The Toronto Raptors’ defense has taken a hit since Kawhi Leonard went down, and JJ Redick made sure to point it out after the Los Angeles Lakers beat them. Toronto has now dropped two straight without Leonard, and the latest loss to Luka Doncic and the Lakers exposed how much the team leans on him to anchor its identity on that end.
Redick didn’t sugarcoat the matchup afterward, saying it was difficult to play against the Raptors because they were "fouling every possession." That kind of line would usually sound like postgame frustration if the other team had lost. Instead, with the Lakers on top, it landed as a blunt assessment of how Toronto’s defense played.
The bigger issue for the Raptors is that Leonard’s absence has left too many cracks in a unit that usually looks far sturdier. Without him, both the Lakers and Orlando Magic have been able to shoot extremely well, and Toronto has looked far more vulnerable than it does when Leonard is available.
Toronto still has defensive talent. Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles are both among the best defenders in the league at their positions, but they rarely share the floor together often enough to patch up everything by themselves. The problem is bigger than two good defenders can solve, especially with the team lacking real rim protection.
Jakob Poeltl’s play has fallen off to the point where he is barely a factor on either end, and Trayce Jackson-Davis, while a solid backup big who works hard and fills his role, may actually be Toronto’s best rim protector right now. That’s not an ideal place to be. Murray-Boyles and Barnes can help in smaller lineups, but those looks also pull them away from the spots where they do their best work.
There are other issues, too. RJ Barrett’s defense has improved, but against stronger opponents the Raptors still have to scheme around it.
Immanuel Quickley has struggled against the league’s better guards, and Ja'Kobe Walter’s energy on the perimeter hasn’t been enough to offset the problems in a Leonard-less backcourt. That combination helped Doncic and Franz Wagner get what they wanted.
For now, Toronto looks stuck. The team doesn’t have much room to make a major defensive overhaul unless it gives up significant pieces, and even a move involving Barrett or Quickley would likely be aimed at offense rather than solving the defense.
Redick may have sounded harsh, but his message lines up with what the Raptors are showing right now. Leonard won’t be back anytime soon, and this version of Toronto’s defense is not built to hold up against the league’s better teams.
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Luka Doncics 45-point night was the kind of star power Toronto could not fully absorb without its starting center, especially when the Raptors were already trying to play from a disadvantage on the glass and around the rim. The effort was there, but against a Lakers team with that much shot-making, Torontos inability to turn those turnovers into a winning edge loomed large. [Read more 🡒]
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Toronto already has reason to pay attention to the frontcourt market, and Sabonis would sit near the center of any serious discussion about upgrades. The fit questions are obvious, as are the salary complications and the roster decisions that would come with even exploring a deal, but the larger point is simple: if Sacramento really opens the door, the Raptors would be irresponsible not to at least look through it. [Read more 🡒]