It’s safe to say that there’s been some inconsistencies with the Raptors as of late. On one end, you see them take care of business against the Miami Heat, holding them to 91 points. Feels promising for a moment, until they get blown out on the road in Washington.
Going into the back-to-back homestand, it was completely reasonable to not know what to expect when squaring up against the Golden State Warriors and Orlando Magic. Two teams with somewhat similar records but very different in their approaches. The Magic are bottom-six in the league in three-pointers attempted and three-point percentage as they prefer to pound the paint and get to the line, whereas the Warriors — well, they have Steph Curry.
To see this Raptors squad hold it down at home, against difficult matchups and minimal rest, was a huge sign of encouragement. We saw how this team battles, doesn’t quit and makes the necessary plays to stay in games. They stayed with Golden State the entire game and put them away in overtime. Then with Orlando, they fought from 21 down and took advantage of the opportunities when the Magic left the door open.
3 takeaways from the Raptors' most recent victories
1.This offense needs RJ Barrett
RJ Barrett, Draymond Green
Golden State Warriors v Toronto Raptors | Mark Blinch/GettyImages
This is a drum that I’ve been beating all year. The high knee sprain sidelined him for 15 games was the longest he’s ever been out with an injury. In that five week stretch, the Raptors went 6-9 while seeing their offensive rating plummet to 29th in the league over that span, according to NBA advanced stats. With RJ on the floor, he brings that extra play-making ability and slashing to the basket that elevates the pressure from his teammates. The absence of Barrett on the second night of the back-to-back against the Magic was definitely felt, at least in the first half.
2.Second coming of the 'Bench Mob' might already be here
Sandro Mamukelashvili, Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick
Orlando Magic v Toronto Raptors | Cole Burston/GettyImages
Whether it’s Gradey Dick and Jamal Shead contributing half the team points in the first half against the Magic or Collin Murray-Boyles coming up with clutch offensive rebounds down the stretch, it’s clear that Coach Darko trusts his second unit. And they’ve earned it — that’s why you saw CMB, Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter close out the game on Monday night.
Coach Darko had this to say on the Raptors' second unit:
"Those guys, they are built of a special cloth. They are built of resiliency, they're really putting a lot of work in – doesn't matter if we win, if we lose, we're up, we're down. Does not really matter what kind of mood we are in, they're extremely professional and they're doing a really good job of preparing for each game and they just keep going forward. I love how fearless they are, I love how together they play and that's something that's very very important for young players to learn early in their careers in the NBA… "
Darko Rajaković
3.Scottie Barnes is an absolute beast and deserves more recognition
Scottie Barnes
Golden State Warriors v Toronto Raptors | Vaughn Ridley/GettyImages
Despite having a career night against the Warriors, Scottie Barnes did not crack the top 20 in the first All-Star fan voting returns for the Eastern Conference — despite Brandon Ingram landing 12th.
Out of all the things Scottie does at an exceptional level, his rebounding has been accentuated over the back-to-back. Yes, he had a franchise-tying record of 25 rebounds against the Warriors and followed it up with 11 rebounds against the Magic. It’s the incredible ability to establish positioning in the paint and on defense. It makes it so much easier for Barnes to get to his spot.
Coach Darko had some choice words in the pregame presser:
"We need to get this right and Canada needs to get this right. It starts with us, starts with our city, starts with our country over here. We have 40 million people living in this country and 40 million fans of the Toronto Raptors. Scottie Barnes, what he does night in and night out is something that only generational players are doing."
Darko Rajaković
NBA All-Star voting concludes on January 14th, 2026. Do your part and push Scottie Barnes to LA by casting your vote at NBA.com.