Canada Basketball has revealed the group of 24 players that will be a part of the 3-year cycle for their senior men’s basketball team.

The group includes eight players from the 2024 Olympics, including NBA Champion and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning Most Improved Player Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Raptors wing RJ Barrett, as well as Dillon Brooks, Khem Birch, Lu Dort, Andrew Nembhard, and Kelly Olynyk. Five new, younger NBAers have joined the ranks: Bennedict Mathurin, Will Riley, Kyshawn George, Ryan Nembhard, and Leonard Miller.

What’s notable is who is not in the list of players for this summer.

Big man Zach Edey is still recovering from injury, but will be at training camp. Long-time Canadian big man and NBA veteran Dwight Powell will be involved in camp but won’t play. Other NBA players like AJ Lawson, Dalano Banton, Caleb Houstan, and Olivier Maxence-Prosper committed to the program, but ultimately weren’t selected to the group.

To the surprise of many, Jamal Murray, Andrew Wiggins, and Shaedon Sharpe were not on the list. Team President Rowan Barrett and new Head Coach Gordie Herbert noted in their press conference today that players who were not selected to be a part of this group will not be able to take part in the 2027 FIBA World Cup or the 2028 Olympics, and that commitment, above all else, was the most important aspect when making their decisions.

Wiggins and Sharpe have both competed for Canada in the past but have had inconsistent availability with the program, so their absences make sense. Murray, however, is a bit trickier of a situation. He committed to the 2024 Olympics, struggled immensely, but just came off a year where he was an All-NBA player for the Denver Nuggets. Missing him will hurt them in the Olympics.

Ultimately, Herbert, who led the German national team to its most decorated era, is trying to help Team Canada take the next step, and part of that, in his estimation, is developing chemistry throughout the 3-year cycle that includes this summer’s World Cup qualifiers:

Team Canada will face Puerto Rico on July 3rd, and Jamaica on July 6th in Hamilton, as well as another game (opponent TBD) in Quebec City in late August. The 2027 FIBA World Cup will be held in Qatar in August of next year. The 2028 Olympics will be held in Los Angeles and are expected to be one of the most competitive international basketball tournaments ever.

The post Team Canada reveals its pool of players ahead of the World Cup qualifiers first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Starting with the New York Knicks, the only former Raptor on the team is OG Anunoby. A member of the 2019 NBA Championship squad, Anunoby was traded back in the 2023-2024 season alongside Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn in exchange for Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and a Pistons’ second-round pick. This season, Anunoby has been averaging 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 48.4 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from three, and 82.8 percent from the line. In line with Anunoby’s 3-and-D style, the 28-year-old finished 10th in voting for Defensive Player of the Year, and made it onto the All-Defensive second team alongside Scottie Barnes, earning 67 points. While many have lauded him for finally fulfilling his promise, Raptors’ fans know he has been this monstrous for many, many years.

Throughout the playoffs, Anunoby’s scoring has jumped, with per-game averages of 19.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.6 steals, while shooting 48.3 percent from three and 57.7 percent from the field.

Moving on to the Spurs, there is also only one former Raptor that is on the team: veteran centre and Canadian Kelly Olynyk. He was on the roster for parts of two seasons before being dealt with Bruce Brown to the New Orleans Pelicans for Brandon Ingram. In 42 games with the Spurs this season, Olynyk averaged 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 49 percent from the field. Olynyk has played played a backup role this season, starting no games this season, and averaging only 8.6 minutes per night.

In the playoffs this season, Olynyk has only played in nine games, averaging 2.8 points, 0.8 rebounds, 0.3 assists through 7.1 minutes.

This isn’t Olynyk’s first shot at a title, as he was a member of the 2019-2020 Miami Heat team that went to the finals in the bubble. However, this would be Olynyk’s first championship, as the Heat went on to lose the Finals to the Lakers.

Which means: in a few weeks, someone who has played on the Toronto Raptors will be lifting the Larry O’Brien, which is pretty cool. Now, whether it’ll be the near All-Star and former fan favourite Anunoby, or the far briefer Raptor and current bench warmer Olynyk, will soon be determined with Game One set to take place on Wednesday, June 3.

The post These former Raptors are playing in the 2026 NBA Finals first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Just a season ago, Jakob Poeltl was coming off the most successful campaign of his then nine-year NBA career. He was rewarded with a four-year $104 million extension for his efforts, which ties him to the team until the end of the 2029/30 season. How did he do after securing his handsome contract?

He started the season looking solid in the blowout win against Atlanta, as he was able to come away with 14 points on just one missed shot, but he followed it up with some really poor play to end the opening month of October, averaging just 6.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.5 blocks and 0.3 steals per game.

He followed that up with averages of 12 points (second most in a month for the season), 9.5 rebounds (most all season), and 1 steal per game while shooting a season high 77.1 percent for November, and playing the most minutes of a month of 27.7 for his season.

In December, Poeltl aggravated his back injury for good, the same one that popped up in training camp, but he was able to manage it until then. He wasn’t having a particularly amazing month, averaging just 8.8 points and 7 rebounds prior to the game in Brooklyn, where he was able to play just 7 minutes and come away with two points and two rebounds.

That was it for his 2025 portion of the season, as Poeltl would miss the rest of December and the whole of January before finally making his return midway through February. His first game back was against the Eastern Conference’s first seed, the Detroit Pistons. It felt like a weird decision to bring him back for that game, as this was the last game before the All-Star break, and I’m sure some of the fans thought they would just play it cautiously and bring him back after to give him some extra rest, but that wasn’t the case. He came away with a respectable nine points and six rebounds from 20 minutes of action in his return.

His first game back from the All-Star break was an all-time stinker, as he came away with just two points and an assist to show for in 16 minutes of competition, but more importantly, he came off the bench in favour of Collin Murray-Boyles, who did a phenomenal job of filling in as the undersized center while Poeltl missed all of his games due to injury. It ended up being just a one-off as the Bulls were operating without a true center themselves after offloading Nikola Vucevic.

He returned to the starting lineup the next game after and put together a solid five-game stretch of 13.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per game, where it looked like things might be back to normal for the Austrian, but he followed it up with two average performances before another hot streak of his best three-game stretch during the whole regular season.

He averaged 20.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, a steal and a block per game in three games against the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets. Actually, outside of another stinker in a rematch against the Phoenix Suns, where he only came away with two assists and two blocks in 17 minutes, plus a few other average performances, Poeltl had the best stretch of his season from the end of February all the way to mid-April.

It really looked like Poeltl was back to last season’s form that won him the big contract extension, but the final three games of the season were foreshadowing the playoffs. Averaging just 18.3 minutes, he put up just 7 points, 3.3 rebounds and just 0.6 blocks per game.

During the playoffs is where the Raptors needed Poeltl the most, as the dual big lineup of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen was locked in as Toronto’s matchup. Toronto was out-rebounded in the series by 31, and Poeltl wasn’t a factor at all outside of two decent games in games four and five. For the series, he came away with just 7 points, 6 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks per game while playing 19.1 minutes per game.

We already know what Poeltl is. He’s a traditional big man who shoots a majority of his shots at the rim while anchoring the paint on the defensive end, which he didn’t do too well of a job on this season, averaging his second-lowest blocks per game since his rookie season, where he played just 11.6 minutes per game. At this point, it’s very unlikely he comes back with a mid-range or three-point shot, but he needs to clean up the places in his game that Toronto depend on.

For the season, he averaged 10.7 points, 7 rebounds on a career high of 70 percent shooting from the field on 6.7 field goal attempts per game, his lowest total in the past four seasons, while shooting over 60 percent from the free throw line for just the second time in his career. Those were the positives, as even in a poor year, the numbers don’t look that bad, but beyond the numbers, everyone knows that Poeltl didn’t look the same after suffering a back injury that was with him the whole year. Perhaps a summer of rest can have his back all sorted out, and we’ll see the 2024-25 version of Jakob Poeltl, which could be a huge asset to the Raptors as he’s currently the lone Raptor on the squad who is over 6 feet 9 inches.

The post Inside Jakob Poeltl’s injury-filled season first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The Tempo ranked third in offensive rating and second last in defensive rating. The Storm came in third-last in offence and fifth in defence. It was a difficult-to-stop force meets a frustrating-to-move object.

Even though Seattle pulled Toronto into a defensive grudge match through the first half, the Tempo eventually found their form, running the Storm out of the gym and dominating on drives in a blowout win at Coca-Cola Coliseum on Saturday.

Of note, the Tempo went 31-of-33 from the line, making their first 31 straight before rookie Teonni Key missed a pair in the final minute.

“We were aggressive,” Brondello said after the game “We’ve got players that can get downhill. I’ve been on teams where it’s really hard to get downhill. But we’ve got speed. Slim, Kiki, Julie, Laura, Marina, they can all get downhill.”

After finding heaps of success via the Nyara Sabally-Marina Mabrey pick n’ roll against the Chicago Sky on Wednesday, the Tempo went back to that well early and often. On the first look, Mabrey found Sabally with a looping pass over the top, but Kiki Rice fumbled a well-placed ping inside. Money Mabrey followed by cashing a pull-up 3 off a Nyara ball screen and then drilled another in transition. The Tempo maintained their lead through stingy point-of-attack defence — an emphasis in practice coming into this game — and by opening up the floor with drives and fastbreak scoring. The led 5-0 on the break through the first and 21-13 overall.

“Yeah, KYP,” said Brondello pregame of practising coverage on double drags. “Know your personnel. I think that’s important here because sometimes you want to be aggressive on the second one. We may want to switch it because it’s a switch player. Now, it’s more about our positioning on and off the ball. I think we’re getting hit on too many screens, and we’re not in our, we call them, obviously our congestion, our shrink, as well as we could.

“You know, I think the activity, we just need a little bit more sense of urgency behind the ball, and I think when Julie comes back, that will help us if we can get Izzy and Temi back. That will help us because it’ll give us a little bit more depth that we can go and play out a level that we need to have the best success in this league.”

Sabally and Rice were particularly active (more on that later).

But in the second quarter that intention and effort started to give way and the Storm poured on with heady drives and slick interior passing. They ran ‘Out Flex Pin’ — out screen flex screen then pin-down screen — and Natisha Hiedeman attacked the ensuing closeout and stuck a floater. Then a couple possessions later she splashed a pull-up 3. Mabrey finishing an and-1 was the Tempo’s only reprieve. She let loose from deep — eight attempts before halftime — but missed five straight after her pair of pulls to start the game. The fiery guard finally hit again after a drive-kick-swing connection from Allemand to Conde to Mabrey who caught and cashed from the corner. Basketball. The Storm shredded the Tempo’s shell opening up plenty of cuts to the rim. Toronto held onto a narrow 37-36 lead at half.

The Tempo opened the second half with a zoom action (screen into a handoff) but the Storm covered it perfectly and Toronto had no counter, succumbing to a shot-clock violation. Laura Juskaite threw an errant hit-ahead pass that was just out of Mabrey’s reach and out of bounds. Seattle seized its first lead on a Hiedeman pull-up 2. Mabrey amped up the aggression, first drawing a foul then rejecting a double drag and getting all the way to the hoop. More transition scoring from Rice and Mabrey fuelled a Tempo surge.

The relatively undersized Tempo had an opening in this game with the Storm’s leading scorer and starter centre, Dominique Malonga, out due to concussion protocol. They mostly hung in on the glass, but the Storm’s frontcourt did prove to be a problem with eight offensive rebounds and a plus-10 advantage in paint scoring.

But a 30-6 run starting midway through the third quarter, propelled by hustle plays from Rice — who scored a team-high six in that span — overcame the deficit inside. Steals from Mabrey, Allemand, Juskaite, Sabally and Rice got them running in transition and they didn’t look back, outscoring Seattle 17-4 on the fastbreak on route to a commanding win.

Seattle Storm

72 – 93

Toronto Tempo

A-	Nyara Sabally 26 MIN, 8 PTS, 4 REB, 0 AST, 2 STL, 2-5 FG, 0-1 3FG, 4-4 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 15 +/- Quieter game offensively for Sabally after a career-high against Chicago Wednesday, but her defence really popped. Her mobility navigating the perimeter and hanging in on switches was significant. They started out playing blitz to switch and she stuck with Jade Melbourne on a drive. Great active hands at the level too.
A	Laura Juskaite 25 MIN, 14 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 5-8 FG, 4-5 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 25 +/- Hit the glass, hustled and scored efficiently. Her scoring was dormant for most of the game, until she stepped into a pair of big 3s down the stretch to solidify the Tempo lead. Also was a strong presence in the defensive shell with her length and awareness.
B+	Brittney Sykes 29 MIN, 15 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 4-12 FG, 0-4 3FG, 7-7 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 8 +/- Not the loudest game from Slim but she made timely drives that pulled the Tempo offence out of brief lulls. Her veteran savvy really shows up in these spots and is invaluable to the Tempo maintaining a rhythm.
B+	Marina Mabrey 29 MIN, 18 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 6-13 FG, 3-9 3FG, 3-3 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 6 +/- She was money Mabrey out of the gate, banging back-to-back pull up 3s for the Tempo’s first points. She was really letting fly, missing her next five, but maintained moderate efficiency and later started access the paint with her dribble. She both drove to score and utilized her gravity to set up a Juskaite corner 3.
A	Kiki Rice 28 MIN, 17 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST, 4 STL, 4-8 FG, 0-2 3FG, 9-9 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 24 +/- Kiki wasn’t firing on all cylinders in this game, but she willed herself into a home run performance regardless. Her activity and anticipation on defence were on display as jumped transition passes for steals, hedged and recovered around a double drag for a steal, and straight up picked it as well. Her driving and shooting wasn’t there, but she put on a clinic hustling in transition, on the glass and on second-chance opportunities.
B+	Maria Conde 23 MIN, 13 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 3-6 FG, 3-4 3FG, 4-4 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 19 +/- Made an error early, dribbling the air out of the ball, eventually double dribbling and turning it over. Was better when she was forming up or spacing to the corners and finishing plays rather than initiating. Her length as a helper was a welcome boon for the Tempo.
C	Teonni Key 9 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -1 +/- Limited minutes and wasn’t as physical and forceful as past appearances. Needs to be a presence on the glass and as a roller to carve out a rotation spot.
B	Kia Nurse 10 MIN, 0 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 0-2 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -4 +/- Also didn’t play a ton and mostly during the Storm run but she did hit the glass and stay active in the gaps admirably.
A-	Julie Allemand 17 MIN, 6 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 2-4 FG, 0-2 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 15 +/- Allemand is very much a straw-that-stirs-the-drink player, and in this game she got actions flowing and helped dictate a pace that got the storm defence in a blender at times. And when the time was right, she also put her head down and got to the hoop. Great return and her running bench units will be important if she remains in this role.
Inc	Tima Pouye 4 MIN, 2 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -2 +/- Garbage time but got her first Tempo points on a pair for free throws!
A	Sandy Brondello Brondello is still sorting out transition lineups but she found one that worked in a big way in Sabally, Juskaite, Conde, Rice and Allemand to finish the third and start the fourth. The defensive versatility and quick-decision making flipped the game in their favour. Her emphasis on defensive coverages and sets from practice also came through in this one. Power to the players.

Things we saw

1. The Tempo made 31 of 33 free throws, and were a perfect 31-for-31 to start. Their aggressive driving forced Seattle’s hand.
2. Outscored the Storm 17-4 in fastbreak points. Brondello said their goal is 20 after the game though.
3. The Tempo only allowed 10 paint points in the second half after allowing 26 in the first.

The post Quick Reaction, Storm 72, Tempo 93 first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Samson Folk & Mac Cunningham discuss the draft and some options for the 50th pick.

Find Mac’s episode on the guards at pick 19 here.

From my piece:

“What worked for Barnes:

When it comes to problem solving in the NBA Playoffs, the mid-range is an extremely important release valve. For one, it’s the part of the floor that teams funnel you to when they get beat as they know the numbers and have a reasonable expectation of a loss in points per possession over time. For two, it’s because a lot of players who get funneled middle aren’t great playmakers, and their inability to map the floor out, track their teammates, and playmake them into advantages is typically a true sore spot and stopping point offensively. Anthony Edwards has been stuck in this development for years, for example. Barnes, for all of the things that he doesn’t do relative to other star initiators – he has no problem reading the floor and solving defenses with his big ol’ basketball brain.

Barnes shot 53-percent in the short mid-range against the Cavaliers, a big healthy chunk of innings eating and counter punching against a team that was stuffing the paint with a big front court. Why do I say counter punch? Well, because Barnes’ mid-range shot making, unlike many others, isn’t his most dangerous pursuit from the middle of the floor. In the playoffs, Barnes’ 5.5 rim assists per 100 possessions was the 100th percentile. His 11.1 assist to touch ratio on drives was the highest among high volume drivers in the playoffs. There is nothing more valuable than a shot at the rim, and Barnes was delivering those looks in a greater fashion than any of his peers. Nothing short of wizardry.

The maturation process of Barnes’ game as he’s slowly added skills to his repertoire has advanced enough for him to wield and weaponize his truly transcendent passing acumen against his opponents. So, when it came time, Barnes more than doubled his driving frequency from regular season to playoffs, launched himself in to the top 6 in driving volume in the NBA, and crushed defenses with it.

It’s true that Barnes shot 38-percent on prove me triples against the Cavs, and he of course is a DPOY level talent defensively (but we knew that). However, the thing that changed in the playoffs was the volume and next level decision making as an offensive hub. Creating for others, and for himself (his 63% unassisted buckets were the most for a player categorized as a forward in the playoffs).”

Have a blessed day.

The post RAPTORS DRAFT STEALS & SLEEPERS first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Samson Folk & Mac Cunningham talk about the hottest topic in Raptors land.

From my piece:

“What worked for Barnes:

When it comes to problem solving in the NBA Playoffs, the mid-range is an extremely important release valve. For one, it’s the part of the floor that teams funnel you to when they get beat as they know the numbers and have a reasonable expectation of a loss in points per possession over time. For two, it’s because a lot of players who get funneled middle aren’t great playmakers, and their inability to map the floor out, track their teammates, and playmake them into advantages is typically a true sore spot and stopping point offensively. Anthony Edwards has been stuck in this development for years, for example. Barnes, for all of the things that he doesn’t do relative to other star initiators – he has no problem reading the floor and solving defenses with his big ol’ basketball brain.

Barnes shot 53-percent in the short mid-range against the Cavaliers, a big healthy chunk of innings eating and counter punching against a team that was stuffing the paint with a big front court. Why do I say counter punch? Well, because Barnes’ mid-range shot making, unlike many others, isn’t his most dangerous pursuit from the middle of the floor. In the playoffs, Barnes’ 5.5 rim assists per 100 possessions was the 100th percentile. His 11.1 assist to touch ratio on drives was the highest among high volume drivers in the playoffs. There is nothing more valuable than a shot at the rim, and Barnes was delivering those looks in a greater fashion than any of his peers. Nothing short of wizardry.

The maturation process of Barnes’ game as he’s slowly added skills to his repertoire has advanced enough for him to wield and weaponize his truly transcendent passing acumen against his opponents. So, when it came time, Barnes more than doubled his driving frequency from regular season to playoffs, launched himself in to the top 6 in driving volume in the NBA, and crushed defenses with it.

It’s true that Barnes shot 38-percent on prove me triples against the Cavs, and he of course is a DPOY level talent defensively (but we knew that). However, the thing that changed in the playoffs was the volume and next level decision making as an offensive hub. Creating for others, and for himself (his 63% unassisted buckets were the most for a player categorized as a forward in the playoffs).”

Have a blessed day.

The post Should Scottie Barnes have made All-NBA? first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Could the Raptors add another big in consecutive drafts?

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently mocked Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance to Toronto, and the fit makes a lot of sense.

Outside of Jakob Poeltl, the Raptors do not really have another centre capable of giving them reliable minutes. And Poeltl saw a dip in production last season, appearing in just 46 games while averaging 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds. And, yes, Collin Murray-Boyles is remarkable, and has found his best moments as a big. But he’s undersized as a big and likely can’t play all his minutes at that position.

Quaintance is one of the more intriguing names in this draft class. The 18-year-old played only four games this season while attempting to return from a torn ACL, but his defensive upside is undeniable.

As a 17-year-old at Arizona State, Quaintance earned Big 12 All-Defensive Team honours after averaging 1.1 steals and 2.6 blocks per game. When healthy, he has all the tools to become a high-level defensive anchor at the next level.

There is definitely risk attached because of the ACL injury, but the upside could make it worth the gamble. Vecenie compared him to Robert Williams III, saying he “would fit nicely with the Raptors’ decision to go all-in on mobile defenders with length and high-level defensive IQ.”

Jeremy Woo of ESPN has also linked several players to Toronto in recent mock drafts. In an earlier mock, Woo had the Raptors selecting Houston centre Chris Cenac during the first round of the draft.

Like Quaintance, Cenac would address Toronto’s need for depth at centre. He comes in with a strong high-school resume and plenty of long-term upside. Woo noted that “his fluidity at his size and flashes of shooting touch set him apart from most of the bigs in this class.”

Cenac would bring a much more explosive and athletic style than Poeltl, and it would be interesting to see how a rim-running big would fit alongside Scottie Barnes in transition and pick-and-roll situations.

Will the Raptors instead add a scoring guard?

Another player Woo connected to Toronto is guard Bennett Stirtz. Woo believes Stirtz “would be an immediate boost to their backcourt as a plug-and-play option, helping improve spacing and giving them another half-court playmaker.”

That fit becomes even more interesting when looking at Immanuel Quickley’s situation. Considering the size of his contract, Quickley has not been consistent enough and has struggled to stay healthy. He didn’t appear in Toronto’s playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If the Raptors decide to move on from Quickley at some point, drafting a young floor general like Stirtz could give them a cheaper long-term option in the backcourt.

J. Kyle Mann of The Ringer has Toronto selecting Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie. Mann described Okorie as the type of explosive guard the Raptors have lacked for years.

“Okorie might be the best driver in the class,” Mann wrote, “with unrivaled acceleration and finishing ability around the rim for a player his size.”

He also explained why the fit alongside Toronto’s core pieces makes sense. “Knifing into the heart of the defense is how you maximize a player like Collin Murray-Boyles, who excels in the dunker spot, and how you get the most out of Scottie Barnes attacking downhill against an already collapsed defense. That’s the promise that Okorie offers.”

Okorie averaged an impressive 23.2 points per game at Stanford while shooting 47 percent from the field, with half of his made baskets coming at the rim.

Or do the Raptors want to add another defensive-minded forward?

Steph Noh of Sporting News, has the Raptors selecting Michigans’ Morez Johnson. Noh acknowledges that the Raptors lean heavy on the defensive end of the floor, especially under Darko Rajakovic and he belives Johnson will be able to fit right into their system.

“The versatile forward is tough as nails, and he’s got touch near the tim as a play finisher.

Johnson was great during March Madness. The forward started every game his sophomore season for a 37-3 national champion Michigan team. He averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 25.1 minutes per contest.

One of Johnson’s best skills is his knack for rebounding, a department that the 2025-26 Raptors really struggled with. Over his last two games in the tournament alone, he logged 53 minutes and tallied 17 rebounds, nine of which were on the offensive glass.

At the end of the day, whether the team targets a defensive-minded big, an explosive scorer, or a steady playmaker, one thing is for certain: the No. 19 pick will play an important role in shaping the next phase of the franchise.

The Raptors are close, but not there yet, as the playoffs proved. It’s time for them to go for it. This pick needs to be the first step in that direction

The post NBA Draft experts and rumours: Bennett Stirtz leads fits for Raptors first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Congratulations, everyone, tanking is over.

On Thursday, the NBA voted almost unanimously (thanks to the class solidarity of the Memphis Grizzlies) to further flatten the lottery odds, adding two more teams into the mix and creating a relegation zone where the three worst teams in the league would be docked a lottery ball for being bad. This ‘3-2-1’ system, as it’s being called, will make tanking that much harder, but it’ll also create some high-stakes drama at the lottery. Playoff teams now have a chance at the 1st overall pick.

If you want to really nerd out about it, here is the full explanation:

On other platforms, I’ve detailed why I think this new reform is counterintuitive to the NBA draft’s purposes. Here is a video I made for the Athletic explaining my reasoning:

Now, as I say all of this, and while I continue to lament that I think this reform will cause more problems than solve anything, I am, at the very least, intrigued by the ramifications of all of this.

How does this impact how teams scheme throughout a regular season? Do they tank to start and then find themselves in that sweet spot? Will play-in teams now tank for a shot at a pick? This reform is only in effect until 2029. How does that change the value of 1st round picks beyond then? And maybe more importantly, how does it change the value of a draft pick from now until then?

Beyond that, I wonder how this impacts a team like the Toronto Raptors.

Armed with all of their future first-round draft capital, primed to take a leap or make a big swing move and enter perhaps an even more legitimate competitive window, do the Raptors become more conscientious of the precarious position the NBA draft is in over the next few years, or do they use it to their advantage?

It’s worth looking at the history of the front office. Even though this is the first summer with Bobby Webster fully at the helm, he has still been a big part of the Raptors’ decision-making nucleus over the last decade. In that 10-year span, the Raptors have never traded more than one first-round pick in any deal. The most they’ve spent in the last five years has been on Brandon Ingram (one 1st), Jakob Poeltl (one 1st and two 2nds), and Thaddeus Young (one conditional 1st).

This new ‘3-2-1’ reform has inherently increased the value of first-round picks. With flattened odds, more teams believe they have a chance, and so, the value of each of those picks increased by a bunch. So, theoretically, if the Raptors were looking to get off a contract like Poeltl, it might require less pick capital than it did at the deadline. Could the Raptors look to dump him for the cost of just one pick?

One GM told Jake Fischer at the combine that “there is no way” he’s trading any picks passed 2029. Well, what if the Raptors do?

On the opposite end, could the Raptors use their pick capital to take a big swing on a big-time player? Let’s say Donovan Mitchell, Kyrie Irving, or LaMelo Ball become available this summer. Would the Raptors be able to outbid other teams simply by including more pick capital in a timid trade market? One GM told Jake Fischer at the combine that “there is no way” he’s trading any picks passed 2029. Well, what if the Raptors do and outbid everyone? Or, would they be less willing to make a trade now, given that, in this environment, falling out of the playoffs or the play-in in a season you don’t have your pick, would mean potentially gift-wrapping a top-5 pick to another team?

Regardless, this new reform has improved the value of being in the middle of your conference. It’s created flexibility for teams like the Raptors, who may not be contenders yet but are certainly done with tanking and rebuilding. You can be more conservative and have it pay off.

It will be fascinating to see how teams react to this new rule, and, seemingly, we will see its effects in how the Raptors operate starting this summer.

Let’s see how it shakes out.

The post How does the NBA’s lottery reform impact the Toronto Raptors? first appeared on Raptors Republic.

It’s game four of the Toronto Raptors 2026 first round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Raptors are down by one with 49 seconds remaining. Donovan Mitchell brings the ball up the court, hounded by the unrelenting pressure of Scottie Barnes (are we sure he’s not all-defense first team?). The time ticks down, Mitchell has just two seconds to get it across as he nears halfcourt, James Harden sets a pick to help him get across. As Barnes fights to get over, Jamal Shead lurks on the other side. Mitchell moves to cross the halfcourt line, Shead lunges, in one motion diving and tipping the ball loose. Before the ball rolls out of bounds, an 8-second violation is called on the Cavaliers.

” I saw Scottie working, forcing Mitchell to turn a couple of times, and I watched the clock get down to 17, thinking if I could run up there and make something happen, even if he backs up, we could get an eight-second violation, I got a chance to get my hand on it, and it was a really big play, so I showed emotion,”

• Jamal Shead

It’s a microcosm of how Shead has found success in his first two NBA seasons. While he’s never been the tallest, fastest, or most skilled player, you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who plays with Shead’s vigor.

The truth of the matter is that Shead needs that level of intensity to stay on the court right now. In his second NBA season, we have a very good idea of exactly where is strengths and weaknesses lie. He’s a good point of attack defender, he makes life extremely annoying for any ballhandler near him, the Raptors force more turnovers while he’s on the court and amazingly, opposing players shoot 5.1% worse on above-the-break threes. 

Offensively, Shead is a maestro with the basketball, the way he conducts the offense is so incredibly fun to watch. He has a solid assist-to-turnover ratio and his assist-to-usage ratio – which measures how often a player gets an assist given how much they had the ball – is in the 98th percentile according to Cleaning The Glass. One of the best tests for a point guard is how much the head coach trusts them in the big moments, and this season displayed the bond between head coach Darko Rajakovic and Shead. How many games were there this season where things were getting out of control down the stretch, and you look to the scorer’s table and see Shead scampering to check in? 

A coach having that confidence in a sophomore player is rare, and so vastly important in the playoffs in particular. For those that have watched the San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder series, you’ll know how tough it’s been for the Spurs and Stephon Castle specifically to keep control of the ball. In the first two games of the series, Castle had the most turnovers in any two-game playoff span since turnovers were first tracked. While yes Castle is a much more talented player overall than Shead, and yes Castle is playing an elite defense while Shead faced the Cavaliers, I use that point to highlight how rare it is for a young guard to take care of the ball like Shead did in his first playoff appearance.

Throughout his career, Shead’s biggest issue has been his scoring – and this shouldn’t be a surprise, he was never an efficient shooter in college (41.2 FG% over four years) – or in his first NBA season (40.5 FG%). What’s most concerning is that he was even worse this year, posting a 36.7 FG%. I truthfully can’t overstate how bad that is, one would be considered a decent three point shooter at that rate, for a field goal rate? That’s abysmal. Steph Curry makes his high difficulty three pointers at a 42.2% rate over his career. It’s bonkers that Shead has been as effective as he has been given how inefficient he is.

Shead is a solid backup point guard, but as he progresses throughout his career, and as the Raptors continue to push to be more competitive year over year, he has to find a way to score more efficiently. We saw the Cavaliers leave him open over and over again, he attempted 5+ threes in six of the seven games, he only did that 16 times in the regular season. The funny thing is, the games where he made them pay, shooting five-for-six in game one and four-for-ten in game five, were both losses for the Raptors.

To find sustained success, to take his game to the next level, Shead needs to improve his touch around the basket. He’s one of the quickest players on the team, he drives the fifth most on the team, but has a lower scoring rate on drives than every single Raptor outside of Chucky Hepburn, Garrett Temple, Mo Bamba, and Markelle Fultz. He is still able to create plays out of those drives – he has the highest pass rate on the team, but if he was a bigger threat to score, his impact would be tenfold.

Draymond Green once said that there are 82 game players, then there are 16-game players. In his second NBA season, one thing became abundantly clear: Shead is a 16-game player. There was a risk that Shead was going to be completely neutralized in the playoffs due to his lack of scoring, instead he proved that he can impact games in the most competitive environments by simply being the most competitive player.

The post Jamal Shead overcame his weaknesses by leaning into his strengths first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Scottie Barnes

Scottie Barnes led the team in votes, just like his versatile game; he was included in a few different categories. We’ll start with the Defensive Player of the Year votes, as he had 15 votes in total, with 12 of them being third-place votes and 3 second-place votes from James Herbert (CBS Sports), Law Murray (The Athletic) and Doug Smith (Toronto Star). Staying on defence, Barnes also got 42 votes for the first NBA All-Defensive team and just six more votes at 48 for the second team. Finally, Scottie also received nine total All-NBA team votes, with all nine being a vote for the third-place team.

Collin Murray-Boyles

After an amazing rookie season, CMB was another Raptor who got a ton of votes, as he only made it on the list for the NBA All-Rookie teams, gaining eight votes for the first team while gaining a whopping 50 votes for the second team.

Sandro Mamukelashvili

Mamu had a successful first season with the Raptors after signing a bargain of a deal, as the newcomer gained three votes for the sixth man of the year award, with all of them being third-place votes from Michael Grange (Sportsnet), Bill Simmons (The Ringer) and Ryan Wolstat (Toronto Sun).

Jamal Shead

Meanwhile, Jamal Shead also qualified for the Sixth Man of the Year award after a rather successful season, with the sophomore point guard gaining just one third-place vote from Tim Bontemps (ESPN).

Brandon Ingram

Brandon Ingram showed up with one vote for the All-NBA third team after his debut season for the Toronto Raptors, where he led the team in scoring, gaining a vote from Maria Taylor (NBA on NBC).

Darko Rajakovic

Last but not least, coach Darko Rajakovic gained a third-place vote from Michael Grange after his first winning season and playoff berth in his three-year stint so far with the Toronto Raptors.

You can check out the full list of votes here.

TABLE Fare + Social is a vibrant food hall in the heart of Toronto’s financial district, offering a unique dining and social experience just steps from transit and the arena—perfect for pregame meals before tip-off. Open weekdays from 11am to 10pm, TABLE serves up morning treats, creative eats, and lively after-work events. With a private terrace overlooking Toronto’s elevated park, guests enjoy stunning views alongside year-round programming that includes food tastings, cooking classes, live music, and pop-up events designed to spark connection and creativity.

Follow along @Tablefood hall or tablefoodhall.com

The post Which Raptors received votes for the NBA Awards? first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The post Nyara Sabally and Marina Mabrey PROPEL Tempo Past Sky and Back to .500 | Full Game Recap + Analysis first appeared on Raptors Republic.

As pointed out by Rookie Wire, Teams will likely prioritize meeting with “early entrant” prospects and other draft-eligible players before the deadline tomorrow (May 27).

With that in mind, information is starting to come out about where prospects are working out. Let’s take a look at who has worked out for the Raps.

(Workout information provided by Rookie Wire and Hoops Hype.

Who has reportedly visited Toronto for a workout?

Zuby Ejiofor, F, St John’s, Senior (Scheduled)

2025-2026 stats: 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals. 2.1 blocks

Measurements: Height without shoes: 6-foot-7 1/2 | Weight: 245lbs | Wingspan: 7-foot-2

Per NBA.com: He moves like a modern big who can defend the point of attack and anchor the paint in the same possession. He stays attached to guards on switches, closes ground on drives with quick recovery and blocks shots at an elite clip. His defence is the main skill that keeps scouts intrigued about him. He is a reliable interior scorer thanks to his hands and footwork, and he is great at drawing fouls. He does have some room to grow in his perimeter shooting, and his volume from deep has already started to increase.

Honestly, bulking up on size is also not a bad idea. He has reliable interior scoring, and his perimeter shooting is improving. If the timeline for his development is right, he could be a good contributor for the Raps, who I could see using him like they did Collin Murray-Boyles.

Bennett Stirtz, G, Iowa, Senior (Scheduled)

2025-2026 stats: 19.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.2 blocks

Measurements: Height without shoes: 6-foot-2 1/2 | Weight: 186 lbs | Wingspan: 6-foot-6

Per NBA.com: He was a veteran floor general in college, showcasing exceptional pace and an advanced feel for reading defences. He can knock it down from anywhere on the court (huge plus for the Raps), although there are some questions about his finishing at the rim against NBA-level defenders. He has ‘exceptional’ basketball instincts and has played passing lanes well against lesser competition. However, he needs to improve on the defensive side of play.

As mentioned earlier, his knockdown ability is huge for the Raptors, especially considering they are still looking for beyond-the-arc shooting with Gradey Dick likely on the move.

Meleek Thomas, G, Arkansas, Freshman

2025-2026 stats: 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.2 blocks

Measurements: Height without shoes: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 189 lbs | Wingspan: 6-foot-6 3/4

Per NoCeilings: With the ball taken out of his hands this year due to playing with Darius Acuff Jr., Thomas adapted really well and is widely regarded as a good three-point shooter, especially in terms of catch and shoot. He played the role of a complementary passer this season, with his assists per game getting as high as 2.8 assists per game during conference play and the NCAA Tournament. Thomas also greatly improved on the defensive side of the floor.

I think if Thomas does land in the Raps’ hands, he could be a good shooter that slides right into a team that does need his catch-and-shoot ability.

His catch and shoot ability could be really useful for the Raps, especially if they are looking to add more three point shooting to replace Gradey.

Baba Miller, F, Cincinnati, Senior

2025-2026 stats: 13.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.2 blocks

Measurements: Height without shoes: 6-foot-10 1/2 | Weight: 208 lbs | Wingspan: 7-foot-1 3/4

Per Sports Illustrated: A versatile winger out of Spain, Miller has a unique skillset that really showed thanks to a massive growth spurt. He was originally a six-foot-two guard, but now he is a six-foot-eleven forward with guard skills. He isn’t a fantastic shooter and did take a bit of a step back compared to when he shot 25% at Florida State in his rookie year and 34.2% last year with Florida Atlantic. He is a versatile defender with the size to guard bigger players but the lateral quickness to play on the perimeter as well.

He could be really good for Toronto as a steady, reliable forward option, and if Poeltl does get moved this summer, adding depth behind Mamu (if he does return that is) could be a smart move.

Tre Carroll, F, Xavier, Senior

2025-2026 stats: 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists,

Measurements: Height without shoes: 6-foot-8 | Weight: 235lbs | Wingspan: 6-foot-11 (Portsmouth Invitational measurement)

Per Ersin Demir: He is a decent lateral athlete, with a surprising amount of vertical pop for his build. His length does increase his value, as he is combining ball skills with physicality on the floor. Carroll has shown that he can defend the pick-and-roll, although he lacks the true burst to defend against smaller, quicker ball handlers. On the offensive side, his value for the NBA comes from his self-creation out of closeouts. He shoots over 50% from midrange and close to 65% at the rim without dunks.

I don’t know if he works for the Raps, given that if he were to come off the bench, he could struggle on defence. His midrange scoring could be useful if he were to sub in for Brandon Ingram.

JVonne Hadley, G, Louisville, Senior

2025-2026 stats: 11.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.3 blocks

Measurements: Height without shoes: 6-foot-7 | Weight: 210 lbs | Wingspan: 6-foot-8 (Portsmouth Invitational measurement)

Per CardinalSports: he is a unique offensive piece with versatility. Around the rim, Hadley has some old-school flavour to his game, exploiting mismatches in the low-post. His physical frame allows him to seal defenders under the rim, while having a finishing touch to complement. He also has polished footwork, using up-and-unders or drop steps to create finishing angles for himself. His levels of toughness and physicality allow him to defend multiple positions.

He could be a good off-the-bench piece for the Raptors, considering his versatility, especially on the defensive side of the court.

The post Toronto Raptors pre-draft rookie workout tracker: Stirtz, Miller, and more first appeared on Raptors Republic.