Kawhi Leonard gives the Toronto Raptors a legitimate star pairing, and that alone changes the look of the roster. Put him next to Scottie Barnes, and Toronto suddenly has the kind of top-end talent that can sit with the East’s better teams on paper.
But the real story is what comes after the headline names. The Raptors still have to sort out whether the pieces around Leonard and Barnes actually fit, and that’s where the questions start getting louder.
Barnes and Leonard give Toronto a strong starting point. Both can defend multiple positions, and both bring value on that end without needing the ball to make an impact.
Offensively, Barnes offers secondary creation and transition pressure, while Leonard brings the half-court shot-making. That combination makes sense.
The challenge is building the right structure around it.
Spacing is the biggest issue hanging over this group. When Barnes and Leonard are attacking the same part of the floor, Toronto needs the rest of the lineup to make defenses pay from outside. That puts the spotlight on players whose roles are about to shift.
Immanuel Quickley has to show he can be a deep threat and a facilitator beside Barnes. RJ Barrett will be asked to become a shooter who can work off the ball. And there’s still plenty to learn about what Toronto can count on from younger players like Collin Murray-Boyles, Ja'Kobe Walter and Allen Graves.
The addition of Leonard also forces the Raptors to think beyond the obvious present-day fit. What happens when he’s not out there?
Leonard played 60 games in only two of his seven seasons with the Clippers, so Toronto is likely to spend 20+ games without him available. He’s 35 years old, too, which makes the long view impossible to ignore.
That means the Raptors still have to build with Barnes at the center of it all. Leonard may be the splashy addition, but Barnes remains the player Toronto has to keep supporting now and later, especially when Leonard isn’t available or eventually steps away.
So yes, the Raptors addressed a lot by bringing Leonard in. But before the season starts, they still need answers on the supporting cast around Leonard and Barnes, and those answers may decide how far this group can actually go.
In Other News...
Kawhi To Toronto Feels Less Risky For One Big Reason
A possible Kawhi Leonard return to Toronto for the 2026-27 season comes with the same obvious caveat it always has: health. Leonards injury history and the load management that has followed him through recent years make any reunion a delicate bet, even if the fit on paper still carries obvious appeal for the Raptors and their fans.
Still, the risk no longer belongs to Toronto alone. The East is packed with contenders leaning on stars who come with their own durability questions, from Joel Embiid to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum, with LeBron James also in that conversation as the conference keeps aging and bruising itself in the postseason. In that landscape, the Raptors would not be the only team gambling on availability, which changes the way Leonards return has to be judged. [Read more 🡒]
Scottie Barnes Is Suddenly At The Center Of Torontos Biggest Debate
Scottie Barnes has already become the kind of player Toronto can build around, but Darko Rajakovics recent comments underscored just how central he views the forward to the Raptors future. In talking about Barnes, Rajakovic praised the way he has embraced defensive priorities while still giving Toronto all-around production, and he pointed to Barnes role across the 2025-26 season and playoffs as a big reason the team stayed competitive.
Barnes finished the regular season with 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, then raised his level in the postseason. For a Raptors team trying to define its next step, that kind of impact is exactly what makes Barnes such a focal point of the conversation, because the debate around Torontos ceiling now runs directly through what he can do on both ends. [Read more 🡒]
Ja'Kobe Walter Could Swing The Raptors Season More Than Fans Realize
With most of the roster back and a new season opening under Darko Rajakovic, the Raptors are looking for internal growth to push the next step forward. One of the quieter reasons for optimism is Ja'Kobe Walter, whose role off the bench should expand as Toronto leans on him more as a perimeter threat in the second unit. He already showed progress in his shooting efficiency from his rookie year to his second season, and that kind of development matters for a team trying to sharpen its spacing without tearing up the core.
Walters importance goes beyond one rotation spot, too. He is entering the third year of his contract, with a team option looming for 2027-28, and the way Toronto handles that runway will say plenty about how it views his long-term fit. For a club that wants to build cleaner offense and a deeper bench, Walter is the sort of young piece who can quietly shape the seasons ceiling while the bigger names get most of the attention. [Read more 🡒]