To the delight of many, the Toronto Raptors are carving a path toward the top of the Eastern Conference standings, currently holding the second seed and ranking first in their Atlantic Division. Toronto can also advance further in the NBA Cup bracket with a win over the Washington Wizards tonight and a subsequent loss by the Indiana Pacers. The Raptors are currently 2-0 in tournament group play.
It's clear Toronto has a lot going on for them on this hot streak, and the only hope in Raptors Nation is that they can keep riding this wave as the season progresses.
In the broader context of NBA team advanced analytics, the Raptors find themselves in a category that highlights their impressive efforts in the 2025-26 campaign to date, alongside two premier Western Conference teams. At the time of writing, the Toronto Raptors are allowing the third-fewest fast break points per game at 12.9, behind only the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder (currently holding a stellar 15-1 record) with 10.6 and the San Antonio Spurs (also firmly in the West mix with an 11-4 record), who lead with 9.9.
Raptors in upper NBA echelon of preventing fast break points
For context, during the adversity-filled 2024-25 Raptors season, Toronto allowed an average of 16.2 fast break points per game.
When the Raptors started this year, the frantic defensive pressure system that Darko Rajakovic was implementing was resulting in more negative outcomes than positive ones. In October, the Raptors ranked 24th in the league in team defensive rating at 118.4, which spoke to their lowlights. Now, in what has been a tremendous November for Toronto, the Raptors have risen to fourth in the league in team defensive rating at 109.0.
The Raps have completely transformed their transition defense for the better, rallying to get back to their positions, and preventing their foes from scoring easy baskets. There’s still some work to be done, for sure, but the days of guys looking lost on defense or sending help defenders when it’s completely unnecessary are behind them.
Though, I noted that the initial confusion and messiness might have been just a ripple effect from the revamped squad still adjusting to one another. Aside from small samples in the preseason, the 2025-26 season has been a real baptism by fire in figuring out where Brandon Ingram and the rest of the new faces fit into the Raptors' landscape. Overall, it looks like the team has finally begun to gel, and their chemistry on both ends of the floor appears to be improving as a result.