Which Raptors have risen to the occasion in the Playoffs?
Toronto got off to a rough start to the playoffs, losing both its games on the road to the Cleveland Cavaliers to put itself in a deficit. Thanks to these players who have even shown up in the defeats, the Raptors have evened up the series and now have a chance to advance to the second round of the postseason.
Scottie Barnes
We’ve gotta start the list off with Toronto’s franchise player, Scottie Barnes. Scottie came into the playoffs being as reliable as it gets, playing 80 games for Toronto this season while averaging 18.1 points, 5.9 assists, and 7.5 rebounds per game, while also averaging 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. He’s had an amazing season defensively, and fans were rightfully angry at the fact that Scottie B didn’t finish as a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, as he led the league for steals and blocks (stocks) combined for most of the regular season.
In the playoffs, Scottie started out game one with hot shooting from beyond the arc and has kept his three-point percentage at 46.7 percent so far, a huge increase from his much bigger sample size of 30.4 percent in the regular season. His points (25.8) and assists (7.3) have also jumped up significantly as the struggles of Brandon Ingram have opened up more shots for Barnes, and the absence of Immanuel Quickley has opened up more opportunities to play as a ball handler. His defensive numbers (4.8 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks per game) have also dipped a bit, but he has still been great on that end and so far. He’s easily been the most consistent and best Raptor in the playoffs through four games.
Collin Murray-Boyles
The rookie hasn’t felt any pressure in his first year and first taste of the playoffs, as he’s had a tremendous opening campaign to his career. He did a great job of filling in for Jakob Poeltl as the starting center a bunch of times during the regular season due to the Austrian’s back injury and averaged 8.5 points, 1.9 assists, 5 rebounds per game while putting up 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks per game on the defensive side across 57 games. That’s while averaging just 21.9 minutes per game so far, and his biggest question coming into the NBA was his three-point shot; he’s shot a respectable 34 percent from three-point land.
In the playoffs, his minutes have shot up to an average of 25.5 per game as Jakob Poeltl has struggled to get going in the series, and he’s rewarded coach Darko Rajakovic with massive returns. Averages of 17 points, 2.5 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 1 steal and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting a very efficient 65.9 percent from the field. In game 4, the rookie had his best outing yet as he came away with a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double performance while adding 3 assists and 2 steals. The expectations weren’t too high for CMB entering his rookie year, and he has easily exceeded the organization’s and fans’ hopes as the number nine overall pick from the previous draft looks like a home run selection so far.
RJ Barrett
RJ Barrett has dealt with the headaches of non-stop trade talks during Toronto’s 2025/26 season, as the Canadians’ names came up in rumours countless times. He’s been a polarizing figure for the fanbase, and he’s come up huge for the Raptors in their playoff series so far. The Mississauga native averaged 19.3 points, 3.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game while putting up 0.7 steals and 0.3 blocks per game on 49.1 percent shooting from the field and 33.9 percent beyond the arc across 57 games.
In the playoffs, RJ’s numbers have shot up to 24.3 points, 3.5 assists, 6 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game, while his efficiency has also gone up, with 55.2 percent shooting from the field and an impressive 47.6 percent from beyond the three-point line. The three-point shooting has been very hot and cold for Toronto during this series, and his steady shot has been a welcome sight while also locking in defensively and earning the praise of his teammates.
The Raptors came into the playoffs limping, and many wondered if they could put up a fight against Cleveland, especially after losing both games on the road by 10+ points to start their playoff campaign. Needless to say, they’ve given themselves a chance to make the second round of the playoffs, largely thanks to these three players who have come to play all series long and have even gotten some help from members like Jamison Battle and his hot shooting in the fourth quarter of game 3, plus Jamal Shead’s heart on the defensive side, even if his offensive numbers have been lackluster. You could even say that the fans have been playoff risers, as the Raptors won both their games at home so far, and the Scotiabank Arena has been electrifying.
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