The Raptors built their 2025-26 success on the back of their defense. They finished the regular season with the fifth-best defensive rating in the NBA, forced the second-most turnovers, and led the league in fastbreak points.
Scottie Barnes was named to the All-Defensive Second Team, although there’s a clear argument that he should have been on the first team. Collin Murray-Boyles already looks like the Raptors’ next All-Defensive team member, and Jamal Shead’s most memorable play of the postseason was when he forced Donovan Mitchell to commit an eight-second violation late in Game 4. Moreover, Allen Graves enters the NBA with a strong defensive reputation.
The Raptors already have an excellent defensive core. The vision with Leonard in the mix is clear. He is a defensive upgrade over Brandon Ingram and promises to make the Raptors’ defense even more dangerous. The rest of the league should be absolutely terrified of finding out what that vision looks like in reality.
The Raptors can throw out some crazy defensive lineups with Leonard in the mix
Unless the Raptors make a move that sends out RJ Barrett and his expiring contract or brings in a center upgrade, their starting lineup will likely be Immanuel Quickley, Barrett, Leonard, Barnes, and Jakob Poeltl. Quickley and Barrett may not be lockdown defenders, but they do enough to be solid at least, and Leonard and Barnes will be a scary duo.
The Raptors’ bench is what will allow Darko Rajakovic to try out some truly terrifying defensive lineups. For example, how is a team supposed to score on a lineup of Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, Leonard, Barnes, and Murray-Boyles? Or if he wants to go with a ton of size on the perimeter and ultimate switchability, Rajakovic could roll out a lineup with Barnes at the point guard, surrounded by Barrett, Walter, Leonard, and Murray-Boyles. If Graves proves to be a reliable contributor in year one, it only opens up more possibilities defensively.
The Raptors could easily go from being the fifth-best defense to the top three, competing with the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Detroit Pistons.
And that’s not even considering the possibility that the Raptors could replace Poeltl with a better rim protector. The Leonard trade still left the Raptors with some trade assets, including several first-round picks. So, if an opportunity presents itself, they could still consider paying the price for offloading Poeltl’s massive contract either this summer or at the trade deadline to bring in someone like Myles Turner (although some recent reporting suggested that the Bucks aren’t overly interested in moving on from the floor-spacing big).
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