Oh, "Maple Mamba" how we've missed, ye.
Fifteen games and five NBA weeks without RJ Barrett felt like an eternity for many Raptors fans, after it became painfully clear that Toronto was a step behind in many aspects of the game without their 25-year-old Canadian star. It served as a reminder that despite Barrett's pitfalls as a player and the constant trade rumors at play, RJ Barrett might have been wildly misunderstood, as Maxwell Ogden of Raptors Rapture would write.
All in all, the Raptors would embark on a 6-9 record without RJ Barrett during his missed time on the shelf, compared to the stellar 13-5 record they've posted in the 2025-26 games with Barrett active. Toronto's blitzing offense went from an average of 122.1 points with Barrett to just 105.1 points without him during the rocky span.
Without the extra twenty-something points that Barrett has shown to routinely contribute, not to mention his solid passing and rebounding prowess at that, the Raptors were largely forced to find that additional boost from their reserves like Ja'Kobe Walter, Ochai Agbaji, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jamal Shead, and Gradey Dick. They also relied on higher expectations from their star duo Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, as well as streaky performer Immanuel Quickley.
As a result, I would say the comfortable vibes and well-balanced attack were largely offset by Barrett's absence, and it spiraled into a wave of uncertainty. While guys like Mamu and Shead certainly had their moments, and Brandon Ingram would step up his offensive game a fair bit too, the overall morale of the team appeared to take a dramatic hit with each tough loss. There was always the lingering thoughts about when Barrett could actually return, especially since the initial news of his injury didn't forecast such a long missed span.
After Barrett finally made his return in Raptors threads on December 28, putting up 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in 24 minutes of action, a reporter mentioned to head coach Darko Rajakovic: "Having RJ [Barrett] there kind of helps your rotation, in terms of ... making your bench unit more comfortable, that really strong stretch in the first half and generally."
To which, Rajakovic responded (YouTube link here):
Raptors morale back on the upswing with RJ Barrett's comeback
"Oh, sure. He's a stabilizing force for us. He brings a lot offensively, and we need him to step up on defensive side as well. I know it's going to take a little bit of time over here for him to find his legs, to find rhythm, but when he's right physically and mentally — he is outstanding for us ... I'm just happy that he was able to come back, even on minute restriction tonight, playing 24 minutes. I thought that he helped us a lot. "Darko Rajakovic on RJ Barrett
Barrett spoke with the media too after the Warriors win, where he talked about being on the minutes restriction and being tasked to bring the vibes back up, saying:
"... I knew I was on the restrictions, so I kind of just tried to be aggressive, you know, as aggressive as I could be with my time. And, like I said before the game, I kind of just wanted to give us, you know, a little bit of juice, a little more pop. Been on teams whenever, you know, you get a key guy coming back, definitely, you know, lifts team spirits ... but it was a whole team effort today."RJ Barrett, Dec. 28, 2025