The Toronto Raptors are entering the 2026-27 season as a dark-horse contender after trading for Kawhi Leonard and essentially rescuing him from a sinking Los Angeles Clippers ship. Leonard gives the Raptors a legitimate number one option on offense, and his history of being an elite defender makes him a perfect fit for what Toronto is building.

The Raptors boast quite a few rangy and lengthy defenders on the roster, with Scottie Barnes having the likes of Leonard and Collin Murray-Boyles, just to name a few, raring to wreak havoc on the opposition.

Leonard, in fact, is seeing plenty of good signs for this Raptors team. Following their 148-98 decimation of the shorthanded New York Knicks on Tuesday night's preseason action, the two-time NBA Finals MVP highlighted the trait that Barnes and Murray-Boyles possess that make them quite the valuable pieces on both ends of the floor.

“Scottie and CMB, they’re very talented. They could play small-ball five, the four, the one. When you got guys like that, it makes it look easy. They make the game easier for myself and others,” Leonard said, via Omer Osman, founder of Raptors Updates on X.

Kawhi Leonard shows a ton of praise for Scottie Barnes’ and Collin Murray-Boyles’ versatility:

“Scottie and CMB, they’re very talented. They could play small-ball 5, the 4, the 1.”

“When you got guys like that, it makes it look easy. They make the game easier for myself and… https://t.co/cHFxcbzfDB pic.twitter.com/PPxAE9F1Xm

— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) October 14, 2026

The Raptors can now shapeshift more easily depending on the opposition. If they need to deploy a more switch-heavy scheme, Murray-Boyles can step in at the five quite easily. When they need to go big, Jakob Poeltl is their guy.

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Last season, the Raptors finished the regular season with the fifth-best defensive rating in the association, allowing just 112.1 points per 100 possessions. They might be even better on that end of the floor this season.

The key for this Raptors team is going to be health. Leonard did play 65 games last season, but his health is always going to be a question mark. Moreover, Murray-Boyles was limited to just 57 games last season, while Poeltl played in just 46 contests.

If they manage to get a cleaner bill of health this season, no one should be surprised if the Raptors claw their way to 50 wins or more.