The Toronto Raptors came out of Bleacher Report’s top 30 defender rankings for the 2026-27 season with three of their players in the top 20. Kawhi Leonard came in at number 16. Collin Murray-Boyles finished twelfth—impressive considering that the 21-year-old has only played 57 regular-season games and seven playoff games so far. Scottie Barnes led the charge at number six, coming in behind Amen Thompson, Chet Holmgren, Rudy Gobert, Ausar Thompson, and Victor Wembanyama.
The only other team that had three players finish in the top 20 was the Oklahoma City Thunder with Alex Caruso (11), Cason Wallace (9), and Chet Holmgren (4). OKC, the top defensive team in the last two seasons, was also the only team with more players on the entire list than the Raptors. They had five total, as Jalen Williams came in at number 24 and Isaiah Hartenstein at 21. The Portland Trail Blazers were the only team able to match the Raptors’ number of top-30 defenders with Donovan Clingan (18), Toumani Camara (15), and Robert Williams III (30).
Toronto’s defensive potential is no secret. This list only reinforced how dangerous the Raptors can be on that end of the floor. They have three top-20 defenders in the entire NBA, one of whom could be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, and other great defenders who didn’t even show up on this list. Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter only add to the defensive nightmare Leonard, Barnes, and Murray-Boyles will be—especially when all five are on the court together.
The Raptors could easily be a top-three defense this season.
The Raptors could even have their first player on the All-Defensive First Team
The Raptors have had some great defenders come through Toronto. However, none of them have ever made the All-NBA Defensive First Team—not even Kawhi Leonard in 2018-19. He made the second team and became the first Raptor to receive that honor. OG Anunoby followed in his footsteps in the 2022-23 season, and Scottie Barnes made it in 2025-26—a great accomplishment that wasn’t quite enough for his liking and that of many fans.
This season, Barnes will have another chance to make the first team. The Raptors should be an even better defensive team, and there’s no way his game will fly under the radar this season.
In this year’s GM survey, Barnes came in third in the “most versatile defender” category—and second in the “most versatile player” category. He trailed only Victor Wembanyama in the latter category, and the French phenom as well as Amen Thompson in the first.
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