When an NBA team is full of plucky youngsters, preseason can be exceptionally fun. Watching camp battles, and seeing how rookies adjust to the physicality of NBA players: such things have their time and place. But the Toronto Raptors are hunting for bigger game, and such targets only appear in the regular season. Hopefully, in the playoffs, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

So the Raptors rested their top eight against a Detroit Pistons squad that was fielding its full complement, and they almost came away with the win. Fun! Here’s who made it happen.

1. Malachi Smith

Smith is a smooth guard with a number of ways to score. His jumper is hot fire, and he hit 4-of-7 from deep against the Pistons. But his handle is also quite advanced, at least as far as it goes for guards fighting to make the NBA. He showed off a devastating in-and-out dribble in the second half against the Pistons that created an uncontested layup. He just has a sense of what needs to happen on the court. At one point late, he drove to the rim and threw a bounce pass along the baseline to the corner. Smith watched his teammate drive and scampered to fill that very same corner behind the ball. He caught the shovel pass and drained the triple.

Smith has some flaws, to be sure. His handle is inconsistent, and he was picked in the open court. He took awkward paths to finishing, which often meant he wrong-footed himself and had no burst left to combat the help defender, leading to him getting blocked. But he’s got game. He does have athleticism, and in the open court he tossed a gorgeous up-and-under layup into the net. He has size and rebounded well. Smith has shown he’s a guy worth keeping in the franchise.

2. Nimari Burnett

Burnett plays like he knows what’s happening on the court. It’s rare for non-NBA players to be so heady, but Burnett just knows where to be. He was one of Toronto’s toothiest defenders against Detroit, and he was able to jump passing lanes and even protect the rim as a helper, high-pointing a layup attempt for a proper NBA-caliber guard in Daniss Jenkins. He battled on the glass and won some contested ones against an extremely physical and athletic Pistons squad. He even took a charge. Burnett is long and smart, and that’s a functional combination.

And offensively, Burnett was fantastic. He scored efficiently, largely because he didn’t force anything, hit his jumpers, and drew free throws. Because he cut well and finished in traffic, he made things easier for his guards, who were, depending on who was initiating, over-matched against Detroit’s pressure.

Burnett is the type of player who makes his teammates better by virtue of being on the court. He will generally win his minutes as a result. He’s no isolation star, and it remains to be seen if he will have a role at the NBA level. But if the Raptors keep him in house, I would expect his presence to help facilitate development for his teammates on the 905. He’ll help them win games and improve everyone by being there. I would give Burnett a two-way contract if I were the decision-maker for the Raptors.”

Have a blessed day.

The post The Raptors have to get better at these things this season first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The roster now stands at 14 players, which is one that is able to be carried into the season. Burnett and Key especially stood out in preseason for stretches, but both are now likely destined for the Raptors 905. Here’s what I wrote about Burnett from Toronto’s final preseason game against the Detroit Pistons:

Burnett plays like he knows what’s happening on the court. It’s rare for non-NBA players to be so heady, but Burnett just knows where to be. He was one of Toronto’s toothiest defenders against Detroit, and he was able to jump passing lanes and even protect the rim as a helper, high-pointing a layup attempt for a proper NBA-caliber guard in Daniss Jenkins. He battled on the glass and won some contested ones against an extremely physical and athletic Pistons squad. He even took a charge. Burnett is long and smart, and that’s a functional combination.

And offensively, Burnett was fantastic. He scored efficiently, largely because he didn’t force anything, hit his jumpers, and drew free throws. Because he cut well and finished in traffic, he made things easier for his guards, who were, depending on who was initiating, over-matched against Detroit’s pressure.

Burnett is the type of player who makes his teammates better by virtue of being on the court. He will generally win his minutes as a result. He’s no isolation star, and it remains to be seen if he will have a role at the NBA level. But if the Raptors keep him in house, I would expect his presence to help facilitate development for his teammates on the 905. He’ll help them win games and improve everyone by being there. I would give Burnett a two-way contract if I were the decision-maker for the Raptors.

If that game against the Pistons is an indicator, the Raptors 905 — who fought the Pistons’ starters tooth and nail all game — should be a very strong team.

The Raptors have also signed Nate Bittle to a two-way contract, which makes him eligible to play for the Raptors as well as the Raptors 905. While he is currently in a walking boot, he has a medical appointment upcoming that, if all goes well, could mean he’s ready to go sooner rather than later. Bittle gives the Raptors size, shot-blocking, and floor-spacing on the offensive end. He is an insurance piece at the center spot, with the Raptors already able to play flexibly with Jakob Poeltl when they need to be big and Collin Murray-Boyles when they need to be small. But when anyone is hurt, Bittle should be able to capably step in and sop up minutes.

While Bittle didn’t play in Toronto’s preseason due to injury, you can read our own Samson Folk about him here.

The Raptors still have one two-way spot available, as well as one roster spot. There are likely moves yet to be made, though the team could easily carry this current iteration into the season and look to fill those slots in coming weeks.

Toronto’s regular season begins on Wednesday, as the Raptors host the Chicago Bulls to begin their 2026-27 season.

The post Raptors convert Nate Bittle to two-way contract, waive five others first appeared on Raptors Republic.

So the Raptors rested their top eight against a Detroit Pistons squad that was fielding its full complement, and they almost came away with the win. Fun! Here’s who made it happen.

1. Malachi Smith

Smith is a smooth guard with a number of ways to score. His jumper is hot fire, and he hit 4-of-7 from deep against the Pistons. But his handle is also quite advanced, at least as far as it goes for guards fighting to make the NBA. He showed off a devastating in-and-out dribble in the second half against the Pistons that created an uncontested layup. He just has a sense of what needs to happen on the court. At one point late, he drove to the rim and threw a bounce pass along the baseline to the corner. Smith watched his teammate drive and scampered to fill that very same corner behind the ball. He caught the shovel pass and drained the triple.

Smith has some flaws, to be sure. His handle is inconsistent, and he was picked in the open court. He took awkward paths to finishing, which often meant he wrong-footed himself and had no burst left to combat the help defender, leading to him getting blocked. But he’s got game. He does have athleticism, and in the open court he tossed a gorgeous up-and-under layup into the net. He has size and rebounded well. Smith has shown he’s a guy worth keeping in the franchise.

2. Nimari Burnett

Burnett plays like he knows what’s happening on the court. It’s rare for non-NBA players to be so heady, but Burnett just knows where to be. He was one of Toronto’s toothiest defenders against Detroit, and he was able to jump passing lanes and even protect the rim as a helper, high-pointing a layup attempt for a proper NBA-caliber guard in Daniss Jenkins. He battled on the glass and won some contested ones against an extremely physical and athletic Pistons squad. He even took a charge. Burnett is long and smart, and that’s a functional combination.

And offensively, Burnett was fantastic. He scored efficiently, largely because he didn’t force anything, hit his jumpers, and drew free throws. Because he cut well and finished in traffic, he made things easier for his guards, who were, depending on who was initiating, over-matched against Detroit’s pressure.

Burnett is the type of player who makes his teammates better by virtue of being on the court. He will generally win his minutes as a result. He’s no isolation star, and it remains to be seen if he will have a role at the NBA level. But if the Raptors keep him in house, I would expect his presence to help facilitate development for his teammates on the 905. He’ll help them win games and improve everyone by being there. I would give Burnett a two-way contract if I were the decision-maker for the Raptors.

3. Alijah Martin

If you squinted in the first half of the game, you might have mistaken Martin for Norman Powell. He has similar vertical burst and athletic pop, and he’s also relatively undersized for a slashing guard. He plays physically, and when his scoring clicks, it looks fantastic.

And that’s what happened in the first half of Toronto’s loss to the Pistons: his scoring clicked. He opened the game with a drive for a layup, which he followed with a late-clock, step-back, buzzer-beating triple. He hit a series of mid-rangers, some spinning around, some fading to his left. He drew free throws in transition trying to hammer home an extremely Powell-esque dunk during which he kind of fumbled the ball.

The athleticism didn’t go away even if the scoring quieted later in the game. John Collins was killing Toronto on rolls as a screener and on cuts from the dunker spot. Martin met him at the summit from the corner on a lob, which was called for a foul, but an undersized shooting guard has no business jumping with a pogo-stick power forward. Yet he had no trouble doing so. He finished with a relatively quiet statline of 15 points, one rebound, and two steals. But he set the tone for Toronto, keeping the Raptors alive early until other players like Smith and Burnett started picking up the slack.

Martin is a dog. I would be surprised if he doesn’t find himself in the Raptors’ rotation for a stretch of two or three games this season. He should have a role to play as an athletic, shot-making, defensive-minded combo guard.

The post Three standout performers from the Raptors’ 125-129 loss to the Pistons first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The Raptors rely on generation second-chance points to churn their offense. It’s one of the foundational pillars of a good offense, basically, in the modern NBA.

Allen Graves is going to help them excel at that this season.

Graves played his second pre-season game for the Raptors tonight, and seven of his eight rebounds were on the offensive side of the ball. He scored on most of them, too! It’s clear, after these two games, that his skillset as a rebounder is his day-one contribution on this Raptors team.

Alijah Martin, Nimari Burnett, Malachi Smith, Tyson Degenhart and Tyreke Key all showed out in the Raptors final pre-season game versus the 401 rivals, the Detroit Pistons, who played their entire rotation for the first half of the game.

In this episode, I break down how Graves gets to his rebounds, why Burnett and Nate Bittle are my picks for the final two-way spot for the Raptors, and Alijah Martin getting it done.

I’m excited for the 905 season after this game! Go get that chip!

The post Raptors vs. Pistons: Allen Graves makes his case first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Toronto Raptors

125 – 129

Detroit Pistons

A-	Trayce Jackson-Davis 29 MIN, 23 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 4-6 FG, 0-0 3FG, 15-16 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 10 +/- He was overmatched against Detroit’s starters and overpowered against its deep bench. He had a remarkably tough matchup against a bigger, stronger, and faster Jalen Duren. He gave up a straight-line drive to open the game, later another to Paul Reed. In the fourth quarter, he really opened up and scored a bundle. He drew free throws at will, and he threw in a line-drive spinning and-1 short jumper to keep Toronto within single digits.
B-	Allen Graves 23 MIN, 9 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 4-13 FG, 0-5 3FG, 1-4 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, -12 +/- He was physically overmatched against Detroit, getting pushed around pretty much all night (which included getting dunked on by John Collins), but he still found ways to contribute around the edges. Mostly on the offensive glass, as his jumper was way off. He struggled being guarded by Ausar Thompson, which, yeah. He didn’t stop trying, but his attempts to take it to him, or to pull up from midrange, or even to tip in his own misses were all wayward early. He got on the board with a putback dunk at the end of the first, then won an offensive rebound in a crowd for another garbage bucket.
D+	Jaden Bradley 30 MIN, 7 PTS, 3 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 2-7 FG, 0-1 3FG, 3-4 FT, 0 BLK, 4 TO, 3 +/- He mostly looked like he did at Summer League. He mostly wasn’t competitive against the Pistons’ far superior talent. He had his handle poked and bothered, and he had trouble finishing against Detroit’s size. At one point, he attacked north-south with his handle, drew help, and dumped it off to his bigs. He hid a middy in the third against a closeout.
A	Nimari Burnett 24 MIN, 17 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 4-9 FG, 3-7 3FG, 6-6 FT, 2 BLK, 2 TO, 7 +/- He had a phenomenal game, even hitting clutch triples in the fourth to drag Toronto back into the game. He took a charge on a driving Ausar Thompson in the first quarter, later tossed in a tough reverse layup of his own. He won extremely contested rebounds in traffic, gathered a steal by jumping a passing lane, blocked a driving layup from Jenkins. He’s a clever player who finds himself in the right spot more often than not.
A	Alijah Martin 22 MIN, 15 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 2 STL, 4-10 FG, 1-3 3FG, 6-6 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, -13 +/- Kept Toronto alive for a long stretch. A physical drive and finish to open Toronto’s game, which he followed with a late-clock, snatch-back step-back triple. (wow) Banged in a fading mid-ranger a few minutes later. After a rest he checked back in and hit a Lowryesque pivoting turnaround middy. His offence cooled off, but he was defensively very active, and even jumped right to the summit with John Collins on a lob that he broke up (though he was called for a foul). He quieted down later, but he had a very Norman Powellesque first half.
A-	Tyson Degenhart 30 MIN, 14 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 5-10 FG, 2-7 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -3 +/- Poor guy had Cade Cunningham dancing with him into a stepback triple, and later Okorie shook him out of his defensive stance in the fourth. On the other side, he had a nice turnaround from six feet after letting his man jump past him, and later a push shot in transition. He hit a late triple, and missed the next, but got his own rebound and called timeout before falling out of bounds.
D+	Jamarion Sharp 14 MIN, 3 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1-1 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-2 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, -14 +/- He just felt invisible. It was clear he was thinking about where to be more than organically intuiting it, which led to him reading the game slower than was required against Detroit’s athleticism. He couldn’t create offence out of pick and roll as the screener. At one point, he did have an enormous rejection from behind, which he followed by running the floor for a putback dunk.
A-	Tyreke Key 30 MIN, 13 PTS, 1 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 4-11 FG, 4-7 3FG, 1-1 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -5 +/- Extremely clutch for Toronto, and one of the best players in the second half, but he had to build up to that point. He had some good ideas early, with an attempted inside feed, and a cut layer from the opposite wing, but he didn’t finish either play correctly. Late in the first half he took a charge in transition. and he hit an impossible triple late in the third quarter, followed by a couple catch-and-shoot hits.
A	Malachi Smith 33 MIN, 24 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 8-17 FG, 4-7 3FG, 4-5 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 5 +/- His offensive output was reliable against a strong defence. He drove in straight lines to draw fouls. He hit a late-clock triple out of a broken play, then another from above the break, a third in the third quarter to stop a Pistons’ run. Midway through the fourth, he drove, found the corner, relocated to that same corner as his teammate drove, and hit the triple as it was shoveled back to him. He had a gorgeous in-and-out dribble that gave him a free layup, which was maybe the nicest isolation move of the night from a Raptor. He didn’t finish well against Detroit’s ungodly size, and his handle was loose at times, but he was one of Toronto’s only offensive players who held up against Detroit.
Inc	Jalen Celestine 6 MIN, 0 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 2 +/- He has a smooth lefty stroke, but he only managed to get one attempt out of a broken play early in the fourth, which he missed.
A	Darko Rajakovic Talk about having his bench guys ready to go. Against the Pistons’ real starters, the Raptors jumped out to a 9-2 lead. Compare that with Toronto’s starters massacring the Knicks’ bench a few days ago. That level of preparation and commitment to a meaningless game reflects remarkably well on Rajakovic. And eventually that lead dwindled, but the Raptors roared right back into it when Detroit rested its starters. Rajakovic had his team ready and bought in.

The post Quick Reaction: Raptors 125, Pistons 129 first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Raptors Outlook

Record: 2-2

Offensive Rating: 116.2 (6th)

Raptors previous results: New York Knicks vs Toronto Raptors  – 120 – 122 L

Toronto’s offense during this preseason has looked potent and refined and it has been easy to see the benefits that adding Kawhi Leonard has brought and he has been fully bought into the movement system that Darko Rajakovic has built. Scottie Barnes has looked comfortable as well in this offense and he and Leonard have shown that they can coexist on the floor together in their limited minutes on the floor thus far. Toronto may want to get one more dress rehearsal in before the season begins, given that their team has undergone a massive change this off-season.  

Pistons Outlook

Record: 2-1

Offensive Rating: 107.8 (19th)

Pistons Previous Results: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Detroit Pistons  – 128 – 106 W

The Detroit Pistons were entrenched in a long and drawn out contract dispute with their starting center Jalen Duren this off-season so that has taken much of the attention from their team as a whole. After earning the number one seed in the eastern conference last season, Detroit will be looking to remain among the top of the eastern conference for the second year in a row. Detroit didn’t make any truly notable acquisitions in the off-season like their peers in the east, so they’re hoping that internal development will be enough to keep them in the championship hunt.

Game Info

Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m. ET

Television: Sportsnet

Venue: Little Caesars Arena

Starting Lineups

* Lineups are unconfirmed.

Detroit Pistons

PG: Cade Cunningham

SG: Duncan Robinson

SF: Ausar Thompson

PF: John Collins

C: Jalen Duren

Toronto Raptors

PG: Immanuel Quickley

SG: RJ Barrett

SF: Kawhi Leonard

PF: Scottie Barnes

C: Jakob Poeltl

Injury Report

Toronto Raptors

Trayce Jackson-Davis – Dental

Allen Graves – Questionable – Groin

Alijah Martin – Questionable – Knee

Nate Bittle – Questionable – Foot

Detroit Pistons

No injuries to report.

The post Gameday: Raptors @ Pistons, October 16th first appeared on Raptors Republic.

But there were four Raptors who rose head and shoulders above the rest.

1. RJ Barrett

I called Barrett the team’s running back in the Quick Reaction, and that covers his role. He moves the chains in a variety of ways. He’s physical, likely the most physical player on the offensive end. He drives, finishes, draws free throws, cuts, hits the offensive glass, even hits triples. He finished with 21 points on 12 shots, and he will hit that level of efficiency on many nights this year. Few teams have horses in the wing-defence stables to guard Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes and still have a stopper left over for Barrett.

But the man is insatiable for buckets. He bullies everyone, and when he doesn’t reach the paint, it is generally because he is fouled. He is going to be irreplaceable on this Raptors’ team. Remember when the Raptors went on a massive losing streak last season that coincided with Barrett being out? The offence disintegrated? That could happen again if Barrett missed time. He projects to be that important on that end. A huge preseason for the Canuck.

2. Collin Murray-Boyles

Karl-Anthony Towns was shredding the Raptors to open the game. He was dicing cutters with the pass as Toronto’s defenders (especially Immanuel Quickley) were playing too aggressively in the passing lanes and getting back cut. He was driving Poeltl into outer space off of closeouts. He was annihilating Toronto’s team defence in the pick and roll. It was superstar stuff from a superstar.

Enter Murray-Boyles. He took Towns away. He punted those drives out of the building with his footspeed. He played so aggressively on the ball that passing angles were far less available. It was a show of defensive problem-solving that only the league’s best can muster. And Murray-Boyles is one of the league’s best on that end. When he guarded Andre Drummond, he took the ball from him as if from a small child playing against his father. He stole passes and dribbles. He swatted shots. He was Toronto’s best defensive performer.

Offensively, Murray-Boyles had some moments, though he ultimately was less of a star on that end. He hit a straightaway triple, drew some free throws, and even drove Towns for a layup in the fourth. He was getting solid contact on his screens. The Raptors will give him a huge amount of chances to be involved on the offensive end, and his touches and usage will come out of basically every action. He needs to be aggressive in turning those chances into proper advantages.

3. Scottie Barnes

Barnes was mostly chilling against the Knicks in the first half. Sure, that chilling constituted hitting three triples and a variety of of mid-rangers in a variety of ways. But defensively he never left first gear, and he mostly played standard preseason basketball. He let his teammates do the effort thing, even if his jumper meant he was still quite impactful. (It’s good to have access to easy impact!)

Then came the second half. Barnes revved the defensive motor and started erasing shots at the rim, including a Jalen Brunson floater that nobody outside of springy centers should have any chance at catching. He started fast breaks and used his enormous size to throw down monster dunks. He was the best player on a court featuring Brunson, Towns, and Kawhi Leonard. That will happen a lot this season, Barnes being the best player on a court full of stars, at least for stretches.

He eventually cooled his jets and didn’t run himself into the ground in preseason, which is why the Raptors never completed the comeback. But he won his minutes and showed for a terrifying stretch just how dominant he can be.

4. Immanuel Quickley

There were some very questionable moments for Quickley against the Knicks, such as those early defensive breakdowns, or a pull-up triple in transition that he bricked, which could have been an uncontested layup. Those moments drew attention. But outside of those, he played a very impressive game.

Quickley’s offensive choices were generally very strong. He cut well and made strong passing decisions. He found cutters even when his jumper was available, and he even cut himself for a layup when off ball. He made the extra pass when he could have taken a semi-contested jumper, letting Barrett drill a wide-open one. At one point in the fourth quarter, he caught the ball in the corner, drove baseline, drew the defensive attention, sprayed the ball out, relocated above the break, and drilled a triple. That’s enormously good process.

Quickley ended up with a tidy stat line of 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and a team-high plus-nine. You can’t fall into that type of production. Last season, Quickley’s biggest knock was when his jumper was off, he didn’t find enough ways to contribute offensively. Against the Knicks, he shot 1-of-6 from deep and was still one of Toronto’s most impactful offensive contributors. If he plays like this on nights when he misses jumpers, the Raptors will be very, very happy.

The post Four standout performers from the Raptors’ 120-122 loss to the Knicks first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Toronto Raptors

120 – 122

New York Knicks

C	Kawhi Leonard 23 MIN, 6 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 2-5 FG, 0-2 3FG, 2-2 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 8 +/- He didn’t find his way into the game. The flow was going in different directions, and considering it was preseason, there was no reason for him to force his way into things. Quiet early, letting his teammates take the shots, but he calmly up-faked into a mid-range pull for an easy deuce on his first real touch. He had some defensive highs, but he was loose there, especially in the first half, just like the rest of the team.
A	RJ Barrett 31 MIN, 21 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 6-12 FG, 2-6 3FG, 7-10 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, -3 +/- He’s the running back of this offence, just grinding his way to yards throughout the course of a game. The offence doesn’t really work without his physicality. He tried to bully through Mikal Bridges on the first possession and saw that strength doesn’t always beat length. He bullied his way to free throws after that. Created well with the pass here and there. Cut for a layup. Snatched offensive rebounds. Even drew a charge as a helper on the other end.
A	Scottie Barnes 28 MIN, 23 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 9-15 FG, 4-5 3FG, 1-2 FT, 4 BLK, 1 TO, 4 +/- A lot of initiating for him rather than being used as a secondary creator, and much of it resulted in mid-range pullups, which he more or less hit. He hit some middies on the catch, too, and even several triples. Defensively he didn’t exert himself early, but he turned it way up in the second half. He erased a Brunson layup as a helper, leading to an easy Murray-Boyles bucket in transition. He stole passes, started breaks, swatted more shots.
C-	Jakob Poeltl 25 MIN, 7 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 3-5 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-4 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, -9 +/- He was very good for a stretch, especially offensively. He was passing early, but he battered Towns in the post on his first shot, leading to an and-1 hook. He attacked the offensive glass, even driving for another and-1 through Towns. Defensively, he struggled to contain Jalen Brunson in the pick and roll and handoff game, and neither could he contain Towns in closeouts. Which is normal, but it would have been nice to see him have sharper teeth there. His second half was much worse.
B+	Immanuel Quickley 28 MIN, 18 PTS, 5 REB, 7 AST, 1 STL, 6-10 FG, 1-5 3FG, 5-5 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 9 +/- His high came in the fourth as he caught in the corner, drove baseline, gave it up, relocated, and caught again for a triple. Defensively, he was really ineffective early. His pressure just gave up back cuts pretty consistently. A heads-up pass to Barnes cutting through the gut when he had an open triple, which is a nice look to see Quickley identify. He cut for a layup from Barnes. The jumper was off, and he took a terrible pull-up triple in transition that could have been a simple layup, but otherwise he had very solid process offensively. Good extra passes, and good movement.
C	Kyle Anderson 12 MIN, 4 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-1 FG, 0-0 3FG, 2-3 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 7 +/- He played when the game was serious, but the game was a little beyond him, given both teams treating it as a regular-season contest for much of the night. In garbage time he put some numbers on the board.
A	Jamison Battle 14 MIN, 10 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 3-5 FG, 2-4 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -10 +/- He was quiet early, but he battled for offensive rebounds and drew fouls, tossed in a little putback in the third. He hit a transition triple to end a run in the second, which came after an up-fake, realization no defender was coming, and then pull — which usually is death to accuracy, but he just hits everything.
A	Collin Murray-Boyles 22 MIN, 12 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL, 4-8 FG, 1-3 3FG, 3-4 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 3 +/- He’s already a defensive megastar. He was Toronto’s best defensive option on Towns, and though he wasn’t also able to help and close the rim when his teammates got blown by, he was able to at least stop Towns from driving for layups at will. When he guarded the much less talented Drummond, he erased his drive and took the ball as if from a small child. Offensively, he found his way with an above-the-break triple, which looks smooth so far in preseason. Inside the arc, he struggled to find his way early on against a very precise defence, though he cleaned it up as the game went on. He had some moments of cuts and floaters, and he even drove Towns off the bounce from the high post late.
C-	Jamarion Sharp 3 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 1 +/- Played in garbage time (even though the game was still close). I didn’t love his screen craft, and he wasn’t used for much else. Poor hands on the catch.
A	Malachi Smith 3 MIN, 8 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 3-4 FG, 2-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 1 +/- Hit a smooth corner triple in transition to keep Toronto alive, then another with a few seconds left to keep them alive once again.
B-	Jamal Shead 21 MIN, 4 PTS, 1 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 1-6 FG, 1-4 3FG, 1-2 FT, 2 BLK, 4 TO, -13 +/- A tale of two sides of the ball: immaculate defence and sketchy offence. He brought defensive pressure on Brunson that at least moved the ball elsewhere when he checked into the game. Some impressive steals. He blocked a corner triple by a man about a foot taller than him, then another moments later. The jumper really wasn’t there, and he didn’t find enough other ways to contribute offensively against this championship defence. Some uncharacteristically unforced turnovers.
A-	Jaden Bradley 5 MIN, 3 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-2 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-1 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 4 +/- He’s been much better in preseason than Summer League. His finishing has been crafty and impressive. He even tossed in an iso step-back and-1 to tie the game with a minute left.
B+	Nimari Burnett 6 MIN, 0 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 4 +/- Fit in well. Seems like he could be a very strong G-League performer.
C+	Ja'Kobe Walter 20 MIN, 4 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1-6 FG, 0-3 3FG, 2-3 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, -16 +/- An insane level of defensive aggression when he saw Dadiet trying to dribble near him. Forced the jump ball, which he won. Offensively, his jumper wasn’t falling despite extremely open looks, and he really couldn’t create inside the arc.
Inc	Darko Rajakovic I loved his choice to give his starters a little real run, treating the game as more significant than a normal preseason matchup. I further loved his choice to give Barnes-Leonard-Murray-Boyles some time together, which worked to perfection, even against the defending champions, with a big run when the trio played together in each half. The Raptors look good, and Rajakovic looks like he has his finger on the pulse. That being said, how do you grade a coach for preseason!?

The post Quick Reaction: Raptors 120, Knicks 122 first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Kawhi Leonard finally got back on the floor in a Raptors uniform, Trayce Jackson-Davis made the most of a brief opportunity, and Collin Murray-Boyles couldn’t seem to miss. Now, with New York up again, all three have something worth keeping an eye on.

1. Kawhi Leonard

It didn’t take long for Kawhi Leonard to remind Raptors fans what they were missing. In his first game in a Toronto uniform since the 2019 championship run, Leonard needed just 16 minutes to drop 21 points against the Knicks. He knocked down four three-pointers, grabbed five rebounds and came away with two steals. It was about as good a preseason debut as Toronto could have asked for.

What stood out wasn’t just the scoring. Leonard looked comfortable, got to his spots and made everything seem easy. If that’s a glimpse of what he can bring to this group, the Raptors have plenty of reason to be excited. The bigger question now is how much we’ll see him against Detroit. The Knicks will be hungry to come back from their beatdown, and they should start a better team. As long as Leonard stays healthy, it will be meaningful to watch him in that environment.

Leonard is still working his way back into game shape, and playing two games in a row could present a different challenge than making a single preseason appearance, making Leonard worth watching. After that first outing, it’ll be interesting to see how he builds on it.

2. Trayce Jackson-Davis

Trayce Jackson-Davis probably wasn’t the first name on anyone’s mind heading into Toronto’s game against the New York Knicks. However, he might be a little harder to overlook now. In roughly just 10 minutes, Jackson-Davis went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, finishing with nine points, three rebounds, a steal and two blocks. It was a short appearance, but he made it count.

There is no kidding that the Raptors could use more of that. Toronto’s center depth remains a concern, particularly with Trey Jemison recently waived and Jakob Poeltl still carrying questions of his own. Jackson-Davis has a chance to make himself useful if he can give the Raptors reliable minutes off the bench.

That wasn’t really the case after Toronto acquired him at last season’s trade deadline. He appeared in just 17 games, averaging 1.8 points and 1.9 rebounds in 5.0 minutes per outing. He never found much of a role.

One preseason performance doesn’t suddenly change that, but it gives him a starting point. His finishing around the basket and ability to protect the rim could give Toronto another option behind Poeltl if he can keep producing. The challenge against Detroit is simple: Can he do it again? Another solid outing would give the coaching staff more reason to consider what he could offer once the games start counting.

3. Collin Murray-Boyles

Both of his threes came off the dribble, giving Raptors fans another reason to be curious about how his offensive game develops. Creating his own shot could become an important weapon if he can make it a consistent part of his game.

There is still work to do. Murray-Boyles shot 34.0 percent from three last season on just 0.9 attempts per game. The percentage is encouraging, but the volume was low, and one preseason performance isn’t enough to know whether he’s ready to take on a bigger shooting role. That’s what makes this matchup interesting.

Against Detroit, watch what happens when he gets an open look from beyond the arc. Does he let it fly with confidence? Can he create another shot off the dribble? And can he put together another strong offensive night? The Knicks game was a great start. Now he has a chance to show it wasn’t a one-off.

The post Three players to watch in Raptors vs Knicks (the rematch) first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Samson Folk, Trevon Heath & Es Baraheni do their yearly Raptors tier list.

From Louis:

“After one Toronto Raptors preseason game against a defending champion New York Knicks resting its starters, one thing is clear: King Arthur isn’t the only Once and Future King; Kawhi Leonard has risen again to jostle for that title. And if Leonard’s performance in his 16 minutes against the Knicks is to be believed, that won’t be the only title for which he’s about to battle. 

When the dust settled on his first stint, Leonard had played just over five minutes, scored seven points, and gathered a pair of steals. The team was looking for him, perhaps too much, on the offensive end. And defensively he was clearly just another shark among the shiver.

Toronto looked somewhat tentative to start, trying to feel out the new relationship. 

The fireworks came to end the first half. Leonard finally shared the floor with Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles. And as on the defensive end earlier, Leonard was only another lion in the pride. In fact, it was Murray-Boyles who moonlighted as the leader. He tossed in a two-handed putback Falcon Punch dunk, later threw in a pull-up triple. Murray-Boyles led Toronto in rebounding, winning offensive boards in scrums and high-pointing defensive boards above the crowd. He looked strong and bouncy and altogether physically electric. He represented the flourish of excitement. 

Meanwhile, Leonard was stolid. He didn’t have the highs of Murray-Boyles, but it was his impassive consistency that allowed his teammates to thrive. He was the canvas, the chisel, the necessary condition. 

Leonard sealed early in transition, drew free throws. He hit jumpers in the post. He trailed the play in transition and hit triples. At times, he did nothing: simply standing in the corner meant his defender couldn’t, wouldn’t, help away from him, opening space for RJ Barrett to snake pick and rolls and create layups, or Barnes to catch in the middle of the floor and calmly rise for an uncontested jumper. It’s preseason, and the New York Knicks were not an NBA basketball team, but it’s clear that opponents fear Leonard in a visceral, tangible way that they haven’t feared a Raptor since, well, him. 

He isn’t just another wolf in the pack. He is, but he isn’t. Because of him, the other wolves were faster, stronger, deadlier. Barnes finished the first half shooting 7-of-8 from the field, seeing less defensive attention than he has since his rookie season. Murray-Boyles one-upped him, going a perfect 4-of-4. Barrett shot 6-of-9 and proved to be nothing if not Daft Punk (Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger). “

Have a blessed day.

The post Dynasty Starts After You? Toronto Raptors Tier List first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Leonard and the Raptors had a splendid performance in their last preseason game, and gave fans a small taste of what can be expected on both ends of the floor now that the entire team is healthy. Tonight, fans will get to see how Toronto stacks up against a fellow contender at full power. 

Toronto could opt to rest some of their key players however, since this is the first leg of a back-to-back for them as they will play their final preseason game tomorrow when they travel to Detroit to take on the Pistons. It remains to be seen what both teams will do regarding resting their players, but it would be nice to see both of these eastern conference juggernauts go at it full strength for a brief period of time. 

Raptors Outlook

Record: 3-1
Offensive Rating: 116.9 (5th)
Raptors previous results: New York Knicks vs Toronto Raptors  – 148 – 98 W

Toronto’s starters only played about a half of last game, and in that small window they showed just how stout they are defensively, and the type of high powered offense that adding Leonard has brought into the mix. With Leonard available, Toronto can run actions to get him into empty side one on one situations, which is always an advantage, but they also can use Leonard as a floor spacer as well. Toronto’s transition offense really flowed in the last game, but tonight if the Knicks play their starters we will see just how potent this offense can really be.

With Scottie Barnes and Leonard on the floor together defensively, the passing lanes were always clogged up, as the two used their length to muck up possession after possession and come away with the ball as well. The only thing left is to see it in action against some of the NBA’s best.

Knicks Outlook

Record: 0-4
Offensive Rating: 99.8 (28th)
Knicks Previous Results: New York Knicks vs Toronto Raptors  – 148 – 98 L

The Knicks have yet to win a game this preseason, even when their starters have played, and with so many off-court conversations surrounding their team, they need all the positivity they can get headed into the season. New York may want to also test their mettle against a fellow contender tonight, with this being their last chance before next week to suit up and play some real basketball.

Game Info

Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m. ET

Television: Sportsnet

Venue: Madison Square Garden

Starting Lineups

* Lineups are unconfirmed.

New York Knicks

PG: Jalen Brunson

SG: Mikal Bridges 

SF: OG Anunoby

PF: Josh Hart

C: Karl-Anthony Towns

Toronto Raptors

PG: Immanuel Quickley

SG: RJ Barrett

SF: Kawhi Leonard

PF: Scottie Barnes

C: Jakob Poeltl

Injury Report

Toronto Raptors

Trayce Jackson-Davis – Dental

Allen Graves – Questionable – Groin

Alijah Martin – Questionable – Knee

Nate Bittle – Questionable – Foot

New York Knicks

No injuries to report.

The post Gameday: Raptors @ Knicks, October 15th first appeared on Raptors Republic.

How could you not be?

At a baseline, his return to the same franchise he left while at the peak of his powers, and immediately after carrying it to the promised land, was unprecedented.

But the fact he was able to pick up essentially right where he left off, co-leading the Raptors to a 50-point drubbing of the — admittedly short-handed — New York Knicks in his pre-season debut?

Well, that was “awe” inspiring.

A word used on more than one occasion during the team’s post-practice media session on Wednesday when describing the new-but-not-new Raptor.

Rightfully so, considering Leonard chipped in a game-high 21 points, five rebounds and two steals, with 4-of-8 shooting from downtown in just under 17 minutes of action to finish plus-28.

As for who was delivering that praise for the star less than 24 hours after his re-debut, it was his primary running mates on the night, Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray Boyles.

“Even watching it, coming off some of the actions that we’re running, him just lifting up and shooting … I think that was one of the awe moments that you can see,” Barnes explained with a smile when I asked him about sharing the floor with Leonard. “He just came up, going to the top, let it fly, kind of like falling away. Yeah, obviously, he’s really good.”

The question was specifically about what part of his game did Barnes feel was made easiest by Leonard’s presence, and he immediately responded with: “Getting downhill. Being able, even in some of the ISO situations, just being able to get downhill. Run in transition, seeing him wide open, just giving him the ball, you know, every time he shoots the ball, it just looks like it was going in every single time. And it feels that way. He’s going to draw so much attention.”

The soon-to-be sixth-year forward finished with 19 points on Tuesday on 8-of-10 shooting to go with six rebounds, four assists and two steals for a game-best plus-29. And Barnes’ reflection was astute, considering he went a perfect 4-of-4 in the paint, much of which was through driving lanes available to him while sharing the floor with Leonard.

As for Murray-Boyles’ admiration of Leonard, much of his thoughts were focused on the other end of the floor instead.

“There’s nothing that I haven’t seen him do before … but yes, it’s obviously, I’m in awe of his abilities and stuff like that,” the now sophomore said. “His hands are crazy, but he’s my teammate at the end of the day. So just trying to learn from him as much as possible.”

It’s one thing for fans to be astounded by something as specific as a player’s hands, but it’s that much more noteworthy when it comes from another remarkably toolsy forward like Murray-Boyles, who weaponizes his own magnet-like mitts that measure at a width of 10.25 inches.

For context, Leonard’s hands check in a full inch longer than CMB. Or as the 20-year-old so eloquently put it: “They’re huge … I don’t know, that’s some crazy shit. But obviously his hands on defence is just phenomenal. It’s the best I think ever.”

Can you try and put that in perspective for fans to understand?

“No, he’s one of a kind. You can’t really explain something like that.”

One way Murray-Boyles is presumably hoping to learn from Leonard this upcoming season is how to toggle between positions on the fly and provide true role versatility, even as challenging as that may seem for a second-year player. On some nights Murray-Boyles will be more of a big and on others he’ll handle wing duties. And while he admits that’s going to be a “process,” he’s already making a habit of reminding himself of when to do what on the court.

“Just trying to find the right space in each position. I feel like that’s the biggest thing for me, really getting to that extreme corner, and in transition, knowing when to run in the middle of the floor, when me and Jak are in, when to be up high and when to be in the dunker spot. Just trying to find that space and trying to be aggressive as well. It’s a lot, but it’s gonna be a process throughout the whole season.”

And to say Murray-Boyles is bullish on the Raptors if it all comes together, especially defensively, would be an understatement.

“I don’t think we have a limit to how good we can be if we’re all locked in. I feel like it’s going to be a nightmare for any team if we’re on the same page. But yeah, it’s more mental than our ability.
I feel like even if we didn’t have the best defenders, I think more just being on the same page when it comes to help and rotations and stuff like that. If a player gets beat, we can be there and step up for him. I think that’s going to be our biggest thing to focus on when it comes to how good our defence can be.”

Bold claims, but justifiably so considering the Raptors were already a top-five unit on the defensive end a year ago and have since added one of the best defensive players in NBA history, even if he isn’t quite in his prime on that end.

But make no mistake, as far as the head coach is concerned, Leonard’s addition changes everything but also nothing.

“Our expectations are not changing, our expectations are the same. We’re chasing championships from Day 1,” Rajakovic explained, or rather, pushed back.

I had initially asked the now-fourth-year bench boss about why he felt it was important for him to still give young players grace — like Allen Graves, who Rajakovic praised despite the rookie’s foul trouble in his pre-season debut — even while navigating the raised expectations that naturally come with the addition of a high-calibre player like Leonard and the attached title aspirations.

And while he started his response by quipping back-and-forth with me about “who are the people” that have raised expectations for his team, Rajakovic’s final thought was telling.

“We’re looking to improve our players, one through 15 on the roster, one through 18, every pro player is super important for us. We want to develop those guys, we want to give them opportunities, we want to believe in them and trust them, we want to go out there and win every single game. So whatever expectations you have for us, we have higher expectations, trust me.”

During last season’s playoffs, I had written about how Rajakovic was coaching like someone who had been there and done that, even if it was his first time holding the clipboard on the big stage. And by challenging the notion that expectations have changed after adding Leonard, I think he’s continuing to demonstrate the poise of a coach who remains grounded in his experience and belief in the vision he’s been implementing since joining the franchise in 2023.

At least that’s my read. For Rajakovic, the end goal has always been the same regardless of the personnel, how far or close they might be, or what presumptions have been placed on his team at a given time. He’s been committed to building a championship contender since the beginning, layer by layer. It just so happens his team has now got the player who might just be the cherry on top, for a second time.

Awe-inspiring indeed.

The post Raptors in ‘awe’ after Kawhi Leonard’s strong pre-season debut first appeared on Raptors Republic.