The 2026-27 NBA season is underway, and no team had an opening-night victory like the Toronto Raptors. It’s just one game, but by spring, many will look back and see that Toronto is this year’s clear dark-horse contender.
Toronto opened 2026-27 with a dominant 43-point victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. The Raptors’ win wasn’t just the biggest blowout of Wednesday’s 11-game slate. It was also the team’s most dominant opening night victory in team history.
It’s just one game, but for Toronto, this is only the beginning. Here’s why Toronto will be the most notable team to watch out for the rest of the season.
The Raptors’ New Superstar Duo
Toronto entered the year after making one of the league’s biggest offseason splashes: landing Kawhi Leonard. In trading for the Los Angeles Clippers star, the Raptors moved on from Brandon Ingram and some draft capital.
Leonard didn’t play his absolute best on opening night. He finished with 23 points, but on 5/17 shooting. But that’s what’s great about this year’s Raptors: Leonard doesn’t need to be the top guy every game.
Leonard fills in the rest of the box score that Ingram could not, like recording four steals and five total “stocks” against Chicago. He fits into Toronto’s defensive identity and scheme. Offensively, he’s a solid playmaker with the ball in his hands, but Leonard can also score in isolation or play off Scottie Barnes, his running mate.
Acquiring Leonard is a big deal for Toronto as he can help develop Barnes, one of the NBA’s youngest rising stars. Barnes is coming off his second All-Star appearance and first All-Defense Team nod. In the 2026 playoffs, he was a total force. Before missing the rest of the Raptors’ first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he averaged 24-6-9-1-2.
Together, Barnes and Leonard can work off each other and provide both a clear floor during the regular season plus postseason upside.
Toronto’s X-Factor Backcourt
Barnes and Leonard are the foundation, but a team is more than two players. The Toronto Raptors have plenty to work with alongside their superstar duo.
Barnes, Leonard, and returning guard Immanuel Quickley all led Toronto in scoring against Chicago, each getting 23. RJ Barrett reached 20 points.
Quickley and Barrett will be key names to monitor for the Raptors as the season continues, and for several reasons.
First, they’ll eat up the regular-season innings. Leonard’s health is the biggest question mark the Raptors faced entering the year. If Leonard is out, Barnes will need help.
Quickley can certainly provide that. He’s averaged 17 points and 6 assists per game over the last three years. He’s also been a 15-point scorer for his career heading into 2026-27. As the third option playing off both Leonard and Barnes, Quickley’s upside is a lot higher now.
Like Leonard, Quickley’s durability will be something to watch. He played just 33 games two years ago, then was hit with the injury bug in last year’s playoffs. That said, the Leonard trade brings a top-down positive impact for the rest of the roster, and Quickley is one of the biggest beneficiaries.
Then there’s Barrett, who can certainly score (career 18.9 PPG) and fill the stat sheet (20-6-4 since 2023-24). But for this year’s Raptors, three-point shooting off of the Leonard-Barnes pairing and defense will be vital. Barrett is a career 35% three-point shooter, and defensively, he can have lapses.
Should Toronto decide to upgrade anywhere on the roster, Barrett remains the most likely player to be dealt. He’s on an expiring contract worth just under $30 million and would be the centerpiece of any future addition.
The Young Core Will Fill Critical Voids
Toronto Raptors fans are crossing their fingers that Collin Murray-Boyles can produce as he did in the 2026 playoffs.
Like Barnes, CMB had a breakout first-round series against Cleveland. He nearly doubled his scoring (8.5 to 14.4 PPG) while still being a quality defender and underrated playmaker. If Murray-Boyles can play center alongside Barnes and Leonard, that unlocks a whole other dimension for the Raptors.
Off the bench, Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter will take on larger responsibility after showing some flashes last year. They also provide some backcourt insurance in the event something happens with either Quickley or Barrett.
Developing this young trio throughout the season will be important for Toronto if it has higher aspirations.
The Raptors Continue To Be Overlooked
As the new season approached, the Eastern Conference narratives focused on pretty much everyone but Toronto.
Topics included Miami adding Giannis Antetokounmpo, Philadelphia’s active offseason, Boston and the Jaylen Brown trade, Tyrese Haliburton‘s return to Indiana, and so on. Toronto didn’t get much media attention, despite making one of the most notable splashes and biggest upgrades in the offseason.
Plenty of the 2026-27 campaign remains, but Toronto will be a force to be reckoned with. It has both a young and a veteran superstar, each of whom can complement the other. It boasts a supporting cast that fits well with the top guys, an up-and-coming head coach in Darko Rajaković, and options to get better during the year.
Raptors fans are certainly happy after game one, and they will have plenty to look forward to for the next 81 and, in the best-case scenario, the 16 after.
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