Raptors Roundup: Have the Raptors figured out zone?

Welcome to Raptors Roundup! A weekly recap of everything going on in the world of the Toronto Raptors.

Coming out of the All-Star break the Raptors wrapped up two tidy wins over the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. While both wins were driven primarily by defense, the win in Milwaukee showcased a far more idealized version of offense, and that was without Scottie Barnes. It was an excellent performance and what impressed me most was their ability to solve the Bucks zone.

Now, sure a big reason why they beat the zone is that they hit 16 threes, but it didn’t start that way. In the first quarter, when they laid the foundation for the win, it was Jamal Shead who loosened things up with some beautiful passes to cutters at the right time. Look at this play here, it was perfect zone-busting, the ball entered the heart of the zone and immediately Brandon Ingram cut hard baseline for an easy dunk:

Then, just a play later it was once again Jamal Shead finding a cutting Sandro Mamukelashvili after the Bucks fell asleep and Ingram set a half-hearted pin screen. The cutting (and Shead’s passing) was enough to get things going in the right direction until the Raptors could hit some shots.

Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Immanuel Quickley and what he did to tear apart the Bucks zone. Three point shooting is the key to beating zones, it’s the reason why teams play zone so often against the Raptors, they know that they can’t shoot. In the second Quickley hit three triples, stretching the zone out in the process (he also snuck into the center and drew a foul on Turner in the process). It led to two wide open corner threes for Jamison Battle and Ja’Kobe Walter respectively and from then the Bucks were scrambling the rest of the game to get stops.

It was encouraging. Traditionally the Raptors have relied on Barnes to sneak into the middle of the zone and either hit the middy, drive past his man, or make a play for a cutter or shooter. This game showcased that there are other guys on the team who can make plays too, which will benefit this team greatly when Barnes can become one of those cutters instead. It also showed that the Raptors have the ability to problem solve, an important skill to build as they prepare for the playoffs. Credit to Coach Darko for the adjustments he made throughout the game and to Shead and Quickley for leading the way. Hitting shots will always be paramount in busting zone defenses, but the Raptors found ways to supplement it with their playmaking until the shots were falling.

Game Recaps

 Raptors have areas to build off from narrow win over Bulls | Final: 110-101

Even though the Toronto Raptors bullied the Chicago Bulls into a bevy of giveaways and ran a handful of smooth plays, Thursday’s game was far closer than it should have been.

Fresh off their first All-Star Game with two representatives since 2019-20, the Raptors saw both glimpses of promise and red flags as they barely held on for a 110-101 win over the floundering Bulls at the United Center.

Brandon Ingram scored 31 and had one his more prolific driving games of the season, but also hoisted 26 shots. Keep those chains moving. He added eight boards, six assists and a couple steals for good measure. Scottie Barnes had his usual helping of stat-sheet stuffing – 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four stocks.

• Ian Finlayson

Top Performers:

1. Brandon Ingram – 31 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL, 11-26 FG, 3-5 3FG, 6-7 FT +12 +/-
2. Ja’Kobe Walter – 14 PTS, 4 REB, 3 STL, 4-9 FG, 2-5 3FG, 4-4 FT, -4 +/-
3. Collin Murray-Boyles – 11 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST, 1 BLK, 1 STL, 4-5 FG, 3-3 FT +9 +/-

Immanuel Quickley & Brandon Ingram star as Raptors crush Bucks | Final: 122-94

Both Ingram & Quickley deserve the lion’s share of the credit for this one. Of course it’s a team game and everyone chips in, but the Raptors two leaders in this one were particularly good. During the sprint to the end of this season the Raptors will be hoping for more out of this duo. That’s not to say they weren’t important through the pre-All-Star portion of the season, just that this roster is designed to get a little more out of them. In this one they were both plenty resilient in shouldering the offensive load. They took the hard shots, did the hard things, and offloaded the easy stuff onto their teammates who are lower on the totem pole. That’s a great combination of things for creating good offense. On a Sunday afternoon against the Bucks, the both of them struck the perfect balance.

• Samson Folk

Top Performers:

1. Immanuel Quickley – 32 PTS, 3 REB, 9 AST, 1 STL, 11-19 FG, 5-11 3FG, 5-5 FT +12 +/-
2. Jamal Shead – 12 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL, 4-9 FG, 2-6 3FG, 2-2 FT, +26 +/-
3. Brandon Ingram – 22 PTS, 2 REB, 6 AST, 2 BLK, 8-17 FG, 4-6 FT +10 +/-

Quick Reaction Roundup

Take a peek at this week’s Quick Reaction grades throughout the week.

Raptor of the week: Ja’Kobe Walter

Before this week began, RR’s very own Ian Finalyson wrote about Walter’s rise in the Raptors rotation, emphasizing that he should be the backup wing going forward over Gradey Dick. Immediately he was vindicated when Walter scored 14 points in Chicago, hitting two threes and getting to the line four times. Against Milwaukee he started slow, beating himself up after missing all three of his attempts from beyond the arc in the first quarter. Later his shooting, and in turn his defense, picked up as he drilled three from deep on the night. To me, Walter has the highest potential as a solid 3 and D player for Toronto, and he showcased that potential this week.

Walter averaged 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 steals a night while shooting 38.5% from deep on nearly seven attempts per game. That consistency is something the team has severely lacked from the two-guard spot recently given the struggles of RJ Barrett and Dick.

Have to give an honourable mention to Brandon Ingram, who held the Raptors afloat with his two big scoring nights, especially against Milwaukee when it seemed that the Bucks were focused on shutting him out.

This marks Walter’s second Raptor of the Week award, tying him for thi

Current Raptor of the Week standings:

1. Scottie Barnes – 5 times
2. Brandon Ingram – 3 times
3. Ja’Kobe Walter – 2 times
4. Collin Murray-Boyles – 2 times
5. Immanuel Quickley – 1 time

Top pieces of the week

Why Raptors must stop winging it and prioritize Walter

That leaves us with Walter, who still has a marginal lead in the race for the Raptors’ ninth rotation spot and the bulk of the backup wing minutes. His sticky on-ball defence and quiet, repeatable shooting mechanics provide a solid floor, and if he’s able to put together a strong run of play over the final third of the season, he could be an important player for these Raptors. 

At the time of Walter’s recent hip pointer injury, he was the obvious frontrunner in this competition for wing minutes off the bench. After a slow start, he’d averaged 20 minutes, 7.5 points and 39 percent from 3 over nearly two months after breaking out mid-November – all while being one of Toronto’s best point-of-attack defenders. While it didn’t come with a ton of flash, it’s the baseline the Raptors need from this spot. It seemed like things might have been settled.

• Ian Finlayson

So has 2025-26 been gravy or ghastly for the Raptors?

There are, by and large, two types of teams in the NBA. There are those trying to win championships, or at least expecting to win a playoff round or two, and those trying to lose lose lose for good draft picks. For more than half a decade, the Toronto Raptors fit into that former category and won the fourth-most playoff games in the league, culminating of course in a championship. Then for a few years, the Raptors fit into that latter category, culminating in Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles, and a new hope.

Where are the Raptors now?

• Louis Zatzman

Do the Raptors have a potential star?

This one is a video rather than a written piece but it was a fascinating exploration of stardom in the NBA and if any current Raptors have the potential of reaching that level. Samson and Louis delve into the star potential of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Jamal Shead, Collin Murray-Boyles, Ja’Kobe Walter and more.

Looking Ahead

Tuesday, February 24th – Thunder @ Raptors | 7:30pm ET on TSN

Wednesday, February 25th – Spurs @ Raptors | 7:30pm ET on TSN

Saturday, February 28th – Raptors @ Wizards | 7:00pm ET on TSN

Record Prediction: 1-2, I don’t see the Raptors pathway to beating either of the Thunder or Spurs on back-to-back nights. Even without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the Thunder are a very strong defensive team and the Raptors poor offense I can’t see overcoming that for the second time this season. Likewise, the Raptors lost to the Wizards by a ton this season, and they won’t let another one slip away from them.

That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Raptors Roundup, thank you for reading! Have a wonderful week!

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