It's not always easy to navigate a rebuild, especially when the team in question is the Toronto Raptors—a squad made up of very talented youngsters poised to win now, new blood eager to be unleashed, and a couple of veterans thrown into the mix.
At the core of Toronto's team are four key players: Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, and Jakob Poeltl. Each man played critical roles in the starting lineup whenever they were healthy. Despite the Raptors facing a wave of adversity, they still managed to deliver solid performances throughout the season.
That said, let's take a look at each core starter and grade their contributions for the 2024-25 season.
Immanuel Quickley
I was really looking forward to seeing what Immanuel Quickley could bring to the table in a full season with the Toronto Raptors. In fact, I heard IQ's name mentioned in some basketball commentary circles before the year took off as a potential Most Improved Player candidate, and it was certainly for optimistic reasons.
In Quickley, we're discussing a score-first combo guard who had to adapt to a more playmaking-centric role while still retaining that spark for shooting. He demonstrated, in a small sample size after the trade last year, that passing the rock would be no issue for him, averaging 6.8 assists.
As great as the anticipation around IQ might have been, injuries and stretches of missed time largely dampened what could have been a breakout campaign. Quickley missed 49 games this season, appearing in only 33, and when IQ did play, he was often subject to minutes restrictions due to recovery or tanking efforts.
On the season as a whole, Quickley's 2024-25 numbers look as follows: 17.1 points with 42.0% field goal shooting, 37.8% from three, 5.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds, in an average of 27.8 minutes of playing time per game.
While Quickley still looked solid in his small sample size, it's hard to overlook his inability to stay healthy, even if his injuries aren't necessarily his fault. I understand that injuries are part of the game, but when Toronto dished out a hefty five-year, $175 million contract to keep him around, only getting 33 games out of Quickley is far from an ideal scenario.
Grade: B
RJ Barrett
Here's a guy who, I think, is robbed of recognition for his efforts because of the negative connotation surrounding his style of play.
When the chips were down for Toronto, it was RJ Barrett, who consistently stepped up on a nightly basis to carry the Raptors' offensive load on his shoulders, regardless of his efficiency. The story of this season was the injury bug plaguing Toronto's lineup, but Barrett managed to shine for a good stretch—until he, too, went down.
On the season as a whole, Barrett's 2024-25 numbers look as follows: 21.1 points on 46.8% shooting from the field, a solid 35.0% from three, 6.3 rebounds, and a career-high 5.4 assists, over 58 total appearances and an average of 32.2 minutes per game.
The thing about Barrett is that, even though he’s still relatively young at 24 years old, the general opinion about his ability as a player seems set in stone. Everyone recognizes he can score 20+ points a night, but it doesn’t seem to move anyone. Still, I’ll give Barrett his flowers, because being able to reach that number consistently, no matter how rocky the road is, deserves praise in every sense.
It takes a lot to play the role he did all year. While his struggles at the free-throw line are still a concern, and his name is being tossed around in trade rumors, I believe Barrett had a season that was as good as anyone could have asked for—if not better.
Grade: A-
Scottie Barnes
If expectations were relatively high for a guy like Immanuel Quickley, then you can only imagine how much higher those standards were set for franchise star Scottie Barnes.
Barnes would be entering his fourth year as a pro, and while he has been tremendously consistent across the board (maybe aside from his 3PT%, that is) in every Raptors season thus far, there has also a lofty belief in his ability to break out even further into another level of greatness.
On the season as a whole, Barnes' 2024-25 numbers look as follows: 19.3 points on 44.6% shooting from the field, 27.1% from three, 7.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.0 blocks, over 65 games played with an average of 32.8 minutes per night.
Barnes' three-point shot took a massive dip this year—a skill he was clearly trying to refine by taking more shots—but it just never proved to be a reliable weapon in his offensive arsenal. In essence, most of his statistics stagnated or slightly decreased from his All-Star campaign last year. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, I think it certainly disappointed some in Raptors Nation.
Still, Barnes managed to overcome his early injury issues and appeared in a solid number of games for the Raptors. Even better, he made significant strides in his defensive ability, an area where he already excelled, and refined his skills to demonstrate added growth.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I think it’s time to dial down the superstar expectations for Scottie Barnes. What I mean is that no superstar follows a linear path or trajectory; we’re not just talking about scoring here. Barnes is undoubtedly a star, but he's not the main guy, more like a 1B or 1C than a 1A.
Sure, was his season a bit disappointing? Perhaps for those who set their expectations too high. But if you recognize what Barnes can deliver on a nightly basis—solid defense and an all-around skill set—then I don't think his 2024-25 campaign was anything out of the ordinary. That said, considering the strong belief that Barnes would take a leap, I’ll assign this grade accordingly.
Grade: B+
Jakob Poeltl
The big fella. The big Jak. If there's anyone who blew my expectations out of the water, it's this guy, for sure.
Ever since Poeltl returned to the Raptors for his second stint, he’s faced some criticism over the steep price Toronto paid to acquire him, and fans weren't exactly impressed by his early efforts. However, in his 2024-25 campaign, despite being on the older side at 29, Poeltl demonstrated that an old dog can indeed learn new tricks.
On the season as a whole, Poeltl's 2024-25 numbers look as follows: a career-best 14.5 points per game on 62.7% shooting, a career-high 9.6 rebounds, along with 2.8 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.2 steals, in 57 games while averaging 29.6 minutes of playing time.
Poeltl may have missed a significant amount of time late in the season, but if anyone could be considered Toronto's most impactful and consistent player all year long, it was the Austrian big man. Those feel-good stories are always when a veteran player, who you often overlook as an afterthought, comes out strong and delivers their best performance—even in the later stages of their career.
The Raptors might face a crucial decision this offseason regarding Poeltl's future, but even if he doesn't suit up for Toronto next year, I believe all of Raptors Nation is genuinely impressed with how much he turned his fortunes around.
Grade: A+