The 2025-26 season has been quite a bumpy ride for the Toronto Raptors. They kicked off the year with a dominant season opener against Atlanta, where it seemed like this relatively inexperienced and still figuring-it-out Raptors squad had a winning blueprint in place — until that high was abruptly interrupted by a series of consecutive losses.
Then, Raptors Nation was treated to the peak of a positive November campaign, during which Toronto managed a consistent winning streak with a stellar 12-3 record, asserting their place among the top Eastern Conference squads.
Now, in December, that script has largely been flipped, with a discouraging 4-7 record to date. Many critics pointed out that coming out of their solid November run, the level of competition the Raptors faced wasn’t quite the elite of the NBA, which explained why Toronto was able to rack up those wins. However, even during that November stretch, there were some very close encounters against teams they should have handled convincingly.
And that’s where some of these December losses reveal a more telling picture. Before this hectic December, I believed the Raptors needed to make the most of their tough schedule to prove doubters wrong and warrant more respect. Instead, with every disappointing loss, the opposite has happened. Let's just look at the Raptors' last five games, where they've gone 2-3. They've scrapped through gritty wins over Milwaukee and Miami, but suffered tough losses against Boston, Brooklyn, and Washington.
Raptors' ugly losses as of late largely tarnish their season highs
I completely understand that the Raptors have been dealing with injury chaos, with RJ Barrett missing in action and Jakob Poeltl sidelined by a recurring back issue. This has exposed the Raptors' obvious need for more balanced, offensive firepower and reliable center play beyond just Poeltl. Even considering these weaknesses, I completely understand if the Raptors were struggling to close out games against some formidable competition this December.
But with all due respect to the teams they've lost to — a Jaylen Brown-less Celtics, two bottom-of-the-barrel squads in the Nets and Wizards, and some gutting losses to the Hornets in earlier defeats — highlight tremendous concerns. I'll give the Celtics some extra credit, as they've managed to stay at the top of the Eastern Conference even without Jayson Tatum. However, the Nets, Wizards, and Hornets are still among the lowest-tier teams league-wide, and losing to them is just a signal of the noticeable gap between Toronto and the upper NBA echelon.
The Raptors, at least on paper, have more than enough talent to step up when needed and push through these challenges. Yet, in many of these instances, their opponents have either exploited the Raptors' lackadaisical effort on defense or their stagnant offensive execution late in games to secure the win. It's certainly not a reassuring sign for the Raptors fan base, even with Toronto missing some key pieces and the dire need to improve in several categories.
We could get into all the caveats: Scottie Barnes came in ill for the Wizards game, CMB wasn’t active either (after a great showing in Miami), they lost Poeltl early against Brooklyn and only managed to score 81 points total, or how they got outclassed by players like Hugo Gonzalez, Neemias Queta, and Luka Garza in the Celtics matchup.
The NBA is way too unforgiving for teams to simply ride the highs of a season. And especially for a team like the Raptors, it’s crucial that they can bounce back from their lows without losing confidence. That will reveal where Toronto truly stands in the league. The scary truth is that time is coming up fast, and Toronto’s front office needs to decide whether they’re actually built to compete in the immediate future or if it’s worth considering the unavoidable reality of hitting the reset button and starting from scratch.