The Toronto Raptors are at a crossroads - not in terms of effort or talent, but in how their roster fits together in today’s NBA. The pieces are intriguing, the potential is there, but when you zoom in on the finer details, especially in the pick-and-roll game, it’s clear this team is still searching for a lead initiator who can bend defenses consistently.
Let’s start with Scottie Barnes. The third-year forward has taken a noticeable leap in his playmaking, and there are moments where his vision and timing evoke shades of peak Kyle Lowry - high praise for any Raptor, let alone a 22-year-old.
Barnes is exceptional at creating layups for teammates, particularly when he’s attacking downhill. His passing while on the move is elite-level stuff.
But here’s the catch: he’s not consistently beating defenders off the dribble. He can’t quite turn the corner and get his hips past his man, which means he’s not drawing the kind of help rotations that open up the floor for kick-outs or dump-offs.
And when defenders can stay attached, the passing windows shrink. That’s part of why his turnover rate on drives is higher than you’d like - help defenders can dig into his handle without overcommitting.
Then there’s Brandon Ingram. The shooting is real - he draws gravity just by being on the floor, and he can score from all three levels.
But his passing hasn’t translated in a Raptors uniform. Most of his playmaking reads are reactive rather than proactive - resets or bailouts when a shot isn’t there, rather than passes that manipulate the defense.
Ingram’s drives create attention, but the next step - turning that attention into clean looks for teammates - hasn’t shown up yet. Maybe it comes with time, but right now, it’s a missing piece.
RJ Barrett, on the other hand, is the Raptors’ best driver. He’s physical, decisive, and has a solid feel for passing on the move.
He’s not a traditional point guard, but he can run a pick-and-roll - particularly in simplified sets like empty corner actions - and he’s got a few passing tricks in his bag. The issue?
His jumper. The mechanics don’t allow for efficient pull-up shooting, so defenders sag off him, clogging the lane and shrinking the space he has to operate.
That kind of defensive coverage has ripple effects - not just for Barrett, but for the entire offensive structure.
And that brings us to the bigger picture. This isn’t about individual talent.
Immanuel Quickley is a strong player who brings pace, defense, and shooting. He’s a keeper.
But the Raptors are missing a specific archetype - a lead guard who can consistently break down a defense, create advantages out of thin air, and orchestrate the pick-and-roll with precision. That kind of player is everywhere in today’s NBA, and ironically, it’s a mold the Raptors helped popularize with Lowry and DeRozan in their heyday.
Adding someone like Coby White - a guard who can initiate but also play off the ball - wouldn’t be about replacing Quickley. It would be about complementing him. Because right now, Toronto’s offense lacks that downhill threat who forces defenses into tough decisions every possession.
So where does that leave the Raptors? Still talented, still competitive, still full of intriguing young pieces.
But unless there’s internal growth or a roster shake-up, their ceiling will be capped by their inability to generate consistent pick-and-roll offense. In today’s NBA, that’s not just a nice-to-have - it’s a necessity.