All eyes were on Kawhi Leonard at Raptors media day, but other topics came up that will play a big part to how the season develops.
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season → come → part
Here’s what else we learned Monday:
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we → ’ → what
RJ Barrett extension looms
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extension → loom → ?
RJ Barrett knew the question was going to come.
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question → know → ?
He chose his words carefully after a long pause when asked how he felt about not reaching an agreement for a contract extension with the Raptors this summer.
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he → choose → Raptors
“I don’t control any of that stuff,” Barrett said.
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Barrett → control → stuff
“I just control my effort … and how I train.
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I → control → effort
I come in and try to help the team, so I’m just going to continue to control the things I can control.”
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I → come → things
Barrett is in the final year of his four-year, $107 million contract and will be a free agent next summer if the Raptors don’t sign him to a contract extension.
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Raptors → sign → extension
The Mississauga native has repeatedly expressed his love for playing in his hometown, but nothing has been resolved.
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nothing → express → hometown
Barrett sat out of Canada Basketball’s FIBA qualification windows this summer amid the uncertainty.
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Barrett → sit → uncertainty
His name has been in numerous trade rumours since being acquired by the team in a deal that sent OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks in 2023.
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that → acquire → 2023
Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said last week the team’s signing of Leonard to a contract extension won’t influence their decision on Barrett’s deal.
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signing → say → deal
Great (defensive) expectations
The Raptors were a top five defensive unit in the NBA last season, and the goal is to match — or exceed — that this year.
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goal → match → that
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic expects the team to be more switchable on defence and praised the off-season development of several players on that end of the floor.
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team → expect → floor
“It’s not one player that’s gonna change a lot, but it’s a contribution of all the guys together,” Rajakovic said.
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Rajakovic → ’ → guys
Raptors star forward Scottie Barnes said the team’s familiarity and understanding of each other’s tendencies gives them an edge.
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familiarity → say → edge
Just with our personnel, we got guys that move their feet really well,” Barnes said.
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Barnes → got → feet
“ … I think it’s gonna be really scary.”
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it → think → ?
Jakob Poeltl’s health
A nagging back injury left Raptors centre Jakob Poeltl looking like a shadow of himself for much of last season.
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injury → nag → season
This summer he made getting healthy a priority.
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getting → make → ?
I’ve modified my strength and conditioning training quite a bit, a lot of mobility there as well.
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I → modify → mobility
Try to get ahead of it,” Poeltl said.
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Poeltl → try → it
Poeltl missed 36 games last season — the most he’s missed in a single-season in his 10 seasons in the NBA — and averaged seven rebounds, his lowest since the 2019-20 season with the San Antonio Spurs.
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he → miss → Spurs
After a gruelling seven-game first-round playoff series loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, conditioning became a priority across the organization.
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conditioning → become → organization
Rajakovic said understanding how demanding the NBA playoffs can be was a major discussion point.
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playoffs → say → ?
They also pushed forward Collin Murray-Boyles to get in better shape.
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They → push → shape
“Apart from every workout, he was going outside and running 30 minutes every single day, so he put a tremendous amount of work this summer,” Rajakovic said.
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Rajakovic → go → work
Teammate Jamal Shead captured Murray-Boyles running along Lake Shore Boulevard just days before training camp.
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Boyles → capture → camp
According to Rajakovic, Raptors guard Ja’Kobe Walter also added 10 pounds of muscle.
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Walter → accord → muscle
“He skipped leg days, but he did not skip any arm days this summer,” Rajakovic joked.
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Rajakovic → skip → days
I had no idea #Raptors Collin Murray-Boyles was a runner! 🤝
— Marley Dickinson (@marleydickinson) September 26, 2026
Jamal Shead posted a video of him out for run on Toronto’s MGT. pic.twitter.com/jGj2ysWLt3
Behind Scottie Barnes’s viral TV moment
Barnes went viral last week after video bombing a CTV reporter’s live hit outside the team’s practice facility at OVO Athletics Centre following Bobby Webster’s news conference to talk about the acquisition of Leonard.
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Barnes → have → Leonard
CTV’s Sean Leathong asked him about it to confirm to his friends and family that it wasn’t staged.
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it → ask → friends
“I was actually about to go somewhere, and I was bored, to be honest.
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I → go → ?
I was just bored,” Barnes said.
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Barnes → bore → ?
“I think we had a great interaction.
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we → think → interaction
I think it went pretty well.”
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it → think → ?
Barnes had been asked to participate in the segment before Leathong went live, but turned him down to watch from the background.
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Leathong → ask → background
The Aporia
