2025 Toronto Raptors Preseason Preview

The Raptors finished the 2023-24 season with 25 wins and 57 losses. The season was headlined by hitting the soft reset button when the moved Pascal Siakam to Indiana halfway through the season and brought in RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley in exchange for Precious Achiuwa, OG Anunoby, and Malachi Flynn.

(AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)

The moves Toronto made last year signal a desire to build around former fourth overall pick Scottie Barnes. Barnes, who signed a designated rookie extension that will have him under Toronto’s control through the 2029-30 season. Barnes made a leap in his third season, headlined by the development of his 3pt shot, which he made at a .341 clip on 4.9 attempts per game (up from .281 on 2.9 3PA). If Barnes can continue improving from beyond the arch he could grow into an elite 3 level scorer in this league.

RJ Barrett showed he could be Barnes running mate as he showed an improvement by getting a fresh start in Toronto after his role on the Knicks who drafted him in 2019 slowly plateaued with the emergence of Jalen Brunson and acquisition of Donte DiVincenzo. Immanuel Quickley joined Barrett in coming from New York and also saw his role expand on the new team. In addition to adding 3.5 attempts per game, Quickley notched 6.8 assists per contest after moving to Toronto, and looks to be the facilitator for the Raptors moving forward.

After moving Capela, Toronto is on the lookout for a cornerstone big of the future, but in the meantime that role will be played by veterans Jakon Poeltl and Kelly Olynyk. The Raptors do have 4 rookies on their roster that they’ll look to develop in addition to second year Grady Dick who looked comfortable in his first year in the NBA and showed potential to develop into an elite shooter.