With the Toronto Raptors less than two months away from opening the 2026-27 season against the Chicago Bulls at Scotiabank Arena on Oct. 21, the spotlight is naturally falling on the headline names. The pending trade acquisition of Kawhi Leonard changes the temperature around this team in a big way, especially after Toronto finished 46-36 and posted its best record in four years.
But if the Raptors are going to turn that buzz into a real run in the Eastern Conference, they’ll need more than Leonard’s star power. The bench is going to matter, and there are four reserves who could shape how far this group goes.
Jamal Shead has already shown he can be a stabilizer. Now entering his third season in Toronto, the 24-year-old guard was one of the team’s most important bench pieces a year ago, averaging 6.6 points and 5.4 assists in 22.6 minutes per game.
His passing stood out league-wide too, as he led all NBA bench players in assists per game last season. That kind of floor vision gives Toronto a real safety net if Immanuel Quickley is sidelined again.
Quickley has already missed 74 games for the Raptors since the 2023-24 season, and Shead has proven he can step in behind him.
Ja'Kobe Walter brings a different kind of value. Toronto badly needed a bench shooter last season, and Walter gave them exactly that.
He knocked down 110 of his 269 three-point attempts, the fourth-most triples on the team, and finished among the club leaders in three-point percentage. His role grew in the playoffs when Quickley and the now-traded Brandon Ingram were out, though the increased usage came with a dip in his scoring efficiency.
Heading into his third season, Walter’s minutes look set to rise again. Whether his numbers rise with them is the real question.
The Raptors also added a rookie who could earn trust quickly in Allen Graves. The 19th overall pick from Santa Clara University was described as one of the more NBA-ready players in the 2026 NBA Draft, but Toronto still won’t be asking too much too soon.
What they need from the 20-year-old forward is defense, toughness and competent minutes off the bench to ease the load on Leonard, Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles. Graves has already flashed in Summer League, where he averaged 16.8 points on 51 per cent shooting, along with 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals across four games.
Then there’s Kyle Anderson, who, aside from Leonard, stands out as one of Toronto’s most notable offseason additions. He also has the added bonus of familiarity with Kawhi from their days with the San Antonio Spurs.
At 6-foot-8, Anderson can defend multiple spots and slide into different looks without much fuss. He should fit naturally into the rotation and help solve a problem Toronto had last season: not enough forward depth.
Over 12 NBA seasons, Anderson has built his reputation as a playmaking forward who can keep the ball moving and set up scorers like Leonard and Barnes.
For a Raptors team with bigger ambitions, these four bench players may end up being the difference between a promising roster and one that actually lives up to the noise.
In Other News...
DeMar DeRozan May Have Just Closed The Door On Raptors Reunion
DeMar DeRozans next stop is Denver, a move that gives the veteran scorer a fresh start after being waived by Sacramento and immediately changes the conversation around what comes next for one of the Raptors most familiar faces. The six-time All-Star has signed a one-year deal with the Nuggets, and the fit is easy to understand on a roster that needed more wing depth after Peyton Watsons departure.
For Toronto, the timing matters because any lingering hope of a reunion has now been effectively pushed aside. DeRozan has long been one of the most natural names to circulate whenever the Raptors have needed a jolt of offense or a familiar presence, but this signing sends him down a different path and leaves the idea of a comeback where it has sat for now, more nostalgia than actual possibility. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Just Got Pulled Into The East Arms Race Again
The Eastern Conference arms race has already pushed several front offices into an aggressive summer, and Clevelands latest move fits right into that pattern. A five-team deal sent Peyton Watson from Denver to the Cavaliers, and the new addition quickly came with the kind of long-term commitment that says plenty about how seriously the contenders are treating the East right now. Miami, Philadelphia and Toronto have all helped raise the temperature, turning what might have been a quieter offseason into a race for positioning before the games even start.
For the Raptors, this is another reminder that their own late-June shake-up has ripple effects far beyond Toronto. The Cavaliers motivation is being viewed through the lens of a conference where every major team seems to be making a statement, and podcast commentary on the move has focused as much on Clevelands cap outlook as on the fit itself. However the rest of the offseason unfolds, the Raptors are back in the middle of the conversation that decides who is trying to chase whom in the East. [Read more 🡒]
Kawhi To Toronto Feels Less Risky For One Big Reason
Kawhi Leonards next move is still a long way off, but the idea of him winding up back in Toronto for the 2026-27 season is getting a different kind of look because of the landscape around him. The biggest question, as always, is health. Leonards injury history and load management have followed him for years, and the Raptors know any reunion would come with the same uncertainty that has shadowed his career since he left.
What makes the conversation feel a little less daunting from Torontos side is that the rest of the East is hardly a model of durability. Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum all sit in a conference where availability could shape the playoff race as much as talent does, which changes how risky a Leonard gamble really looks. If the Raptors are weighing a big swing, they are not doing it in a vacuum. [Read more 🡒]