The three most exciting Toronto Raptors players to watch, with two All-Star candidates brewing

RJ Barrett

RJ Barrett is coming off the best season of his career with the Raptors.

He averaged 21.1 points, which led the team in scoring along with 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 58 games.

Barrett was consistently aggressive and was in attack mode, which produced many big performances from him.

The biggest question is how will Barrett fit into Toronto’s current core. Will his skillset be redundant? Or will he be able to flourish with the Raptors’ other top stars? How he meshes into the Raptors’ new starting lineup is something to monitor.

If things don’t go to plan for the Raptors, Barrett will be a prime trade candidate, given the financial situation the team is in.

Brandon Ingram

The Raptors traded for Brandon Ingram at last season’s trade deadline, which was a surprise.

It was an interesting win-now move from a team that was in the early stages of their rebuild. Nonetheless, Ingram is locked up in Toronto after signing a three-year $120 million deal.

Ingram’s career has been overshadowed by injuries. The 28-year-old hasn’t played in more than 64 games since his rookie season.

With the Pelicans, he did make the All-Star team in the 2019-20 season, but hasn’t been able to return to All-Star form since.

However, in Toronto Ingram has a chance to rejuvenate his career. He is still one of the top pure scorers in the game and he will give the Raptors a true go-to option, one they haven’t had since Kawhi Leonard.

If Ingram can stay healthy, he should be able to feast in a system that will see him be the main focal point on offense. This could be a chance for Ingram to get his career back on track and if he delivers, he could even wind up being an All-Star this season.

Scottie Barnes

Scottie Barnes needs a bounce back season.

While his defensive efforts were impressive, his offensive numbers dipped.

In 2024-25, he averaged 19.3 points and saw his shooting numbers decline from the year prior. Barnes shot 44.6 percent from the field and his three-point percentage plummeted to 27.1 percent.

Barnes regressed on offense in comparison to his All-Star season. The hope now is that Barnes will be able to complement Ingram and will get easier looks with Ingram attracting most of the attention.

Barnes’ playmaking and defensive versatility are his strong suits, but he needs to be more aggressive with the basketball.

When Barnes elected to attack the rim more rather than settle for three-point shots, his offensive game was much more effective.

Barnes is still one of the bright young players in the game and if the Raptors are going to go far this season, they need him to regain that elite two-way play. If he does, he could become an All-Star as well this season.