The Raptors may be headed into next season with a frontcourt problem they still haven’t solved.
Toronto is still waiting on the NBA’s investigation into the Clippers over alleged salary-cap circumvention before it knows whether it wants to keep moving forward with the trade for Kawhi Leonard. At the same time, the team did not land the center upgrade plenty of fans were hoping for after a rough season and a playoff run that left Jakob Poeltl looking overmatched, including against a rookie.
For now, though, the expectation is that Poeltl will open next season as the starting center. The hope is that he can bounce back and maybe even restore enough trade value to keep the Raptors from having to attach multiple picks just to get off his contract. That leaves Darko Rajakovic with another major task: finding ways to use Collin Murray-Boyles at the five as much as possible.
There’s obvious upside in that approach. If Leonard ends up in Toronto, a frontline featuring him, Scottie Barnes and Murray-Boyles would give the Raptors a nasty defensive identity.
But it also comes with a clear risk, and it’s one Toronto already knows too well. Rebounding was a problem last season, and it got worse in the playoffs.
That concern showed up in the NBA’s latest Eastern Conference power rankings, where the question for Toronto was: “Can a smaller frontline hold up on the glass?”
“The Raptors’ best lineup would seemingly have Leonard, Scottie Barnes, and Murray-Boyles on the frontline,” John Schumann wrote. “That’s a strong, switchable group, but those three guys are 6-foot-6, 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-7, respectively. That means rebounding could be an issue for a team that ranked 13th in rebounding percentage in the first round, getting outscored by 28 points (45-17) on second chances over the last two games.”
Even with that warning sign, the Raptors came in fourth in the power rankings.
Toronto still has room to maneuver if the Leonard deal goes through as planned. The team would keep first-round picks in 2028, 2029, 2030 and 2032, along with second-round picks in the next three drafts. It also still has RJ Barrett’s expiring salary, unless he is extended, plus the larger contracts of Immanuel Quickley and Poeltl.
That gives the Raptors more paths to make moves once Leonard is officially on the roster. And if Poeltl has another disappointing year, the front office could still look for an upgrade - or at least another dependable reserve - before the 2027 trade deadline.
The bigger issue is that asking Murray-Boyles to serve as the primary backup center is a lot for an undersized second-year player. Upgrading both the quality and depth at center should remain a priority, especially with so many Eastern Conference teams bringing real size to the table.
The Knicks just won a title with Karl-Anthony Towns. The Cavs still have Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, who gave Toronto problems in the playoffs.
The Heat have Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. The Pacers added Ivica Zubac to pair with Pascal Siakam.
And that doesn’t even get into the 76ers with a healthy Joel Embiid or the Pistons with Jalen Duren if he re-signs as a restricted free agent.
In Other News...
Raptors Still Have One Hurdle Before They Become A Real Threat
The Raptors have spent the offseason trying to shore up the edges of the roster, adding Kyle Anderson and Allen Graves to address some of the problems that showed up a year ago. More important, Scottie Barnes has continued to establish himself as the central piece, while younger players like Collin Murray-Boyles and Ja'Kobe Walter have flashed enough progress to make the long view feel more realistic than it did not long ago.
What Toronto still needs, though, is the kind of internal jump that turns a promising group into a real threat, and that puts even more pressure on Barnes to keep expanding his game as a scorer. If he can push his shooting into a more dangerous range, the Raptors start to look less like a team building toward something and more like one that can actually follow the slow-burn path other contenders have taken. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Still Have One Frontcourt Problem This Offseason Didn't Solve
The Raptors spent the offseason adding pieces, but they still have not brought in anyone taller than 6-9, and that leaves a familiar question hanging over the roster. Torontos frontcourt got a boost with Allen Graves, the 19th overall pick, but the rookie is more of a versatile forward than a true answer to the kind of size that can tilt games in the paint.
Graves is expected to back up Jakob Poeltl and may even slide into some small-ball five minutes, which helps with flexibility but does not fully change the teams size profile. Toronto also passed on several taller center prospects in the draft, and after the playoff rebounding issues that already exposed the group, the Raptors still look like a team that could have trouble matching up with dominant big men. [Read more 🡒]