Overreactions from Raptors’ 2026 Summer League run

Allen Graves will make the all-rookie first team

The same prediction was made about Collin Murray-Boyles after last year’s Summer League run, and had it not been for a couple of pesky thumb injuries, there’s good reason to believe it would’ve come true. So, let’s see if the second time’s the charm.

This year’s 19th-overall pick has been as advertised, if not downright better, throughout his four games in Las Vegas. Graves averaged 16.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.0 blocks on 51.0/50.0/100.0 per cent shooting splits — one of 25 rookies out of 350 that played in at least three Summer League games to average a block and a steal.

The 19-year-old’s case to eventually be considered one of the top rookies from the 2026 class should be similar to CMB’s from last year, in that Graves projects to be a high-impact player for what is expected to be a playoff team (especially if Kawhi Leonard ever ends up returning to the Raptors). If he can keep taking (5.5 three-point attempts per game during Summer League) and making his jumpers at a commensurate rate against regular NBAers, Graves should be a meaningful two-way rotation player under head coach Darko Rajakovic.

He already appears versatile and strong enough to handle a variety of defensive assignments, and Summer League may have hinted at a greater vision for his upside than originally imagined on the other end of the floor. The rookie was given ball-handling responsibilities for chunks of games and demonstrated real poise and a confident dribble package against multiple defensive coverages.

If the 2026 draft’s “analytical darling” can continue his advance-metric wizardry in the pros while continuing to turn heads of eye-test enthusiasts, his case to be recognized among the best rookies in the class will certainly take shape.

Nate Bittle is perfect for the Barnes-Rajakovic era

I get that expecting an undrafted centre on an Exhibit-10 contract to not only make an NBA roster but be a contributing member sounds far-fetched. And it is (again, that’s the point of this whole exercise). But it wouldn’t even be the first time the Raptors have had a player take that path. Between Fred VanVleet, Chris Boucher and Jamison Battle, who all took similar routes to NBA rotation minutes, the organization is not unfamiliar with this developmental arc.

And Bittle has looked the part — at least during Summer League — of a stretch-big who can also protect the rim that Raptors fans have long clamoured for and of which there are few and far between in the NBA. The mammoth 7-foot, 250-pound big man averaged 9.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks while shooting 50 per cent from the field and 43.8 per cent from beyond the arc (on 4.0 attempts) through four games. He was as comfortable pinning defenders with bruising screens before rolling down low to collect scraps as he was spotting up from distance and making calculated reads.

What also popped were his 2.3 assists, albeit on 2.5 turnovers per game. Bittle was used as a play initiator on more than one occasion, and it’s no secret that Rajakovic appreciates bigs who can make on-ball decisions from all over the floor.

At worst, with Jakob Poeltl’s availability far from certain, having a younger centre (Bittle is 23) in the pipeline who offers plenty of similarities (and differences) available to eat minutes when needed would be worthwhile to consider. At best, his fit projects quite snug next to the duo of Barnes and Murray-Boyles, who could punish defences in so many ways with a big like Bittle who can theoretically occupy defenders in multiple spots, whether that’s at the rim or above the break.

Raptors will finish top-half of the league in three-point shooting

Admittedly, this is a prayer as much as it’s a prophecy.

While it may not even seem like much of a hot take, consider that the Raptors have ranked bottom-five in average three-point makes in each of the last four seasons and they haven’t reached top-half of the league status since 2020-21. So, yeah, it’s been quite some time.

And what would the top-half of the league in three-point shooting even look like? Well, since the Raptors last sat at that end of the table, league averages in makes and percentage have hovered around 13 and 36 per cent. Ironically, the Raptors Summer League squad fell short of both marks at 10.4 made three-pointers on a 33.1 per cent clip, but still finished 13th and 12th among all 30 teams in those areas, respectively.

As for why I’m willing to believe (desperately hope) the NBA Raptors can finally hit threes at a rate respectable for modern basketball? Like I said, these are takes considering everything breaks right. The combination of a healthy Immanuel Quickley, available Kawhi Leonard, consistent RJ Barrett/Scottie Barnes, ascending Graves and Murray-Boyles and a more involved Jamison Battle, along with maybe even a surprise addition in Nate Bittle, should at the very least raise the three-point shooting floor in a meaningful way.

For a team that’s lost the math battle on far too many occasions over the last four years, it would be a very welcome time to buck that trend.

Seth Lundy will slot into the A.J. Lawson role

As things stand, the Raptors have one two-way spot remaining with this year’s 50th overall pick Jaden Bradley — coming off a mixed-bag showing in Las Vegas — and sophomore Chucky Hepburn already occupying two slots.

There’s a chance Bittle could end up on that final two-way contract if he doesn’t get a guaranteed NBA deal with the Raptors or another team. But it’s also fair to say that Lundy has earned consideration for a short-term future with the organization after leading the team in scoring during Summer League.

The 26-year-old averaged 20.0 points (15th overall) to go with 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals through four games. Lundy did so while shooting 52.0 per cent from the field and 43.8 per cent from beyond the arc, on 8.0 three-point attempts per game (tied-10th during Summer League).

Lundy looks as though he could be the same kind of slick-scoring swingman that Lawson had been for the Raptors 905 the last couple of seasons, while maybe even offering some of the same burgeoning defensive acumen and underrated athleticism we’d see from the Brampton, Ont. native.

It is worth noting, however, that Lundy has far less NBA experience than Lawson did when joining the organization, having played just nine games with the Atlanta Hawks in the 2023-24 season after being drafted 46th overall. But as far as getting more reps at the G League level, he has a track record of positive production. Lundy spent much of his lone NBA season with Atlanta’s development squad, averaging 23.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 blocks in 12 games with the College Park Skyhawks.

It’s not hard to envision Lundy dominating the G League ranks with a new-look 905 team this upcoming season, and maybe even joining the Raptors for a couple of games to eat minutes and show off that jumper at the NBA level. At the very least, he’s shown enough to warrant our imaginations wandering.