The 5 Stretches That Will Define this Toronto Raptors Season

It’s a big year for the Toronto Raptors.

After a pair of disastrous seasons, the Raptors are expecting to take a significant step forward in 2025-26. Brandon Ingram is set to make his debut for the organization, and with Scottie Barnes now on a max contract, there’s no reason this team shouldn’t be competing for a playoff spot.

The schedule offers a clear path to finding out exactly where this group stands. There are stretches that will test the Raptors against the East’s best, road trips that will challenge their depth, and runs of winnable games they cannot afford to squander.

It might be a down year at the very top of the Eastern Conference, but the middle of the pack is as crowded as ever. If Toronto wants to prove it’s the real deal, it will need to survive the tough patches and take advantage when the schedule opens up.

Here are the five stretches that will go a long way in deciding whether the Raptors are playing in a best-of-seven series in April, fighting for their season in the Play-In, or planning for the lottery when the year comes to an end.

1. First 8 games (Oct. 22 to Nov. 4)

If there is ever a time to have a healthy roster, it’s right out of the gate. Toronto opens with road games against Atlanta, Dallas, San Antonio and Cleveland, plus home dates against Milwaukee, Houston, Memphis and Milwaukee again. A hot start here would be the clearest signal yet that the Raptors are much improved from last season. Even a .500 record in this stretch would be respectable given the competition, but a winning start could set the tone for the year.

2. Early November East Coast gauntlet (Nov. 7 to Nov. 15)

Five games in nine days against Atlanta, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Cleveland and Indiana will be an early barometer for where Toronto stacks up in the East. These games may be forgotten by the spring, but this stretch could very well dictate whether the Raptors are chasing a playoff spot or clinging to the Play-In in April.

3. Momentum opportunity (Nov. 17 to Nov. 29)

After that taxing road trip, the Raptors have a chance to regain their footing with seven games in less than two weeks against Charlotte twice, Washington, Brooklyn, Cleveland and Indiana. Dropping too many here could undo the gains from earlier in the month, but stacking wins would put Toronto in a solid position heading into December.

4. Midseason West Coast trip (Jan. 18 to Jan. 25)

This is the tougher of Toronto’s two West Coast swings, featuring LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the Lakers, Stephen Curry and the Warriors, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, plus the Sacramento Kings on the second night of a back-to-back. The trip comes less than two weeks before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, and the results from this trip could influence whether the front office adds to the roster or takes a step back.

5. Season-ending push (Apr. 5 to Apr. 12)

The final week features a trip to Boston, a home-and-home with Miami, then visits to New York and Brooklyn. That last game against the Nets might be meaningless, but Boston and Miami could be fighting for playoff seeding or Play-In survival. The East is often decided in the final days, and this stretch could be pivotal for the Raptors’ postseason hopes.

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