Raptors report card: regular season player grades

The Toronto Raptors are back in the post-season for the first time in four years. During the course of the year, the paths players took were anything but straight forward. Some players took real steps forward. Others stayed steady in their roles. And a few left more questions than answers.

With the regular season now in the books, it’s time to take a step back and look at how each of these key pieces performed, the good, the bad, and everything in between.

Scottie Barnes: A

If the Toronto Raptors season ended at the All-Star break, Scottie Barnes could have arguably finished with an A+ player grade for the Raptors season. Prior to the break, Barnes was sensational averaging 19.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists, the best numbers of his career. He was a major reason why the Raps were able to build such a strong start early in the year. 

Post all-star break, his shooting numbers took a dip, but even still, Barnes was excellent at times, especially on the defensive end of the floor. He won’t beat out Victor Wembanyama for the DPOY award, even if he made a realistic case, but he has definitely made an ironclad argument to be on the NBA’s All-Defensive first team. 

Barnes’ versatility has been one of his most impressive traits this season. He’s shown the ability to both play and guard all five positions, making him invaluable on both ends of the floor. Statistically, he finished ninth in the league in steals (116) and sixth in blocks (114). Even more remarkable, he was the only player in the entire NBA to record at least 100 steals and 100 blocks this season, a clear testament to his rare defensive impact.

Offensively, he improved his efficiency and even dabbled in playing point guard towards the end of the year. His shooting remained stagnant (outside of a hot start to the year, and in Game 1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers), but there were strides elsewhere.

Brandon Ingram: A-

After barely seeing the floor last year with the New Orleans Pelicans (just 18 games), Ingram flipped the script completely. He suited up for 77 games, his busiest season since his early days with the Los Angeles Lakers, and gave the Toronto Raptors exactly what they needed: buckets, clutch moments, and consistency. His time in Toronto to this point can best be defined by compromise both from him and his team to make the fit work.

The numbers weren’t the best of his career, but they were still impressive. He averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 boards, 3.7 assists. He stuck with his bread and butter, which is the mid-range game that often feels automatic and times.

What makes this season hit different though is the defensive effort he showcased. Ingram did not just show up to score, he actually bought into the Raptors defensive identity. He quietly ended up second on the team in blocks (55) and chipped in 55 steals too. 

Those numbers were good enough to help earn the second All-Star nod of his career.

Overall, this was one of those “remind everyone who I am” seasons. Not quite perfect, but definitely impactful, and more complete than people expected.

RJ Barrett: B-

RJ Barrett was a bit of a swing factor for the Toronto Raptors this season.

When he was on the floor, you could feel the difference. He added downhill pressure, physicality, and another scoring option that helped balance things out. The challenge, though, was availability. He was only able to suit up for  57 games,

There were real questions coming into the year about how Barrett, Barnes, and Ingram would fare together in the starting lineup. On paper, it seemed there could be some overlap that could cause some issues. Critics and some fans even urged the team to look to trade him away. In reality, Barrett did a great job shutting out the haters by finding his lane. He embraced the role of a reliable third option and did it efficiently, putting up 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.

Where the grade dips slightly is on the defensive end. The effort wasn’t poor, but it didn’t stand out either. With less offensive burden alongside Ingram, there was room for him to take a bigger step defensively and really round out his impact, unfortunately he was too inconsistent on that end of the floor. He doesn’t help when he’s off the ball with timely digs or rotations, and he’s not strong on the ball, either.

Regardless, Barrett showed he belongs in this core, and when he’s healthy, he makes this team noticeably better.

Immanuel Quickley: C

Immanuel Quickley was one of the more talked-about names around the Toronto Raptors this season,  and not always for the right reasons.

At his best, Quickley can change a game in a hurry. When he gets going offensively, the shot-making comes in bunches and he can look like one of the most dynamic guards on the floor. 

However, the issue with his game this season was his consistency. Those hot stretches didn’t nearly come often enough, and when his shot wasn’t falling, he became a major liability because he did not make up for it on the end of the floor. 

To his credit, he stayed available, playing 70 games, his highest total since the 2022–23 season. He put up solid numbers too: 16.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.9 assists.

But given his role, and the fact that he’s the team’s primary guard who can space the floor, there’s a fair expectation for a lot more out of him, especially considering the contract tied to his name.

Jakob Poeltl: C-

Jakob Poeltl had a tough season, and given the expectations, it stands out even more.

After signing a major extension, the Raptors needed stability from him in the middle. Instead, it was a year filled with missed time and uneven production. He played just 46 games, the lowest total of his career, dealing with back issues for much of the season, and that absence was felt for a team that doesn’t have much depth at center.

Even when he did play, the numbers were very underwhelming by his standards. He averaged just 10.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists, all dips compared to previous years. Rebounding, in particular, was a concern. He only recorded double-digit boards in nine of those 46 games, which is not what you expect from a starting center, especially when you take into account that he can’t space the floor at all. His mobility was very limited in the vast majority of games, which hurt in all ways, but especially on the glass.

For the Toronto Raptors, this wasn’t the level they needed from him. Injuries played a big part, but overall, it was a disappointing season. He had moments, but they were not enough. You can’t be a starter getting paid that kind of money putting up that lackluster level of production, no matter the reasons for it.

Jamal Shead: B

Jamal Shead provided exactly what one would expect in him.

He was not out there to fill up the scoring column, and that is totally fine because Shead makes his impact in a variety of other ways. He’s a relentless defender, constantly pressuring the ball, and he does a great job running the offense and keeping things organized. The energy he brings is always super high, whether the team is rolling or struggling, he does a fantastic job of staying locked in.

This season he averaged 6.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists, numbers that don’t jump off the page (except for the assists) but reflect his role . More importantly, he showed up every night, playing all 82 games. That reliability mattered, especially during stretches when Immanuel Quickley was out with injuries. He has proven he can be dependable as a team’s starting point guard at times this year.

And those assists? He led the NBA in assists off the bench and at times dramatically changed the forward trajectory of the team as a result. He constantly looked for the home-run pass, creating layups for teammates without committing turnovers in the process.

Another underrated part of his game is his ability to draw fouls. He finished near the top in the league with 66 drawn. 

Obviously there’s still room to grow offensively, but the foundation is strong. For a player in his role, this was a solid, dependable season, and one that points to an even brighter future.

Ja’Kobe Walter: B-

Ja’Kobe Walter is another one of those players you don’t fully appreciate if you just look at the boxscore.

He averaged 7.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1 steal per game. Not the most eye popping stats, but he was able to carve out a real role for the Toronto Raptors thanks to two things they desperately needed: defence and three-point shooting.

He was the only Raptors player taking at least three threes per game and knocking them down at a 40 percent clip. That alone made him valuable on a team that struggled from deep all season. Toronto ranked just 26th in threes made and 21st in three-point percentage (35.4 percent).

Walter even joined the Raps history books. Only 14 players in franchise history had hit that 40 percent mark on that kind of volume before him, Walter became the 15th, and the youngest to do it at age 21. He closed the year on a remarkable hot streak, proving himself a crucial building block for the future.

With Immanuel Quickley missing time this season, Walter is another guy who stepped up and showed he can be trusted as a true 3-and-D wing. If Walter had not struggled earlier in the year, his grade would be bumped, but he is still young with plenty of room to grow.

Sandro Mamukelashvili: B+

Sandro Mamukelashvili turned out to be one of the Raptors’ best low-risk bets this season.

After coming in on a modest two-year deal ($5.5 million), he didn’t take long to make an impression, both on the court and in the locker room. He brought energy and quickly became a player the team (and fans) could rely on.

Off the bench, Mamu made a real case as the team’s most dependable scorer. He averaged a career-high 11.2 points to go along with 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists. What really stood out, though, like Walter, was his shooting. At his size, knocking down 38.9 percent from three made him a perfect fit to this team. 

Availability was another huge plus. He missed just two games all season and stepped into bigger minutes when Jakob Poeltl was sidelined, holding his own and keeping the frontcourt rotation afloat.

For a player brought in on a low-cost deal, this was about as good as it gets, productive, reliable, and easy to plug into different lineups.

Gradey Dick: D-

Grady Dick was expected to be one of the Toronto Raptors’ go-to shooters, but this season never really got off the ground for him.

The biggest issue was consistency. For a player whose main role is to space the floor, the shot just wasn’t there. He finished the year shooting 30.9 percent from three, and it showed in how his role shrank. 

His minutes dropped from 29.4 per game last season to just 14.0. In that reduced role, he averaged 6.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists.Younger players like Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, and Sandro Mamukelashvili stepped in and made more consistent impacts, which made it harder for Dick to justify his spot in the rotation.

It is still early in his career, so this isn’t final. But right now, it feels like a step backward in a season where others around him moved forward.

Jonathan Mogbo: D-

Coming into the year, there was some quiet optimism around Jonathan Mogbo’s development, especially defensively. But instead of taking a step forward, he struggled to find a consistent role. His minutes dropped significantly, going from over 20 per game to just 6.2, and he only appeared in 40 games, spending a lot of nights out of the rotation, getting the DNP tag.

When he did play, the impact was minimal: 1.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. Mogbo was overtaken by Collin Murray-Boyles, who made the most of his chances. Mogbo’s defence remained solid, but his presence handicapped the offence to such a large extent that he hasn’t yet proved himself an NBA-caliber player.

Without a reliable scoring touch or shooting ability, it’s tough to stay on the floor unless you’re making a major impact elsewhere, and that didn’t consistently happen this season.

Collin Murray-Boyles: B+

Collin Murray-Boyles came into the season with a lot of question marks, mainly about how his game would translate, especially offensively. Luckily for Raps’ fans he didn’t take long to quiet some of that noise.

In 57 games (22 starts), he put up 8.5 points on nearly 58 percent shooting, along with 5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and close to a steal and a block per game. He played with tremendous energy, he made smart reads, and most importantly, he did not look out of place at all in the Raptors’ system.

Whenever he touches the floor, he stands out. Whether it’s a defensive play, a hustle rebound, or just being in the right spot, he finds ways to affect the game.

The biggest thing holding him back from an even higher grade is the missed time. Injuries slowed him down a bit, and that matters over a full season. Offensively, there is still work to do as well. The 3-point shot is the obvious one, as his 34 percent is not horrible, but it’s on really low volume. He only took uncontested looks. He’s going to need to take those more confidently moving forward to unlock the next level of his game.

Still, for a rookie, this was a really strong year. He showed flashes, he proved he belongs, and if the shooting comes along, he could be a serious piece for this team going forward.

Jamison Battle, AJ Lawson, Garrett Temple, Trayce Jackson-Davis: Incomplete

It’s hard to give real grades here, for different reasons for everyone. Jamison Battle and AJ Lawson flashed real promise but basically weren’t in the rotation, both playing fewer than 10 minutes per game. And in Lawson’s case, though he found himself in the Raptors’ playoff rotation in Game 1 with Quickley sidelined, he only appeared in 24 games.

Meanwhile, Temple only played in garbage time and is more of a highly paid coach than a real contributor to the on-court product at this point. And Trayce Jackson-Davis was brought on as a real depth big on a team with a variety of contributors ahead of him at the center spot. He only played in 17 games and averaged 5.0 minutes per game.

Lawson and Battle especially were promising, though. Lawson’s activity meant he gave real punch on defence, and he connected on a team-high (!) 42.2 percent of his triples. Battle never progressed out of his role as a shooting specialist, and he dropped out of the rotation as the team became healthier towards the end of the season. But he finished shooting 41.2 percent from deep, and he really saved some games, especially with a 20-point flurry to beat the Cavaliers on Halloween.

Hopefully both find larger roles going forward.