TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors have missed the playoffs again and will be about 20 games below .500 when the regular season wraps up on Sunday, but something feels different this year.
Stars RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes as well as head coach Darko Rajakovic all said there was a different feeling at OVO Athletic Centre on Tuesday after Toronto's final home practice of the season.
Although the Raptors were eliminated from the play-in tournament on April 1, their 29-50 record with three games remaining is an improvement on last season's 25-57 performance and the locker-room atmosphere is noticeably better too.
"Way different, different energy, different vibes, for sure," said Barrett, who is from Mississauga, Ont. "I think this year we really made a step forward in what we're building here. I think we have some good pieces in these younger guys coming in.
"I just think that, just the team morale, everything is on a high right now for us. We know what we're building towards, so everybody feels good right now."
Toronto hosts the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday for the last home game of the regular season, then takes a swing through Texas with a stop in Dallas on Friday and then the finale against the Spurs in San Antonio on Sunday.
The Raptors hold the seventh-worst record in the NBA this season. With that comes a 32-per-cent chance at a top four pick in the NBA Draft Lottery on May 12 and a 7.5 per cent shot at first overall. But the Spurs (32-46) could leapfrog them if Toronto finishes the season on a roll.
Despite the sub-.500 record, Barnes said that there's a feeling of hope for next season.
"I see this team going big places, and everything's just coming together," he said. "I just can't wait to see it come together, and we're going to put on a show. I'm just super excited"
That chance at a top-10 pick in a deep draft, coupled with a successful class of rookies with Jamal Shead, Ja'Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo and Jamison Battle exceeding expectations, means the Raptors will have more depth next season.
"We got some dogs on our team," said Barnes. "These young guys, they come on the floor every single day and you see something new.
"These guys are amazing and they're going to be really instrumental to our team."
Another important piece for next year's team will be forward Brandon Ingram.
Toronto got him from the New Orleans Pelicans on Feb. 6 ahead of the NBA trade deadline but he has yet to play for the Raptors as he recovers from a high ankle sprain.
"We love B.I. B.I.’s cool, man. He’s cool," said Barrett. "He’s funny, obviously something you guys (reporters) won’t really see.
"But we love having B.I. here. He’s really cool and we’re all excited for when he comes back."
Although Ingram wasn't expected to make his Toronto debut this season, Rajakovic said on Friday that he was progressing and would start to participate in full contact drills soon. The 27-year-old Ingram didn't practice on Tuesday but a team spokesperson said it was not a setback and that the team will have an update on him before Wednesday's game.
Even without Ingram, Rajakovic said that the "energy level was high" at practice.
"Focus was at a high level, you could never tell that you're approaching the end of the season," said Rajakovic. "Vibes were really, really good.
"Guys were really locked into the practice today, and that's what you want to see, you want to see guys invested, working hard and almost (...) focusing on the next season and trying to lock in."
O SHEAD CAN YOU SEE
It's become a bit of a pre-game tradition for rookie guard Jamal Shead to bug his eyes out and play to the camera a little during the national anthems at Scotiabank Arena. He said it's all thanks to the encouragement of veteran forward Garrett Temple.
"I did it like the second game of the season, and Temp was just like, 'yeah, that's funny. Keep doing that,'" said Shead. "The (game ops) people just caught on. They do it every home game now, so I think it's pretty fun to have a little thing."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2025.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
