The Toronto Raptors leaned into Halloween before their regular-season opener on Wednesday, with the team getting together for its annual party and a costume lineup that ranged from the obvious to the downright puzzling.
This year’s host was point guard Jamal Shead, who took over after Garrett Temple retired in the offseason. Shead, an Austin native, set the tone with a Texas-themed gathering that also included karaoke.
The costumes were all over the map. Some players stuck with familiar pop-culture staples, while others went in a more unexpected direction - especially Scottie Barnes, whose outfit was described as colonial-era George Washington? Whatever Barnes was channeling, he certainly looked ready to “cross the league like it's the Delaware River.”
Shead dressed as the Red Power Ranger, prompting the obvious nickname possibility: the “Shead” Ranger. Ja'Kobe Walter leaned into the Texas vibe as a cowboy, while Malachi Smith paid tribute to Raptors icon Vince Carter. Collin Murray-Boyles went with Dragon Ball Z, Jamison Battle showed up as The Joker, and Allen Graves chose Tigger.
Jaden Bradley kept things simple as a pizza slice, with sweatpants and a sweater giving the costume a low-key edge. Alijah Martin went the Spider-Man route, and Nate Bittle wore what might have been the funniest look of the night: a big baby costume on a seven-footer.
Kawhi Leonard’s costume remained a mystery, if he dressed up at all. The same was true for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl, and Kyle Anderson.
In Other News...
Allen Graves Had A Very Toronto Moment Before His NBA Debut
Allen Graves first night in the NBA came with all the Toronto trimmings. In his debut against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 21, the Raptors rookie chipped in five points, five rebounds and three blocks in 19 minutes, but what stood out just as much was the setting around him. Graves called the experience of playing in front of a sold-out crowd and hearing the national anthem a significant moment, the kind of arrival that makes a debut feel bigger than a box score.
And for a player taking his first professional steps, Toronto supplied a scene he wont forget soon. Drake was courtside, adding another unmistakably local layer to the night, and Graves said he felt the support of family and friends after the game. For a rookie trying to settle into the league, it was a reminder that his first NBA memory in this city came with plenty of noise, attention and the sort of atmosphere that makes Toronto feel different from anywhere else. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Face An Early Road Test Their Defense Can't Fake
The Raptors are about to get their first road test of the season in Washington, and it arrives with a chance to find out a lot about how real their early defensive promise is. The Wizards have reshaped their roster with the kind of veteran help that can steady a young group, bringing in Anthony Davis and Trae Young to support their younger players, which makes this more than a simple early-season stop. Torontos defense has looked sharp enough to invite optimism, but road games tend to expose whether that edge travels or gets softened by unfamiliar surroundings.
Washington will also be short-handed, with AJ ruled out, which removes another layer from a matchup already built around questions about depth and consistency. For Toronto, the interest is less about the prediction and more about how the team handles a setting where effort and discipline matter just as much as talent. If the Raptors can carry their defensive identity into this one, it would say something meaningful about where this group stands before the schedule gets any less forgiving. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Draft Miss Just Raised A Bigger Question For Toronto
Torontos 2023 lottery swing on Gradey Dick was always going to be judged by more than just what happened on draft night. The appeal was obvious at the time: a polished shooter coming out of college, the kind of skill set that can look like a clean fit for almost any roster. But once that shooting proved harder to carry over to the NBA, and Dick was eventually moved to the LA Clippers, it left the Raptors with a familiar front-office question to wrestle with about how much weight to put on one elite trait.
Allen Graves has added another layer to that discussion ahead of the 2026 draft. He is viewed as a more versatile prospect, which makes him look like the sort of player Toronto may value more highly now than it did when it bet on shooting first. For a team still sorting out how to build its next core, the real issue is not just whether Graves can help, but whether the Raptors have already learned enough from the Dick pick to change how they evaluate the next one. [Read more 🡒]