After a Canadian tour that included stops in Quebec City and Vancouver, the Toronto Raptors finally make their return to Scotiabank Arena to take on the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST on Sportsnet.
Here are three storylines to consider ahead of the contest:
He’s back
As announced by Raptors Head Coach Darko Rajakovic during practice on Monday, Kawhi Leonard will be available against the defending champions. This potentially marks the first time Leonard has played in a Raptors uniform
in Toronto since the team’s Game 5 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
While there won’t be a Nick Nurse in sight to call a momentum-halting timeout, expect Rajakovic to restrict Leonard to first-half minutes. Despite this, Leonard is seemingly on track for the regular-season.
“He went through practice (Monday),” said Rajakovic. “He’s feeling great.”
Last pre-season, Leonard played in three of four games for the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging roughly 21 minutes. After making his return from an ACL injury, Leonard appeared in two of four exhibition games in 2022-23. He averaged just over 16 minutes a contest.
Conditioning is key
When the Raptors wrapped up their 2025-26 season, Rajakovic noted that the team’s conditioning needed to improve. It came up again during Media Day on Sept. 28.
While the entire roster has seemingly worked on their endurance, one player who took that suggestion to heart was Jamal Shead, especially after his playoff experience. After averaging just over 21 minutes of action in his first two seasons in the league, Shead’s playing time ballooned to 32 minutes a game in the seven-game series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Since then, Shead has focused on preparing his body for the demanding environment of playoff basketball.
“I think that I’m way ahead of where I was in my first two years,” said Shead during practice on Oct. 12. “I think I still can do a little bit more work…but I’m in a good spot.”
Toronto begins a stretch of three games in four nights to conclude the pre-season. To open the regular-season, the Raptors play three games in five nights. That’ll certainly be an early test of the team’s conditioning and depth.
“I’d rather have it now than we run into it for the first time after seven or eight games and all of our legs are not used to it,” said Shead. “We’ll get to see how in shape we are, where our bodies are.”
Shead’s increased playing time during the playoffs was primarily due to Immanuel Quickley’s injury. With several players currently dealing with early ailments – and Leonard primed for load management – it’s in everyone’s best interest to be ready to do more.
“Our team’s in a good spot, you don’t see us with just hands on knees everywhere,” said Shead. “Of course we’re going to get tired, we play really hard, but I think for the most part, we’re pretty good.”
The ‘King of New York’
The Knicks are expected to rest their starters on the second night of a back-to-back. They arrive in Toronto after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 122-104 on Oct. 12. Jalen Brunson was electric, recording 20 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals in only 21 minutes of play.
After the Raptors play the Knicks again on Oct. 15 for their penultimate exhibition game, the teams play a mini-two-game series on Nov. 15 and 17. Both games will be played in Toronto.
