The Raptors’ frontcourt isn’t the only spot that could force Darko Rajakovic into a tough call this season. Jakob Poeltl’s place in the starting five remains the obvious question, but there’s also a more surprising lineup wrinkle hanging over the roster: whether Ja’Kobe Walter could push his way into the first unit.
Starting Poeltl at center still makes sense. Even with Collin Murray-Boyles expected to play plenty of minutes and finish a lot of games, Poeltl brings the kind of size the Raptors need, along with real value as a screener and rebounder in a lineup that already has a lot of mouths to feed.
The issue is what happens if Poeltl’s play keeps trending the way it did last season. If Toronto can’t move him in a trade for an upgrade, Rajakovic may eventually have to rethink the spot.
Walter is the more intriguing outside-the-box option. On the September 15 episode of The Zach Lowe Show, Lowe floated the possibility that Toronto could “swallow hard and make the decision that Ja’Kobe Walter should start over either Barrett or Quickley?” He added, “I don’t see that as likely, given their pedigrees respectively.”
That skepticism makes sense, especially if the Raptors are still weighing possible trade value for either player. But Walter has some real case to make.
He’s a strong defender and knocked down 40.9% of his 3-pointers last season on 3.7 attempts per game. That gives him a cleaner fit than Barrett in some ways, particularly if Toronto wants more spacing around its core.
Barrett’s value is clear, too. His rim pressure and cutting matter, and he’ll have added responsibility whenever Leonard is out.
Still, his outside shot remains a problem. He’s a mediocre 3-point shooter, and that becomes more noticeable when you stack him next to Barnes and Poeltl, a combination that doesn’t exactly light up the floor with spacing.
Of the starting spots, Barrett’s looks like the one most open to an upgrade in that area.
Even beyond the lineup itself, the Raptors have plenty to sort through this season. Leonard’s return does not come with the same immediate championship expectation it did the last time he was in Toronto.
This group is still young, still sorting out roles, and still carrying a roster full of questions. The path to a true contender around Leonard and Barnes probably stretches at least one trade deadline and one offseason beyond this year.
So while this season is about building on last year’s progress, it’s also about identifying who belongs in the long-term picture next to Leonard, Barnes, and Collin Murray-Boyles after the season ends. Barrett’s future is especially cloudy because he’s on an expiring contract and stands as the Raptors’ best trade asset from a player standpoint. Poeltl and Quickley also have expensive deals that could make them trade candidates if Toronto wants to make a bigger move or open up more financial flexibility.
There’s also rookie Allen Graves, who should fit well in the Raptors’ system. But fitting in and contributing right away are two different things, and he’ll have to prove he’s ready to help this season.
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Konchar gives New York a one-year commitment, while Eubanks is joining on a camp deal, and both would have fit obvious needs for Toronto. Konchar had been on the Raptors radar, and Eubanks had been viewed as a possible third-string center, the kind of low-drama insurance a team can use over the long season. Instead, theyll be fighting for places with the defending NBA champions, leaving Toronto to keep searching for similarly practical fits. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger question now is not whether Leonard can matter, but how fully he is willing to buy into what the Raptors have already established. His choice points toward a legacy-driven decision, and it also suggests Toronto can sell more than just basketball minutes when it comes to keeping a player of his stature engaged. What remains to be seen is how that commitment will look once the on-court grind starts and the expectations around him begin to settle in. [Read more 🡒]
Former Raptors Wing Ochai Agbaji Just Got Another NBA Chance
Ochai Agbaji is getting another shot to stick in the NBA after landing with the New York Knicks on an Exhibit 9 contract. For Raptors fans, he is still a familiar name from the wing depth Toronto once had in hand before he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, and now he is heading into a situation where every practice rep matters.
The move gives Agbaji a chance to join training camp and fight for a roster spot, but he is hardly alone in that chase. New York is filling out its camp group with several Exhibit 9 signings while carrying just two open roster spots, so the competition around him is already crowded and the margin for error is thin. [Read more 🡒]