The Weight of Winning: How the Toronto Raptors are Facing Mounting Pressure
Written By Matthew Lloyd
Thumbnail and Banner Photo by Ryan on Unsplash
As a lifelong sports fan, few teams have caught my personal interest as much as the Toronto Raptors, Canada’s own NBA organization. While we are now seven years removed from the glory of the 2019 NBA Championship, the organization has not been close to contending again since the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season and subsequent bubble. With lower results came lower expectations, marked by the full rebuild and retool, officially announced by the dismissal of championship coach Nick Nurse in 2023 and the subsequent trades of stars Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby in the 2023-24 season. After accumulating some young talent through the draft and integrating the players acquired from the aforementioned trades, the Toronto Raptors now find themselves in a tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference, a spot many pundits believed was out of reach before the season began. What’s driving the Raptors newly found success this year? What’s the next step the team needs to make towards title contention, and how has the team dealt with the newly found expectations of a team no longer playing for lottery balls? I’ll attempt to piece together the puzzle that is the 2025-2026 Toronto Raptors and offer some insight into where I believe my team is headed both this season and into the future.
The Catalyst: The Brandon Ingram Era Begins in Toronto
When franchise stalwart and one of the final remaining pieces of the 2019 NBA championship team, Pascal Siakam, was shipped out of town in January of 2024, the players and assets returned were considered underwhelming for many Raptors fans. Limited draft pick compensation and a player at the level of Bruce Brown did not compare to the value of the multi-time all-star, yet the return ended up being instrumental to the acquisition of another all-star more than one year later. The Toronto Raptors traded for Brandon Ingram last season while he was rehabbing from an ankle injury, parting with Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk and Indiana’s first round pick from the Siakam trade. While Ingram did not make his Raptors debut until this season, this was seen as a turning point within the organization, as the team signalled its intent to contend in 2025-2026.
Many of the issues that plagued the Toronto Raptors in recent years can be traced back to an inefficient, laborious offence, a gap that Ingram’s abilities have at least partially masked. Ingram is an effective isolation scorer, with the ability to clean up possessions when the shot clock gets low, an invaluable asset that was missing from the squad. Ingram’s game has vaulted the Raptors' offensive rating from 24th in the league in 2024-2025 to 17th this season, a major improvement with little roster additions aside from him. Averaging 21.5 points per game (1st on the team), Ingram has helped solve some of the offensive issues and was named an injury replacement for the All-Star game this year, signifying the importance of his contributions to this year's squad.
Scottie “Defensive Player of the Year” Barnes?
Ever since being drafted 4th overall in 2021 and winning Rookie of the Year, many have seen the Raptors as Scottie’s franchise, with this year being the best showing of his young career. Rumoured to be labelled untouchable the following off-season in feverish trade discussions for NBA greats Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard, it was clear that the organization saw Scottie’s potential as something to build around rather than a complimentary piece. Averaging nearly 19/8/6 while being the only player in the league with 100 steals and 100 blocks, Scottie has truly taken on the mantra of leader for his Raptors. A new high-water mark for his career was in December against the Golden State Warriors, where Scottie delivered an eye-watering 23-point, 25-rebound triple-double in an overtime victory, setting a franchise record for rebounds in a game in the process. While many NBA experts understandably have Victor Wembanyama as their runaway Defensive Player of the Year winner, Scottie has generated some buzz for the award, especially as “Wemby” remains precariously close to the cut-off for award eligibility (playing a minimum of 65 games).
Barnes’ versatility is nearly unmatched in the NBA today, as he can play all positions on the floor from point guard to center due to his size, passing IQ, and ability to handle the ball in transition. Having grown up playing PG and later experiencing a growth spurt that ranked him among the typical height for a PF, Scottie is able to play whatever role is necessary for the team to succeed on any given night. Scottie is the key to the Raptors' 9th-best defense, but he’s had some overlooked help from their 2025 draft pick, Colin Murray Boyles, who has shown impressive poise as a rookie.
The RCMB: Colin Murray Boyles’ Early Impact on Defense
Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the 2025-2026 season has been the play of Colin Murray-Boyles (CMB) on the defensive end of the floor, who has made an oversized impact on winning for the organization as a rookie. Listed as a forward at 6’7” and hailing from South Carolina as the 9th-overall pick, CMB has had to fill multiple different roles as a rookie, something not traditionally asked of such young talent. With starting center Jakob Poeltl out for an extended period of time at the beginning of the season, CMB routinely started at the center spot. While there were certainly some growing pains, his defensive instincts, touch around the rim, and ability to do the dirty work on the boards allowed the Raptors to excel despite starting such a short (relative to the position) center. Drawing comparisons to future hall-of-famer Draymond Green in the NCAA and in the NBA, CMB can function as a chaotic defensive engine much like Scottie Barnes, guarding all positions on the floor and having the strength and IQ needed to play undersized down in the post. When the stars are concerned with scoring the rock, CMB has been there to make the extra pass, find his looks at the rim, and secure the defensive stops needed to get the NBA's 4th-best transition offense going.
The Struggle in The Spotlight: How Winning Has Changed The Narrative
With all these positive factors working in their favor, the Toronto Raptors have vaulted themselves from the depths of the draft lottery into postseason contention. With this leap has come increased expectations and scrutiny, especially after an early 9-game winning streak and a 12-3 record in November. The Raptors have struggled against teams with records above .500. (more wins than losses), holding a record of 19-28 in these tilts. Having held a top 6 seed for the majority of the season, they now find themselves teetering into play-in tournament territory, with the 10-seed just 2.5 games back of their current 6-seed placement as of April 5th. This position is precarious, as 2 of their remaining 5 games come against the 10th-seeded Miami Heat. While many fans would have been happy with a play-in spot had you asked them before the season started, expectations have grown beyond the play-in. After a recent breakthrough victory against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons, Ingram had this to say about the team’s recent struggles and expectations:
"I think it’s around that time for things to start clicking defensively, offensively... We went through a little rough patch these previous games, but we found it. We had some conversations. Our communication on the floor has been good, and we’ve been able to fight back when we’ve been down and stay together. So, you know, it’s building."
Closing Time
With only 5 games now remaining on the schedule as of writing before the end of the regular season, the Raptors hold their fortunes in their own hands, while their margin for error has virtually evaporated. Toronto has already silenced the doubters from the start of the season with their performance thus far, but can they prove that they belong with the heavyweights of the East down the stretch? In a city that still fondly remembers and holds onto that 2019 title, the push to get back to title aspirations is at the forefront of mind. The next three weeks will determine whether this season was just a pleasant surprise or the start of something truly special in Toronto once more.