Toronto returned to the playoffs for the first time since the 2021-22 season, and we’re a game away from advancing to the second round. Which Raptors had the most say in their return to the postseason, and who didn’t help as much as we initially thought?
Stock Up: Collin Murray-Boyles
We’ve gotta kick things off with the ninth overall pick of the previous draft, as CMB entered the league advertised as a great defender who wasn’t that great of a shooter. He lived up to the expectations on the defensive side and even exceeded the shooting worries, finishing the regular season shooting 34 percent beyond the arc on 0.9 shot attempts per game. He played in 57 regular-season games, averaging 8.5 points, 5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game across 21.9 minutes per game. He even started 22 games in place of the injured Jakob Poeltl and elevated his game as an undersized 6-foot-7 center, averaging 9.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists across 26.9 minutes per game. If you thought that was good, in the playoffs, he was even better as he averaged 14.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists, while averaging 27.3 minutes per game in the seven-game series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. What makes it even more impressive is that CMB picked up a thumb injury late in the regular season and even re-aggravated it, but he played through the pain in the playoffs while supporting a thumb wrap during the last few months of the season.
Stock Down: Gradey Dick
Dick’s stock might have fallen the most on this list as the third-year pro averaged the least amount of minutes in his young career, falling from an average of 25.3 minutes during his first two seasons to just 14 this season, and of course, all of his significant stats plummeted with the diminishing minutes. He was a part of the rotation until around mid to late regular season, as the Kansas product shot a career low of 30.1 percent from beyond the three-point line, the main reason he was drafted by the Raptors. He only featured two times during the playoffs, playing a total of four minutes in garbage time during two blowouts, which tells you how Darko Rajakovic felt about his state, as the playoffs are when the rotation is usually slimmed down, and the most trusted players get minutes during meaningful moments. Dick has one more year on his contract before becoming a restricted free agent, and after a disappointing season, his name has already come up as a potential trade target. Given that he’s still just 22 years it wouldn’t be surprising if Toronto kept him around to give him one final shot or if another team takes a chance on him if the price is right.
Stock Up: Scottie Barnes
Scottie’s stock was pretty stable in the regular season, even though some of his numbers dropped from last season, which was expected with the arrival of Brandon Ingram, as he took up most of the shots and touches in the Raptors offence. He did, however, improve his free-throw shooting plus efficiency(shooting above 80 percent for the first time in his career and above 50 percent from the field for the first time in his career) and, most importantly, his defensive numbers as the Florida State product should be a lock for one of the All-Defensive teams this season. Many fans were outraged that Barnes didn’t make it as a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award, but perhaps his playoff performance will now give him more respect going into next season. Speaking of the playoffs, that’s when Scottie’s stock really started to fly to the moon as he averaged 24.1 points, 8.6 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game while adding 1.7 blocks and 1.1 steals on the defensive side. Unfortunately, the Raptors weren’t able to advance to the second round of the playoffs, but this series taught the fans and front office a lot about the team and who was made for the postseason.
Stock Down: Jakob Poeltl
After a career year in the 2024-25 season, Poeltl was rewarded with a handsome contract extension of 4 years, $104 million, which keeps him tied to the organization until the 2029-30 season. He followed it up with a 2025-26 season, which was injury-riddled from the very start as he picked up a back injury during training camp and couldn’t play in back-to-back games due to the issue. However, he was still able to manage through the pain until fully aggravating it for good in December on the road in Brooklyn, which caused him to miss a few months completely. Even before the actual injury that kept Poeltl out for some time, it was clear that he wasn’t the same version we saw just a season ago, and even after returning from the injury, apart from a few flashes, Poeltl still wasn’t very impressive. In the playoffs, the Utah product only averaged 7 points and 6 rebounds with just under a block and a steal in 19.1 minutes per game. His numbers in the regular season also dropped to 10 points and 7 rebounds per game, and that simply isn’t enough for a team that is really lacking in size, as Poeltl is the sole member currently on the roster who stands over 6 feet 9 inches.
Stock Up: RJ Barrett
To round it all up, we have the Mississauga native, RJ Barrett, who didn’t have as good of a regular season as last year, averaging 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while featuring in 57 games. When Barrett came back from his most recent injury, he had four straight games of under 17 points in mid-January and followed it up with a month of just 16 points per game in February, but he was able to finish the regular season strong. In the playoffs, he kept talking about growing up as a Raptors fan and how much it means to him that he will finally be able to play in the postseason on the team he dreamed of playing for, and RJ didn’t disappoint at all. Just like Scottie Barnes, this is where his stock really flew, averaging 24.1 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists per game and making an unreal three-point shot during game six overtime, where the Raptors were staring at the barrel of elimination. His name was littered all over trade rumours in the regular season, and you gotta think after the playoff performance that his future with the team should be safe for a while.