The Raptors' last game was a heartbreaking 110-107 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on February 25. It was a battle that had fans hopeful they would finally see Toronto secure a big win on home court, especially against one of the NBA's elite. Lately, this has been a hot topic of discussion. Toronto's 2025-26 performance, while largely impressive overall, has also shown that they struggle to keep up with the league's top teams.
Unfortunately for Toronto, both their offense and defense stagnated badly in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Spurs lit it up with a hot shooting display, going 11-for-19 overall from the field and 6-for-12 from three. On the other hand, the Raptors struggled mightily, shooting just 6-for-23 from the field overall and a dreadful 0-for-6 from three. They severely underperformed compared to their strong third quarter, where Toronto went 8-for-17 from deep.
I just highlighted Jakob Poeltl, who still managed to be a bright spot for the Raptors despite the defeat. But I promised to mention the guys who failed to mount a winning impact, and overall, it was a tough night for RJ Barrett, who had a particularly difficult showing.
In 32 minutes and 52 seconds of playing time, RJ Barrett shot just 4-for-14 from the field, which is a 28.6 percent clip, and went 1-for-6 from three. In the fourth quarter, which I mentioned before is where the Raptors experienced their downturn, Barrett actually led all Raptors players in minutes played, totaling 10:49 of playing time.
Darko Rajakovic switched to an alternative lineup to start the fourth quarter, led by RJ Barrett, Ja'Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, Collin Murray-Boyles, and Sandro Mamukelashvili. We later found out it was because Coach Darko was resting Scottie Barnes on his own word and managing the minutes for Immanuel Quickley and Brandon Ingram too. Now, I don't want to come across like I'm just hounding on Barrett or acting like he's the scapegoat for the Spurs loss.
But at the same time, it couldn't be more obvious that his on-court impact was minimal — both as a defensive and offensive liability. It also didn't help that Barrett's main assignment on defense, that being Devin Vassell, was the Spurs' highlight of the night with 21 points on lights-out shooting (8-for-13 overall, including 5-for-6 from three).
Look, I respect Barrett as Toronto's coveted slasher, and honestly, he might be one of the Raptors' only guys willing to step up in scoring areas where others are just too afraid to match. But at the same time, having a guy like Barrett out there — especially as we saw in crunch time — just couldn't net the Raptors any positive outcomes.
Raptors will have a tough call to address if RJ Barrett’s struggles persist
In spite of these disappointing recent setbacks, Toronto still looks poised to make the playoffs. That being said, in their latest stretch of games, the Raptors have been getting a taste of some matches that feel more like playoff-lite battles in terms of energy, effort, and level of competition.
If you take a closer look at how Barrett has been performing over a longer stretch, it really gives the Raptors a harsh dose of reality. In his last 10 games, Barrett hasn't been shooting particularly well, hitting just 38.8 percent from the field, 31.8 percent from three, and only 75.0 percent on free throws. That last stat is no secret kryptonite for RJ Barrett.
Things will only get tougher for Barrett in the playoffs, where defense is going to be a major stressor. Even though his offensive capabilities have largely been a bright spot for Toronto, he’s often far behind when it comes to embracing the hard-nosed defensive identity that the Raptors have been working to build and emphasize. I'm sure he will remain a key part of the Raptors' core for the foreseeable future, especially since he survived the trade deadline. However, figuring out how much of a winning player RJ Barrett really is for the Raptors' vision is going to be the tough question they need to address.
He's far from a lost cause, but the Raptors need to work closely to tackle this problem.