If you had told anyone back in spring training that the Toronto Blue Jays would push the World Series to a seventh game, and lose it in extra innings, people would’ve laughed you out of the room. Honestly, I’d probably be a millionaire if I’d bet on those odds. And yet, it happened.
Raptors following in Jays footsteps
Now, somehow, the Toronto Raptors are writing the same kind of script. Twenty-three games into the season, this team, yes, this team, the one that hadn’t sniffed the playoffs in years, is sitting third in the East after last night’s gritty three-point loss to the Lakers.
They’re playing with that same Jays-style unity: believing in each other, covering each other, pushing each other. And the big boys, the stars, are finally playing like stars. It’s a group that looks connected, confident, and completely unbothered by pre-season predictions.
Here are the Raptors’ first-term report cards after 23 games
Scottie Barnes – A
For all intents and purposes, Barnes is the franchise. This is the player the Raptors reportedly wouldn’t trade even for Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the top five players on the planet and, with the right package, a potential one-way ticket to the Finals. That’s how deep the organization’s belief in Scotty.
And to be fair, he’s rewarding that faith. In 2025, his game has taken a significant step forward in consistency. He’s playing like a true leader now, averaging twenty points per night, defending at a high level — winning Defensive player of the month in November, and elevating the players around him. No one is shouting his name in the MVP conversation, but that’s not the point.
What matters is that he’s become a veteran presence, a stabilizing force, and a guy fully capable of guiding this squad back into the postseason. The foundation is officially his.
Brandon Ingram – A
When the Raptors initially traded for Brandon Ingram, the expectation wasn’t subtle; this was supposed to be the franchise’s biggest swing since Kawhi Leonard came north and carried the team to the promised land in 2019. The deal signaled that Toronto was done hovering in the NBA’s middle class. They wanted a star, a real No. 1 or No. 1B option, someone who could tilt the floor and elevate the entire roster. Ingram, a former No. 2 overall pick with an All-Star pedigree, came in with that kind of weight on his shoulders.
So far, he’s handled it.
The Raptors’ offence, long one of the league’s least efficient and most painful to watch, has opened up dramatically with Ingram on the floor. He’s doing virtually everything at an elite level, except shooting threes. In fact, he’s posting some of the best numbers of his career in two-point percentage, rebounding percentage, block rate, and getting to the free-throw line with force and regularity. He collapses defenses. He creates mismatches. He gives this team a half-court identity it simply didn’t have before.
R.J. Barrett. – A
A long time ago, in this galaxy, I went to Ryerson University (or Toronto Metropolitan University, as it’s called today). One of my buddies played for the Rams, and one of his teammates happened to be Rowan Barrett, now the general manager of the Canadian men’s Olympic basketball team. Watching Rowan back in the ’90s was pure magic. He was all showtime, all swagger, the kind of player who drew crowds just to see what he’d do next.
Years later, that same buddy told me Rowan had a son , R.J. and that the kid was destined for the NBA. He wasn’t kidding. What none of us ever expected was that R.J. Barrett would one day suit up for the Toronto Raptors. A hometown kid wearing the hometown jersey? That’s the kind of storyline you can’t script.
It’s unfortunate, then, that Barrett went down when he did, because he was having one of the best seasons of his career. The team’s leading scorer for the past two years had smoothly adjusted to being behind Ingram in the offensive hierarchy and was thriving. He was shooting better than 50% from the field, had raised his free-throw percentage by nearly 10 points, and was giving some of the best defensive effort we’ve seen from him. And you can see how important he is, the offence has fallen off a cliff since he’s been out.
Jakob Poeltl — B
The other day I was listening to the Raptors play-by-play crew on Sportsnet, and they casually dropped a line calling Poeltl one of the top five big men in the league. I almost spit out my coffee. Top five? In a world with Wemby, the Greek Freak, Embiid, Jokic, come on.
But they doubled down: Poeltl can pass, he can finish, he can defend, he blocks shots, and he sets the best screens in the conference. So, I watched him closely for a week. And you know what? I get what they mean. Jakob Poeltl might not be flashy, but he is Mr. Consistency. The Raptors are simply better, steadier, smarter, more functional every time he’s on the floor.
And let’s talk numbers: Poeltl is shooting a ridiculous 72.7% from the field, just a hair below Rudy Gobert’s league-leading 73.8%. Those are video-game percentages.
Jamal Shead — B-
A revelation to start the season; the sophomore point guard looked like one of the NBA’s best reserves through mid-November. Quick, crafty, and fearless, Shead was running the Raptors’ offence smoothly while making life difficult for opposing guards.
Sandro Mamukelashvili — B-
Mamukelashvili has made a strong first impression, stepping up even when Toronto was stumbling early in the season, and he’s kept it going. Offensively, he’s been a weapon, spacing the floor with reliable three-point shooting while still able to attack the rim when needed.
Oh, and let’s not forget the nickname: Mamu. Honestly, based on that alone, he might be a keeper. Add the solid play, and the Raptors may have found a versatile piece they can count on for years.
I.Q. Quickley — B
I like I.Q. He’s the kind of player I’d have no problem having on my team if we were playing three-on-three in the driveway. He hits his shots at times, can drive when he wants, and is a decent passer. But the truth? He’s a little overrated. Quickley is the type of player who looks fantastic in a highlight reel, yet when you watch a full game, something always feels a bit… incomplete.
Things didn’t start great for the point guard. After six October games, he arguably ranked as the worst-performing Raptor. Since then, though, he’s turned things around: shooting nearly 50% from the floor, close to 41% from three, keeping turnovers low, and playing passable, at worst, defence.
Murray-Boyles CBM — B+
This year’s ninth overall pick doesn’t look like your typical rookie. Opponents have noticed he’s as strong as an ox, and as one of the top defenders in his class, he’s stepped in seamlessly as a capable NBA-level defender, a rare feat for a first-year player.
Ja’Kobe Walter — C
Walter’s most noticeable contributions come on defence, where he hounds opposing wings, and even smaller players, with real effort. Offensively, he showed flashes in November, shooting 43.9% from three over 15 games.
Dick — C+
Dick’s advanced stats have mostly been stellar in 2025. He leads the team in on/off-court net rating, for example, yet his traditional stats and the eye test tell a different story. Defenders clearly target him, but Toronto actually plays better defensively with him on the floor.
Ochai Agbaji — D+
Agbaji has been a major disappointment, though there are glimmers of hope. Perhaps last season’s biggest overachiever, he’s struggled mightily this year and has often found himself out of the rotation entirely. November was especially rough, he didn’t make a single three-pointer (0-for-8) and is shockingly just 1-for-19 from deep for the season after leading the team in that category last year.
Coach Darko Rajakovic A
Rajakovic has this team playing as a cohesive unit that genuinely cares about one another. His system is taking firm hold, and he’s channeling the roster energy into winning basketball instead of individual flair or empty-calorie stat-chasing. The ball moves. The defence rotates. The effort is consistent. For the first time in years, the Raptors look like a team connected by purpose rather than obligation. If this keeps up and if the roster stays healthy, Toronto is positioned to make serious noise in the playoffs, perhaps even flirt with a Finals run if everything breaks right.
Bobby Webster — A
Webster has quietly assembled a roster that not only competes but also exceeds expectations. He traded for Ingram, drafted and developed Barnes, brought home R.J. Barrett, and has finally stepped out from under Masai Ujiri’s long shadow. Many of his previous moves, once questioned, now look prescient given how this team is gelling. Yes, he still needs another impact player or two to push the Raptors from plucky upstart to true contender. Still, the fact remains: Toronto is third in the East, a scenario nobody predicted in July. At this point, it might not be hyperbole to say it’s time to start thinking seriously about betting on them to win it all.
Final Thoughts
Twenty-five games into the NBA season, the Raptors are not just exceeding expectations; they’re obliterating them. This was supposed to be a transition year, a season defined by patience, development, and modest steps forward. Instead, Toronto is suddenly flirting with contention, playing with a level of confidence and coherence that hasn’t been seen since the peak of the We The North era. With the emergence of youth like I.Q., Murray-Boyles, and Ja’Kobe Walter, paired with the steady ascent of Ingram, the hometown electricity of R.J. Barrett, and the full maturation of Scottie Barnes, the Raptors have constructed something that looks, dare we say it, sustainable. There’s even talk that this team could make a real push for the relatively new Emirates NBA Cup, a tournament that rewards exactly the kind of depth, energy, and chemistry the Raptors are thriving on.
But for all the optimism, a thornier question lingers: Are the Raptors truly ready to compete now? If the front office believes this team is still a piece away, then tough decisions lie ahead. Do you cash in some of these promising young players for a — a Giannis-level shake-up that could accelerate the path to the promised land? Or do you stay patient, resist the temptation of a splashy move, and let this core grow naturally, even if that means waiting another three to five years to reach its full potential? It’s the dilemma every rising team eventually faces. What’s clear, at least for now, is that Toronto finally has a direction again, and for the first time in a long time, the possibilities feel exciting rather than uncertain.
by Myles Shane
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