The Toronto Raptors begin their regular season against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST on Sportsnet.
The matchup marks the first time the Raptors open the season on the road since 2011, during which they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 104-96 on Dec. 8 in a lockout-shortened season.
While rookie Collin Murray-Boyles will have to wait to make his regular-season debut due to a right forearm strain, here are three more storylines to pay attention to during the game.
The last time is now?
This is it. Seven months from now, this season will be looked back on as either the grand unveiling of the next era in Raptors basketball or our version of the John Cena Farewell Tour.
The Raptors kept Brandon Ingram out last season with Wednesday’s matchup in mind. It’s been 259 days since the trade and yet this will be the first time Raptors fans have seen the starting lineup play together in a meaningful game.
Despite the thought of a compelling debut, it also feels like a prove-it season. The Raptors are one of 14 teams over the luxury tax. Other than a division rival in the Philadelphia 76ers and a Dallas Mavericks squad that just recently added Cooper Flagg, each of these financially driven teams either made the post-season in 2024-25 or is expected to qualify this year.
A playoff spot would help justify the investment in this iteration of the team. Qualifying through a play-in would raise some red flags, but would buy a portion of this core some time. Anything less than that could catalyze a soft reboot of sorts.
Are the Hawks ready to soar?
The Hawks serve as the perfect litmus test. Like the Raptors, they’ve undergone a metamorphosis and have something to prove. After falling to the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament, Atlanta fired general manager (and former Raptor) Landry Fields and promoted Onsi Saleh. The front office overhaul continued when they brought in New Orleans Pelicans general manager Bryson Graham as the new senior vice president (SVP) of basketball operations and 76ers executive Peter Dinwiddie to serve as SVP of strategy and analytics.
With new decision makers at the helm, the Hawks added Kristaps Porzingis, Canadian Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard. After a breakout season, they also recently extended Dyson Daniels to a four-year rookie extension worth $100 million.
At full health, the Raptors should have their hands full against the Hawks. Trae Young has typically played well against the Raptors. He’s averaging 26 points and 10.2 assists against Toronto during his career. How the Raptors handle Young in a five-out offence or in the fascinating Young and Porzingis pick-and-roll is a key plot line to follow.
Porzingis looked solid in the pre-season finale against the Rockets. He finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 57 per cent from the field. Porzingis will test the Raptors’ defensive limits should he find his rhythm early.
And of course. There’s also Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher, and Onkyeka Okongwu to consider. Raptors fans will certainly learn a lot about their team after this contest.
A new dynamic duo
With Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic treating his rotation in the pre-season finale against the Brooklyn Nets like a regular-season game, fans noticed at least two of the starters were on the court at all times.
The two starters that will be mostly responsible for how the season shapes out are Ingram and Scottie Barnes. If the game against the Nets is any indication, the two former All-Stars are capable of leading a competitive roster.
Ingram played with a similar downhill cannonball in Zion Williamson in New Orleans, so there’s some kind of precedent there. How soon they grow comfortable with each other’s play style and what kind of space can be occupied during which parts of the game will dictate early-season results.
The pair will face a fun test against a quartet of rangy and active defenders in Daniels, Johnson, Alexander-Walker and Okongwu.
