CALGARY - The Toronto Raptors arrived at training camp this week in a much different frame of mind than last year. The 2024-25 Raptors set out to temper expectations from the jump, making clear that a rebuilding season was on the horizon, with draft lottery odds weighing more than wins in the big picture.
The 2025-26 edition of the team hasn't quite emerged from the fog of a rebuild, but Toronto will be trying to compete on some level. With Brandon Ingram in tow and an Eastern Conference playoff spot within reach, the organization is taking a calculated step forward. Head coach Darko Rajakovic stated that his primary goal is to both win and develop. In contrast, last year, he admitted the process would be more important than the results.
With that context serving as the backdrop for a much more intriguing camp this time around, here are the biggest takeaways and observations from Calgary.
Expect a much deeper rotation
Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Ingram, Scottie Barnes, and Jakob Poeltl will start. Rajakovic said this week that he plans to keep at least two starters on the court at all times, but he also teased a deeper rotation than last season's squad.
A healthier roster, the addition of Ingram, and the development of last year's crop of rookies should help Rajakovic get there. While Jamal Shead, Gradey Dick, Ja'Kobe Walter, and stretch-big Sandro Mamukelashvili appear to be the go-to reserves, there's room for another one to three players to join the mix in a 10-to-12-man rotation. Rajakovic wants everyone to feel like it's a fair race.
"Spending time with the guys in the summer creates certain opinions, so going into training camp, I told all the coaches, 'Let's give all the guys an opportunity to prove us right or to prove us wrong,' in the sense that they may be able to do more and better than we expected," Rajakovic said. "I don't like having a set mentality. I believe all the guys can improve and grow, so I have to look at them through those eyes. We're going to be watching film and evaluating where we are every day."
Although practices aren't open to the media, it's no secret that it's been an ultra-competitive camp. Barrett acknowledged that there's been stiffer competition this year. "Practices aren't easy. We're getting after it. There's a little extra fire. That's what you like to see. It's competition. When you practice like that, the games come easier."
If things go according to plan, it'll be easier for Rajakovic to dig deeper into his bench. However, given the way he wants his team to play - faster on the offensive end and bringing intense ball pressure on the defensive end - a longer rotation is also a necessity.
"We want to make our opponents very uncomfortable, and for that you need a lot of work," Rajakovic said, citing the defensive ball-pressure last year's finalists in Oklahoma City and Indiana relied upon. "It's a big-time commitment, and for that, you need depth on your roster. The style of play we want to play on offense and defense, I don't think anybody can be in shape to play 12 straight minutes. Shorter stints, play hard on both ends of the floor, raise your hand when you need a little bit of rest. I'll get you back in the game. Playing that way keeps everyone honest and accountable. If you don't have it, somebody on the bench is going to have that energy and ferocity we need."
Darko's defense drawing rave reviews
Lost among the lottery-dominated headlines last season, the Raptors boasted the league's third-best (and the East's very best) defensive efficiency over the campaign's second half. Whether that bleeds into this year will go a long way toward determining how high Toronto can rise in the standings. What's clear, though, is that Rajakovic's defensive concepts and attention to detail have impressed his players.
Ingram, much more of a basketball junkie than his laid-back demeanour and effortless-looking offensive game would suggest, said Rajakovic is an intense coach with whom he meshes well. "That's the way I like to be coached. Knowing every detail helps me study the game," Ingram told theScore. "He's pushing me and helping me to be better on (the defensive) side of the basketball. He's making sure I'm doing the simple things on the floor and continuing to push me. He holds everyone accountable."
Garrett Temple, who's in his 17th professional season and has played for 12 NBA teams, echoed the praise, saying Rajakovic's approach to defense is unlike anything he's previously seen. "I can't give you our secrets, but he's very detail-oriented," Temple told theScore. "A lot of teams know that we love to pressure the ball, but we're very detailed in how we pressure the ball, certain nuances like when we want to do certain things, where we want to be, anticipation skills, things of that nature. There's, like, a 0.2% gap between being a regular good NBA defense and a great defensive team. Things happen so quickly - to be able to get that steal or not, to get to that rebound or not get to it, the details in that really matter."
Off-ball Scottie
Barnes remains Toronto's franchise cornerstone, but it appears the Raptors have acknowledged that he's best suited for an off-ball offensive role rather than the on-ball initiation duties he has experimented with at times.
That certainly doesn't mean Barnes won't have the ball in his hands or stretches where he masquerades as a point forward. But with Ingram in the fold as the team's top shot-creator and starting point guard Quickley finally healthy, there's much less need for Barnes to initiate the offense. As Rajakovic sees it, Barnes will still get plenty of opportunities as a screener and roller, in the dunker spot, on the offensive glass, in transition, and on post-ups.
The good news is that Barnes sounds as if he's completely bought into his optimized two-way role, saying he's focused on making quicker decisions and not over-dribbling. "Any way I can help the team," Barnes told reporters in Calgary. "Just go back to those old ways of how I was scoring the ball. If I'm in transition, get deep seals. Try to be more physical when I have the ball at the point of attack, try to make quicker decisions. We all have to find ways to affect the game in different ways."
Between his size, playmaking skills, and All-Defensive upside, Barnes can still be the best player on a future contender without being its No. 1 scoring option. Kudos to him for seemingly having the awareness to acknowledge that, though that's admittedly easier to do with a max contract already secured.
With that pact kicking in this season, Toronto needs the best version of Barnes to emerge. The role he now finds himself in will better help him get there.
Quickley in tip-top shape
Quickley's consistent presence in the lineup would also help. His on-ball skills and movement shooting are exactly what's needed to pair with Barnes. That's why the Raptors were so excited to acquire him in the OG Anunoby trade two years ago. Unfortunately, elbow, hip, and groin injuries limited him to 33 games last season, and he has yet to prove he can withstand the rigors that come with being a full-time starting point guard.
The Raptors are hoping a stronger version of Quickley can help him do just that. "Since the end of last season, he's been very diligent about his body. He was really dedicated to improving his strength this summer," Rajakovic told reporters. "He changed a little with his nutrition, adjusted a couple of things. I spent quite a bit of time with him last summer at the Olympic Games in Paris. Sharing meals together, I was like, 'He can eat!' He eats a lot. We just didn't see improvements with adding strength and muscle (at the time). But with a couple adjustments there, you can see that his body looks much better now."
Quickley showed off his new physique on the second day of camp, standing out as the lone shirtless Raptor when the gym opened to the media. But this isn't about aesthetics. It's about whether the 6-foot-3 guard can use the added strength to his benefit on the court. Rajakovic said he wants to see it pay off on the defensive end, with the coach expecting Quickley to become a better two-way player. As the lead guard, Quickley will also be tasked with keeping Toronto playing at the pace Rajakovic demands - that means quicker decisions off of defensive rebounds and more hit-ahead passes to fuel fast breaks.
For what it's worth, multiple Raptors players said Quickley looked to be in the best shape of anyone on the team this week, with rookie Collin Murray-Boyles saying one of the things that stood out at his first NBA training camp was that Quickley is "fast as hell."
Shead, young leader
Despite being a 23-year-old sophomore on a team with multiple former All-Stars and 12 players earning more than him this season, Shead has clearly emerged as one of the Raptors' leaders on and off the court.
Shead, who went viral during his four-year career at the University of Houston for cleaning up his coaches' mess, has seemingly always been wise beyond his years. This offseason, Shead hosted a minicamp in his hometown of Austin, and now, Toronto's more accomplished veterans are even looking to him for guidance.
"Jamal has been the ultimate leader," Barnes told reporters. "He puts people in the right spots (on the court), and he's not afraid to have those conflict moments with you as well. He just tries to help others in any way possible. He's comfortable taking on that leadership role. He did it for four years at Houston, and he's translated that right to our team."
Added Barrett: "Jamal was never really a rookie, that's what I always tell him. He's been a leader since before he got here."
Shead was more modest about his role. "Honestly, it's just information - I'm a point guard, I give out information, they take it, they receive it, and then we move on from there. I don't think it's that they're just following me because I'm the best leader ever," he told theScore. "It's a respect thing. I'm friends with all these guys off the court, so that's a big part of it. They respect me, I respect them."
While much of the talk this week was about Shead's leadership, don't overlook what he can do on the court. His motor, defensive prowess, and playmaking fit perfectly into what the Raptors are building. "He's very hard on himself," said Barnes. "He has high expectations for himself, and we've got high expectations for him as well."
If I had to bet on it right now, Shead would be my pick to emerge as Toronto's consistent sixth man and occasional closer. The comparisons to former Raptor Fred VanVleet won't be going away any time soon.
Stray thoughts:
- Shead also discussed his offseason work with fellow pest and defensive standout Alex Caruso. "He did just come off a championship, so we didn't work out too much together, but we watched a lot of film and had a lot of good talks." As for what they discussed? "Pacing myself during the game. I'm very fast, so he talked to me about changing pace. And then on the defensive end, how he gets steals."
- Like Quickley, Gradey Dick's added strength was a talking point this week, with Rajakovic believing it'll help the streaky shooter better sustain himself over the 82-game grind. "We're noticing it on both ends of the floor," Rajakovic told theScore. "Defensively, he's doing a much better job on contact and staying in front of guys. He's doing a much better job of rebounding the ball. Offensively, we're really focusing on getting him to play a simple game. When he has open shots or even slightly contested shots, be ready to shoot the ball. Play with a lot of aggressiveness. His physical shape and adding strength are definitely helping with that."
- With the media in attendance, Ingram and reserve wing Ochai Agbaji participated in a physical and spirited game of one-on-one earlier this week. At one point, Agbaji stuck with Ingram on a drive and stuffed him at the rim, punctuating the play by a taunt of "Gimme that s--t," as his teammates erupted into a roaring frenzy. Agbaji's 3-and-D potential still intrigues me. He has the type of low-maintenance, two-way game that could make him a glue guy for lineups of all shapes and sizes. "He's really strong, can move his feet, and he's smart on the defensive end," Ingram told theScore. "He makes plays. He can guard on or off the ball. He's been pushing me since summertime." The only question is whether Agbaji will get the chance to reach his ceiling in Toronto, or if he and his expiring contract will be merely viewed as trade bait.
- Murray-Boyles' individual offensive game is a work in progress. Still, he's NBA-ready on the defensive end and he has enough offensive utility as a playmaker and rebounder to steal real rotation minutes sooner than later. Rajakovic envisions the rookie big man bringing the ball up the floor at times and getting paired with Barnes or Mamukelashvili in smaller frontcourts. After Murray-Boyles frustrated Barnes throughout Friday's camp-closing intrasquad game, Barrett revealed that the rookie has been hounding the franchise player and generally bringing the same type of defensive energy every day in practice. Murray-Boyles also had one of the more endearing moments of camp, telling reporters it's unfathomable that he's on a team that represents an entire country.
Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead NBA reporter.
