The Toronto Raptors opened the 2026-27 season with a 43-point rout of the Chicago Bulls, and rookie Allen Graves found a way to stand out even in a game that went as smoothly as possible. Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes were the headliners, and Immanuel Quickley turned in a huge performance too, but Graves walked away with a game ball after showing exactly why Toronto likes this kind of player.
In 19 minutes off the bench, Graves put up five points, five rebounds - four of them offensive - three blocks and a steal. The scoring is still the part of his game that needs the most work, especially as he learns how to create space against NBA athletes. But the defensive end already looks like his calling card, and he came across as the kind of player who can bother opponents right away.
That matters for a Raptors team that has taken plenty of heat for its habit of drafting long, versatile forwards with unfinished offensive games. Barnes’ rise has given that approach real credibility, and Collin Murray-Boyles continues to justify his place in the picture as well. Graves’ debut only adds to that argument, especially because he showed enough as a small-ball backup center to suggest he can earn rotation minutes early.
There’s also a clear fit question, and Graves may solve it better than some expected. At 6-9, with better passing instincts than some of the other forwards in Toronto’s pipeline, he looks more natural as a smaller backup five in Darko Rajakovic’s system than he did in college, where he played closer to the basket only at times. Even against a Bulls team that was thin and missing presumed starter Nic Claxton down low, he held up defensively.
Murray-Boyles offers a useful comparison here. If he were a bit taller than his current 6-7 frame, he may have lready ascended to the starting lineup. Even so, he already looks like a major piece of Toronto’s future, with his value coming from a bruising offensive style and real versatility on defense.
This is the essence of the Raptors’ “Vision 6-9” philosophy under Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster: prioritize players who can guard multiple positions, even if the offense takes time. The upside is obvious, but so is the floor.
If a player can affect the game defensively, he can stay on the floor. That’s the bet Toronto keeps making.
With Leonard and Barnes already causing problems in the starting lineup, adding more players with that kind of length and flexibility could be what separates the Raptors in a crowded Eastern Conference. Graves’ first game as a pro, after coming off the bench for a mid-major program, offered a strong early example of that idea.
The schedule will test him quickly. Toronto’s next two games come against the Washington Wizards and Minnesota Timberwolves, frontcourts that include Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr and Rudy Gobert. Those matchups will push Graves as far as he can go, but he’s already shown enough to build on.
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Serge Ibaka Just Made Kawhi Leonards Raptors Return Feel Bigger
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Serge Ibaka being in the building added another layer to the moment, since the former Raptors big man had a clear view of what Leonards return meant beyond the box score. For a team that still remembers exactly what Leonard brought during his previous run in Toronto, the sight of him back on the floor seemed to underline just how much bigger this homecoming could become. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Season Opener Made One Core Debate Even Harder To Ignore
The Raptors opened the 2026-27 season with a runaway 132-95 win over the Bulls, and the box score offered plenty of early encouragement for a team trying to sort out its identity. Immanuel Quickley set the tone with 23 points, four rebounds, seven assists and two steals, while Scottie Barnes matched him with 23 points of his own along with six rebounds and five assists, giving Toronto a balanced start that looked very much in step with the kind of pace and versatility the franchise wants to lean into.
Kawhi Leonard also put up 23 points, but his night came with a less efficient shooting line, finishing 5 of 17 from the field. For a Raptors team already carrying plenty of questions about how its top pieces fit together, the opener only sharpened the conversation: the talent is obvious, but the exact hierarchy and stylistic balance are still very much something to watch as the season settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Hand Bulls A Brutal Reality Check To Open The Season
The Bulls were left dealing with a brutal opening-night lesson after Toronto turned their season opener into a runaway loss and exposed problems on both ends of the floor. Chicago finished with more turnovers than assists, and the kind of sloppiness that can be hidden in the preseason quickly became impossible to ignore once the games started counting.
For a team in the middle of a rebuilding process, the long view still matters, and the rotation reflected that approach as young players like Noa Essengue, Jaylin Sellers and Tobe Awaka got a chance to log real minutes. The challenge now is finding out whether those reps can translate into growth quickly enough to keep the Bulls from carrying one discouraging performance into the rest of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]