RJ Barrett is about to get the kind of runway that can reshape how the Raptors view him.
With Kawhi Leonard sidelined, Toronto’s next stretch feels especially important for Barrett, who is in the final year of his deal and suddenly has a real chance to strengthen his case for a long-term extension. The conversation around him has already been going on, and this run without Leonard gives him a clean opportunity to make it louder.
The question with Barrett has never really been about whether he can score in bursts. It’s been about fit.
When the Raptors are fully healthy, there have been obvious doubts about him as an off-ball scorer, especially because he hasn’t been a great shooter or the kind of defender you’d want from a third or fourth option. That’s why the counterargument has always been tied to what happens when Leonard misses time: Barrett is supposed to be able to step into a bigger role and function as a No. 2 option.
He already flashed that in a seven-game sample during the 2026 playoffs, which is part of why this stretch matters so much now. But a small postseason sample only goes so far. The Raptors need to see whether that version of Barrett can show up again over a longer window.
That’s where the next few games come in. Toronto’s half-court offense has been rough, and Barrett is one of the players expected to help stabilize it.
He’s been described as someone who can create his own shot when the offense bogs down, and there have already been moments that fit that description since Leonard went down. He came out hot in both the Minnesota game and the first game against Orlando, carrying the offense early.
But in both of those games, he faded in the second half. He also struggled right from the start in game two against Orlando.
That’s the concern: the Raptors still haven’t seen Barrett string together a sustained stretch as a reliable No. 2 scorer. A seven-game playoff run is one thing.
Add a handful more regular-season games to that and the picture starts to get clearer. Right now, the front office is still working with too small a sample to know exactly what Barrett can be in that role.
This stretch should also tell the Raptors how he handles being near the top of the scouting report alongside Scottie Barnes. That’s the kind of responsibility he’s likely to face now, and it’s the kind of test that can either strengthen or weaken the extension argument.
None of that means Barrett has to turn into Kawhi Leonard or suddenly become one of the league’s elite scorers. Toronto’s spacing issues are still part of the problem, and Barrett isn’t the only reason the half-court offense has sputtered. But if he can give the Raptors steady production as Barnes’ No. 2 option and look closer to the player he was in last season’s playoffs, the case against extending him long-term gets a lot harder to make.
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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
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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 🡒]