Toronto Raptors 2024-25 NBA Season Preview

The Toronto Raptors return to action tonight with a clean slate and a rebuild in mind – here is a breakdown in case you missed any of the action!

The Toronto Raptors are entering their 30th season with a clean slate. Still, it’s unclear where the team is in terms of a “rebuilding life cycle” based on what players they have, and with Raptors President Masai Ujiri saying that the team is rebuilding but expects the team to be very competitive and try to win every night. To quote coach Darko Rajakovic:

It is a clean slate. This is Year 1 of our rebuild. We are starting our rebuild now. So, everything we’re doing right now is to establish the culture and how we want to work.

Regardless, as Ujiri said during the training camp, the Raptors won’t be contenders this season. For the lottery, maybe, but not in the postseason. The bottom line is that this is a pivotal developmental season for the Raptors.

Previously, on Toronto Raptors 2023-24 Season

Last season was one of the (if not the) most disappointing and frustrating seasons under President Masai Ujiri’s tenure. Bad vibes clouded most of their season, even more before it began. Losing out Fred VanVleet Sr. in the free agency, the Gary Trent Jr., OG Anunoby, and Pascal Siakam trade rumours and contract situation mishandling, the Azotam Synergy-gate, and a very lengthy and weird coaching search, which could still potentially end up in a dud. The only consistent thing that happened that summer was the Raptors striking out again in free agency, but that’s a Masai Ujiri special.

Then we rolled into the season with a new coach who may have been trying to bite more than he can chew or went through the early part of the season not getting buy-in from his key players. Perhaps both. A coach who preached a system that didn’t capitalize on their main players’ strengths and gave QB1-level usage to point god Dennis Schroder. It didn’t help that their lottery pick, Gradey Dick struggled not just with the main club but looked even worse with the Raptors 905.

The ball movement and passing were up, but the vibes, morale, and wins were down. Significantly down. The team had to squeeze out some wins and had to rely on their stars to take the reigns of the offense away from the offense that teetered between mechanical and punch-drunk. Some of the losses last season felt like a “new low” each and every time, just like being the team to let the Detroit Pistons win after 15 straight losses.

The Raptors front office cashed out on OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam a season too late, and while the returns for the Siakam trade was a near-firable offense, Masai and GM Bobby Webster saved face a little bit by getting RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley (Detroit’s ‘24 2nd Rd pick – Jonathan Mogbo) for Anunoby.

What made the season one of the all-time weirdest seasons was Johntay Porter, the lone bright spot on the equally miserable Raptors 905 season, was caught betting on himself for all the wrong reasons, earning a lifetime ban from the NBA.

The decision to tank mid-season was in vain, as the lottery gods punished the 25-57 Raptors and made the ping pong balls fall so that their lottery pick landed eighth, therefore conveying the pick to the Spurs.

The only bright spot was Scottie Barnes, who was having an All-Star season, but his season was cut short by a hand injury.

Training Camp

The Raptors kicked off their training camp in Montreal, with the usual suspects in town, along with roster hopefuls Bruno Fernando, Jared Rhoden, Jamison Battle, and Jahmi’us Ramsey, competing for the 15 roster spot or one of the Two-Way contract roster spots held by DJ Carton, Ulrich Chomche, and Branden Carlson.

Unfortunately, the Raptors did not have a healthy training camp, with several players missing part, if not the entire camp. Ja’Kobe Walter missed the entire training camp due to a shoulder injury, and so did Bruce Brown, who’s been dealing with knee injuries over the past couple of seasons. Scottie Barnes rejoined the team after missing some time due to personal matters. At the same time, RJ Barrett got injured on their first preseason game when he ran into Raptors’ old friend Jonas Valanciunas, causing Barrett to miss the rest of the training camp and perhaps the start of the season. Kelly Olynyk’s back caused him to miss most of the preseason games, and Immanuel Quickley didn’t see any preseason action until the finale. Meanwhile, Chris Boucher and Jamal Shead played banged up on a couple of games. If you’re on the “Team Tank,” these are good signs.

The preseason showed a much more coherent and fluid offense, with key players looking like they might be prime for another gear shift this coming season. Gradey Dick’s looked improved compared to his Summer League performance, while Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley looked ready to lead this young Raptors team. Speaking of young, Garrett Temple either didn’t get a full two-hour warm-up when he played or perhaps he’s much more productive as a uniformed assistant coach on the bench.

Who’s Out?

The training camp battle saw Branden Carlson lose his Two-Way contract spot to Jamison Battle, who’s been a star in his limited minutes/role throughout the summer league and preseason. Jahmi’us Ramsey and Jared Rhoden failed to impress the team. Still, Rhoden, who had a pretty good track record at the NBA G League level playing on a Two-Way contract for the Detroit Pistons, got snagged by the Charlotte Hornets after he got released by the Raptors.

There were also some pure paperwork transactions, such as the sign+waive of players like Kevin Obanor, Dylan Disu, Quincy Guerrier, and Kennedy Chandler. These players could end up with the Raptors 905 if they don’t find better opportunities elsewhere.

Going back, the Raptors waived fan favourite Javon Freeman-Liberty last summer and didn’t give a dime to Sasha Vezenkov to allow him to go back to Europe. Also, Jordan Nwora, Gary Trent Jr., and Malik Williams hit the free agency last summer, and the front office decided not to bring them back. JFL will probably play for the Chicago Bulls’ farm team, Nwora now plays for BSL Anadolu Efes, Trent Jr. will have his revenge game playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, and Williams will likely play for the Miami Heat’s farm team.

Who’s In?

The Raptors acquired Davion Mitchell on a draft-day deal. According to our buddy Jay Rosales’ Bench Mob 1.5 Preview:

Playing behind All-Star De’Aaron Fox and Sixth Man of Year runner-up Malik Monk did not allow Mitchell enough opportunity to show his ability as the primary ball-handler.

The Raptors also restocked their cupboard by bringing in several rookies to the fold, with Ja’Kobe Walter (20th), Jonathan Mogbo (31st), Jamal Shead (45th), Ulrich Chomche (57th – 2W), and Jamison Battle (UDFA – 2W). Walter, when healthy, should be part of the rotation, while Jamal Shead, Jonathan Mogbo, and Jamison Battle’s minutes with the main club will depend on injuries — and perhaps, some roster consolidation trades that could happen as the season progresses.

I previewed the Rookies + Two-Way class here and here for more thoughts about their upcoming season.

Opening Night Roster

Perhaps the mild surprise here is Branden Carlson losing out on his Two-Way contract spot, won by Jamison Battle. However, Bruno Fernando making the team might be an omen that Kelly Olynyk’s back could be a lingering problem this season, as Fernando’s contract will get guaranteed if he’s on the roster by opening night.

Projected Starters

RJ Barret – RJ Barrett’s ‘prove it’ season by Jay Rosales (@rosalesaurus)

For Barrett, he knows that his growth on the offensive is only half of the battle. Improvements on the other side of the ball will go a long way in speeding up Toronto’s rebuild and further entrenching Barrett in the Raptors’ core.

Immanuel Quickley – Immanuel Quickley is ready for his first full season as a starter by Alex Higgins (higgs31_)

The Maryland native saw a slight dip in his efficiency after joining the Raptors, which is to be expected with an expanded role. However, where Quickley flourish was his playmaking. His assist rate more than doubled with the Raptors and he finished the season averaging nearly seven assists per game, which would have put him in the top 12 of point guards league-wide if he had sustained that number across the whole season.

Gradey Dick – Gradey Dick is more than ready for his sophomore season by Rebecca Schapelhouman (@beccaschaps)

After the strong end to the season, and an offseason of growth, expecting him to get 12-3-3 a night feels reasonable. He’s going to see an uptick in minutes, giving him the opportunity to see an increase in his stats across the board. Hitting threes and spacing the floor will probably be his first objective, but he’ll find lots of ways to cut to the rim and score there too. Bench

Jakob Poeltl – Jakob Poeltl, a steady vet on a rebuilding team by Joseph Strauss (@PreferablyJoe)

With Poeltl in the lineup, the Raptors were 21-29 last season. Without Poeltl? 4-28. Now, Poeltl’s extended absence (torn ligament in pinkie finger) did overlap with Scottie Barnes’ broken hand, so that’s not exclusively a Poeltl statistic. But his impact was clear. For the second year in a row, Poeltl led the team in on/off point differential (+9.6 per 100 possessions).

Scottie Barnes – Scottie Barnes has to lead the way by JD Quirante (@jdkeyrants)

Primarily, we expect Barnes to lead by example. Siakam’s departure last season put a lot of pressure on Barnes to consistently put up numbers and lead the way with his energy and enthusiasm. When he did both, Barnes looked like an unstoppable machine. That’s why when his performance or energy dipped, it looked like he was struggling to give effort on at least one end of the floor.

Schedule and Key Dates

The first 20-30 games won’t be fun, but the downside is if the team performs poorly, it might push this front office to go into full tank mode (as we should). It doesn’t get any easier after that, but the “easier” games are mostly on the back half of the schedule. The Raptors get a complimentary lone nationally-televised game against the New York Knicks on January 8th, and every game should be either on TSN or SportsNet.

• October 31: Ochai Agbaji ‘25-26 Team Option
• October 31: Gradey Dick ‘25-26 Team Option
• November 2: Vince Carter Jersey Retirement
• December 10, 11, 14, 17: Emirates Cup
• January 10: 10-day contracts may now be signed
• February 6: NBA Trade Deadline
• February 14-16: NBA All-Star Weekend
• March 1: Playoff Eligibility Waiver Deadline

Season Predictions

JD Quirante: Scoop the Coop. Winning Rarely for Ace Bailey. 21-61. The first 20 games won’t be easy, but for bad teams, no games are easy. For teams that are not contending (the Front Office and the coach stated that this is a rebuilding year), a bad start to the season and a potentially historical draft class could and should force the front office to pivot towards tanking player development.

Joseph Strauss: This team has some fun elements to it. We’ll have our first full season of Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. Gradey Dick is blossoming before our eyes. Scottie Barnes can become a two-time All-Star. Exciting stuff! So folks, as we watch the Raptors go 23-59, hold onto these beacons of positivity. We’re gonna need them. (And we’re gonna need those lottery balls.)

Rebecca Schapelhouman: 28-54. I know it’s optimistic, but as good as some teams are, I think there will be games where the Raptors’ pace, youth, and scrappy defence will be beneficial. Sometimes teams count them out by resting key players and Toronto will capitalize. If they make the play-in they’re not contending, so that’ll be as far as they get. They’ll find a way into the lottery again to get another young, talented piece to add to the roster.

Alex Higgins: I’m sticking with my prediction of a 38-44 Raptors finish. I may be a lot more optimistic about this squad than most, but if not for all the roster changes and injuries midway through last season, this team could have made the Play-In. While many in the league, and in the East specifically, will be tanking for Cooper Flagg, I project the Raptors new BBQ core (Barnes, Barrett and Quickley) to all take a step and work more cohesively in their first full season together. The Play-In is likely as far as they get, but I don’t see this team intentionally tanking unless they get hit with a sleuth of injuries.

Chelsea Leite: 30-52, make the play in. Lose both play-in games and still don’t make the playoffs. Beat the odds and draft Cooper Flagg (I’m being hella optimistic)

Jay Rosales: Can I cheat and just say that I guarantee the Raptors will finish 4th in the division? Last season, the Hawks got the last play-in spot with only 36 wins. Since most prognostications have Toronto finishing with less than 35 wins, I think the Raptors embrace the tank and Capture the Flagg. The season starts with 7 of 12 on the road and 22 of 25 against teams with records above .500 last season. A slow start and active trade deadline (read: renting our cap space) should lead to a sub 30-win campaign. Let’s go with 29 wins on paper, with plenty more moral victories by the team and several players!

Storylines

Can Scottie Barnes Lead the Raptors? As the franchise player, can Scottie Barnes lead by example by duplicating or, better yet, surpassing his production from last season and leading the way on and off the court? It’s a big responsibility but a natural progression for 1A players.

Is Gradey Dick ready to take the leap? Unlike last season, Gradey’s shown more flashes than duds since the summer league. However, with a potential starting role, he must duplicate his success against better players on the floor.

Who goes first? Bruce Brown or Chris Boucher? Two players that don’t fit the Raptors’ new timeline; Brown would probably prefer to play more meaningful games, while Boucher was in coach Rajakovic’s dog house for most of last season. They might get “showcase reps,” but I’m pretty sure they can be had for the right price.

Is Immanuel Quickley worth the $$$? The overall impression of Quickley’s contract extension was that the Raptors overpaid. Quickley was solid as a backup point guard in New York but went through growing pains as a starter in Toronto. This season, he should be back better skill-wise and more familiar with the system and coaching. Can he produce like a $35M type of player?

Player Development and Evaluation SZN. What do we really have here? Sure, BBQ looked fun at times, but that’s a lot of money tied up to these three players if they don’t take the next step. It’s hard to maximize RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes on the floor if their shooting don’t get any better, and especially if Jakob Poeltl is clogging the paint as well. Speaking of Jak, he’s been blunt about the situation, and might probably want to spend the peak of his career going for a deep postseason run. We have a bunch of youngsters in Gradey Dick, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo, Ulrich Chomche, and Jamal Shead and it might take a year or two to see how they would pan out, and find out what we really have.

Darko Rajakovic, NBA coach? Coach Rajakovic had a near-disaster class last season, but his energy and enthusiasm remained steadfast. This season, there are no excuses for him as he’s now got a team that caters to what he wants to do, players that are more likely to buy into his system, and an entire year and a summer under his belt to reassess and review his lessons learned and hopefully, improve as a coach.

Capture the Flagg? Winning Rarely for Ace Bailey? Next season projects to be one of the most stacked draft classes in recent memory, and the front office’s approach to “playing the middle” hasn’t yielded great results from the last few draft cycles. The Raptors avoided tanking with Victor Wembanyama as a possibility. They didn’t cash out early enough to obtain a higher draft pick. While Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter could eventually turn out to be good NBA players, neither of them is projected to be a franchise-level player. If the Raptors’ front office executes the tank strategy properly in this coming draft, we could pair Scottie Barnes with at least another All-Star level player, if not a generational talent.

Masai Ujiri (and this regime)’s future. There were questions about President Ujiri’s future following the MLSE sale and Rogers having a bigger control over the team. It’s been rumoured that there’s friction between Edward Rogers and Ujiri. Still, the latter downplayed the issue by saying he and Rogers have had “the same exact relationship for 10 years,” and that’s probably open to interpretation.