The Toronto Raptors are getting into training camp with a roster that gives them real flexibility - and, with that flexibility, a few tricky decisions about who actually gets the minutes. Two of the biggest battles to watch are at the wing and in the frontcourt, where the team has young talent pushing for a bigger role and a veteran presence waiting to hold the line.
One of the more familiar camp storylines is the rookie-veteran fight, and Graves fits that mold perfectly. Toronto took him with the No. 19 pick in the NBA draft, and the appeal is obvious: upside.
The flip side is just as clear. He’s still a work in progress, and the Raptors will have to decide how quickly they want to throw him into the mix.
There’s a real range of outcomes for Graves this season. He could work his way into the main rotation right away, or he could end up spending time with the 905.
The sense here is that Toronto would prefer to have him contributing at the NBA level if he can handle it, but that’s not something you can just assume after one college season at a mid-major program, especially when he came off the bench. Not everybody walks in and does what Collin Murray-Boyles did in his rookie year.
That’s where Anderson comes in. Toronto brought him in for a reason, and the veteran, who has 12 NBA seasons under his belt, can give them 10 to 12 minutes a night if needed. If the Raptors want steady production in that role, Anderson looks like the safer fit than Graves right now.
The other battle is less about who starts and more about how the minutes get split between Poeltl and Murray-Boyles. Poeltl averaged 25 minutes per game last season, which was the lowest mark he’s had since becoming a full-time starter with the San Antonio Spurs in 2020-21.
Murray-Boyles already showed he can handle a meaningful workload, averaging 21.9 minutes per game as a rookie. Now that he’s not a rookie anymore, Toronto may be ready to lean on him even more. The team liked what it saw in the playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and if that carries over, CMB could be used in different ways this season - including some time at power forward or as a small-ball centre.
That’s the path Toronto seems headed down eventually. The only question is whether Murray-Boyles is ready for that bigger role right away at the start of the 2026-27 season.
In Other News...
Brandon Ingram Trade Just Took A Tough Turn For Raptors Fans
Brandon Ingrams next chapter hit an early snag before it even really began, and Raptors fans have reason to take notice. After being dealt from Toronto to the Clippers, Ingram was expected to give Los Angeles a major scoring boost, but the new teams medical staff uncovered a serious issue ahead of training camp, changing the outlook almost immediately.
Ingram had already undergone offseason surgery, and the Clippers have not offered a timetable for when he might return. For Toronto, it is another reminder that the move is already carrying a different kind of risk than the one fans were focused on when the trade first went through, with his availability now in question as the season gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors May Need Jamison Battle For More Than Just Shooting
Jamison Battle already enters the Raptors conversation with a clear selling point: he can really shoot it. After knocking down better than 40 percent from three-point range in both his rookie season and the year that followed, Battle has become one of the most dependable floor-spacing options on a roster that suddenly needs them more than ever after the Brandon Ingram trade and Sandro Mamukelashvilis departure.
The bigger question in Toronto is whether Battle can offer enough beyond the arc to stay in the rotation. Darko Rajakovic pointed to Battles defensive improvement during media day, and that matters on a team looking for every reliable piece it can find, especially with minutes available for players who can space the floor and hold up on the other end. [Read more 🡒]
Kawhi Is Already Sending A Message About The Clippers Fallout
Kawhi Leonards return to Toronto came with the kind of quiet, pointed message that tends to linger around a team long after the microphones are turned off. On his first media session back with the Raptors, Leonard asked that the conversation stay centered on basketball, even as the NBA investigation into him and the Clippers continued to hang over his offseason. He made clear that the process had been a distraction, but he also sounded energized by the chance to rejoin a familiar setting and get back to competing at the level he expects.
For the Raptors, the appeal is as much about fit as it is about talent. Leonard spoke about wanting to compete at a high level and said Toronto offers the right environment for that, which is exactly the sort of message this franchise wants to hear from a player of his stature. The unresolved backdrop remains obvious, but Leonards immediate priority is to move the focus back to his new-old team and the work ahead. [Read more 🡒]