The Raptors’ best month last season came with a built-in asterisk, and this year’s November slate looks a lot less forgiving.
Toronto ripped through November a year ago, opening 2-4 in October before storming to a 12-3 record the next month. That run included a nine-game winning streak and a 80.0 percent winning percentage, the kind of surge that turned heads around the league and inside Raptors Nation.
But even then, the context mattered. Some of those opponents were banged up, and several of the wins came against softer competition.
Still, it was a month that changed the temperature around the team. Toronto was climbing the East standings fast, and doing it after entering the season with pretty modest expectations - with some outlets basically writing them off.
This time around, the path to another big November looks steeper.
The Raptors’ 2026-27 regular season schedule was released earlier this week, and November is loaded. Toronto has 14 games in the month, with eight at home and six on the road. It starts with a three-game West Coast trip against the Lakers, the Clippers, and the Nuggets, then rolls into matchups with the Bucks, Grizzlies, Celtics, 76ers, reigning-champion Knicks in two straight games, Wizards, Pistons, and Nets.
November also carries added weight because of the NBA Cup. Toronto has three group play games that month: against the Bucks early, then the Pistons and Nets later on. Last November, the Raptors went 3-0 in group play and 4-0 overall before advancing to the knockout stage and getting eliminated.
On paper, there are still games Toronto can circle as winnable. The Bucks, Grizzlies, and Nets are the kinds of opponents the Raptors could be favored against, especially given where those teams are in their respective rebuilds or retools.
But the rest of the month is lined with far more dangerous tests. The Lakers, Clippers, Celtics, Pistons, Wizards, and Nuggets all bring enough uncertainty to make life difficult, and Boston and Detroit remain real threats in the East.
The toughest stretch may come against New York and Philadelphia. The back-to-back against the Knicks stands out in particular, since they are the defending champs and should offer a clean read on where Toronto stands against the league’s elite.
The lone meeting with the 76ers matters too. It’s one game, but it could still say plenty about how the Raptors stack up against a team that has been framed as a major rival and a stacked playoff-level opponent.
Last November, Toronto’s only losses came against Philly, Charlotte, and New York. This year’s calendar gives them a much harder road if they want another month that grabs attention in the same way.
And hovering over all of it is the Kawhi Leonard situation, which remains unresolved. If that trade hold-up leaves Leonard suspended for most of the season or unavailable because of the ongoing investigation, then Toronto’s November - and everything after it - will depend entirely on the group already in place.
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Jamal Shead is one reason that conversation is getting louder. The rookie has not put up eye-catching shooting numbers, but his playmaking and defense have already given the Raptors a different sort of point guard profile to consider, one that may fit better with where the team wants to go. Toronto has not made any decisions, but the fact that this debate is already happening in-house says plenty about how quickly the guard picture could change. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes the situation more intriguing is how quickly a new landing spot could change the equation. ESPN already has Dick slotted fourth on the Clippers shooting guard depth chart behind Keaton Wagler, Bradley Beal, and Benedict Mathurin, which would put him in another crowded competition for minutes if a trade gets done. For Toronto, that is the kind of detail that raises a familiar question: whether moving on now is a reset, or whether the Raptors are giving up on a player who still needed more runway. [Read more 🡒]
RJ Barrett Faces A Huge Raptors Test Before His Future Is Clear
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That leaves Barrett heading into next season with a clear opportunity and a clear test. He will need to show more of what he can bring when Kawhi Leonard is unavailable, giving Toronto another look at how he handles a bigger load and how much he can tilt the team's plans in his favor before any long-term decision comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]