The Toronto Raptors left Wednesday night looking a lot less like a team on the rise and a lot more like one still searching for its footing. Denver rolled to a 128-109 win, and the turning point was as ugly as it gets: a 41-15 third quarter that blew the game wide open.
For a while, Toronto had reasons to feel good. Immanuel Quickley opened with his best start of the season, the offense was moving, the Raptors were getting easy transition baskets, and Collin Murray-Boyles brought real energy on both ends. Then the break ended, and so did Toronto’s edge.
The second half was a different team entirely. The Raptors came out flat, their half-court offense disappeared, and Darko Rajakovic has a problem that needs solving fast.
Quickley came back to earth almost immediately after his hot start. RJ Barrett went 0-for-6.
Scottie Barnes didn’t give Toronto much offensively. The bench was rough, and Ja’Kobe Walter followed up one bad outing with another.
Nikola Jokic’s third quarter was a huge part of the collapse, too. He dropped 15 points in that frame and made sure Toronto never had a chance to steady itself.
But this wasn’t just about one superstar taking over. The bigger issue was the Raptors’ lack of energy, their lack of offensive connection, and a depth chart that simply isn’t holding up.
That’s the part that stings the most: the possibility that Toronto may have been overrated. Coming into this stretch without Kawhi Leonard, optimism around the group was high.
It looked like a chance for the Raptors to show they could win without him and strengthen their case as a title contender when everyone is healthy. Instead, this road trip - along with the final home game before it against Orlando - has pushed the conversation in the opposite direction.
Quickley has had plenty of chances to prove he can handle a bigger offensive role without Leonard, and he hasn’t delivered consistently. There are stretches when he looks sharp, makes the right reads, and keeps the ball humming.
But it never seems to last. That inconsistency keeps showing up, and it’s hard to ignore when a starting point guard can’t give you steady, efficient production over 30-plus minutes against quality teams.
Barrett’s story has been similar. He’s had moments where he attacks the rim and looks like the main engine of the offense.
The problem is that those bursts usually don’t last long before the rest of the game turns messy. At the same time, it’s fair to question whether any of this should even be falling on him in the first place if this is supposed to be a team with championship ambitions.
That’s where the larger concern creeps in: maybe the talent just isn’t there. The Raptors don’t have elite depth pieces, and every game without Leonard seems to underline that point.
The center spot is a problem. Jamal Shead is starting to look like a player whose efficiency issues aren’t going away.
Jamison Battle has been useful, but him being maybe the third-most important bench player with Leonard out is not an ideal setup. Counting Allen Graves as a day-one contributor is a stretch.
And Kyle Anderson, signed in free agency to essentially serve as a babysitter who rarely plays, isn’t moving the needle.
The defense hasn’t looked right on this trip either. Yes, going against Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic is no easy assignment, but Tyus Jones and Marvin Bagley III were getting theirs in this one, and Bryce Hopkins - a second-round rookie - should not be able to put up 18 points off the bench against a team that’s supposed to be elite on that end.
It’s early, and there’s still time for things to change. But after this loss, it’s hard to avoid the feeling that the Raptors, and plenty of people around them, may have talked themselves into a version of this team that isn’t really there yet.
In Other News...
Chris Bouchers Next Move Just Gave Raptors Fans A New Update
Chris Boucher has found his next stop overseas, signing with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association and stepping into the roster spot previously held by JaVale McGee. For Raptors fans, it is another reminder of how far Bouchers path has traveled since his time in Toronto, where he became one of the more recognizable development success stories to come through the organization.
The Sharks are off to a strong start this season and already have some familiar NBA names around Boucher, including DAngelo Russell and Brandon Goodwin. After stints with the Raptors and Celtics, Boucher now joins a team with real momentum and a roster built to compete, leaving Toronto supporters with one more former Raptor to follow as his career takes another turn. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Finally Got The Kawhi Update They Desperately Needed
Kawhi Leonard is finally moving in the right direction, and for a Raptors team trying to steady itself on a road trip, that matters. Toronto announced that Leonard has successfully completed treatment for left knee swelling and will begin the return-to-play process, a sign that the long wait for a meaningful update is over even if the finish line is still a little ways off.
The next checkpoint comes in a week, and in the meantime the Raptors will likely have to keep getting by without him through several upcoming games. There is at least a chance Leonard could be available for the Nov. 11 game, but for now the bigger takeaway is simply that Toronto has a clearer path than it did a day ago, and a much better sense of when this situation might start to open up. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Could Lose A Key Assistant To A Job He Nearly Landed
Jama Mahlalela has long been one of the more respected voices on the Raptors bench, and his name is suddenly back in the mix for a prominent womens basketball job. He was a finalist for the New York Liberty head coaching position last year before the team went with Chris DeMarco, and now that DeMarco reportedly is not returning for the 2027 season, the door may be open again.
For Toronto, it is the kind of development worth watching closely. Mahlalela brings coaching experience from both the Raptors and the Golden State Warriors, and another run at the Liberty job would put him in the same conversation he was nearly part of a year ago. The Raptors have benefited from his presence, but they may have to brace for the possibility that he gets another serious look elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]