Although Kawhi Leonard’s arrival will undoubtedly make this Raptors team better, there were clear areas for improvement for members of this roster going into next season. One of the top things Darko Rajakovic highlighted after the team's round-one playoff loss to Cleveland was that the team had to become better conditioned, and, according to him, that goal was met.
“We had to seek what’s next for us. Some guys needed to get strong, some guys in better conditioning, some guys to add muscle,” said Rajakovic.
The soon-to-be fourth-year Raptors head coach joked that he may have set the tone for the team becoming better conditioned by losing 10 pounds himself this past summer. But he also highlighted Ja’Kobe Walter as someone who made strides towards getting in better shape by adding 10 pounds of muscle. Earlier in his media availability, Rajakovic also said Collin Murray-Boyles took steps to improve his physical shape and be at his best fitness ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
For a Raptors team that finished last season with the third-most transition points per game, improved conditioning will only help that figure grow and become more of this team's offensive identity.
The defense-to-offense style isn't going anywhere
Toronto’s half-court offense is definitely going to improve with Leonard arriving. The way he can create for himself and be a high-level isolation scorer are two things that will only raise this team's offensive ceiling. However, under Rajakovic, this team's calling card on offense has been their ability to get out and run in transition, scoring easy twos. As I mentioned, Toronto was near the top of the league in transition points last year. But now, with even better conditioning, this team has even higher potential and could finish as the No. 1 transition scoring team in the league.
Rajakovic made it clear that everyone understood the work needed to get better conditioned and the importance of being in great shape for playoff basketball. With Leonard arriving, expectations are that this Raptors group can contend and compete for an NBA title this season. Going from the fun young playoff team in the East last year to looking to go on a deep run is a major switch-up and isn’t possible without improvement.
On top of that, their ability to create transition scoring opportunities may only get better. With Ja’Kobe Walter adding more upper-body muscle, his development into an elite perimeter defender is only going to fast-track. And with CMB continuing to improve his conditioning after entering the league, he is going to become even more switchable and active on the perimeter defensively. That combination should generate more steals and give players like Scottie Barnes more openings to run the floor and generate easier looks for this Raptors offense.
The defense-to-offense style Rajakovic has built has progressed every season and appears poised to reach another level in 2026-27 as the Raptors chase a deep playoff run.
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