October 20, 2026 at 4:00 AM UTC

Pregame Analysis

Raptors Open the Season With Leonard's Return and a Thin Frontcourt

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Toronto's retooled core should be enough to win its opener against Chicago, even with some frontcourt uncertainty.

Toronto begins its season at home against the Bulls with a roster that has only just been finalized. The Raptors waived Burnett, Celestine, Key, Degenhart and Jamarion Sharp, and Nate Bittle and Smith are on two-way deals. That leaves the frontcourt looking thin, which is the main question around this opener.

The injury report adds to it. Nic Claxton is out with a hamstring injury, and Bittle is a game-time decision with a foot issue. If Bittle can't go, whoever fills the minutes behind Jakob Poeltl will be under pressure, and Chicago will want to attack the glass and the paint. Toronto's best answer is to stay on the projected starting group of Quickley, Barrett, Leonard, Barnes and Poeltl for as long as possible and let that unit set the terms.

That group has the clearest edge. Kawhi Leonard made his Toronto debut in a preseason win over the Knicks after seven years away, and his creation on the wing gives Quickley and Barrett more room to work. Preseason results were mixed, with a 120-122 loss at New York and a 125-129 loss at Detroit. Both were close, high-scoring games, which suggests the offense is ahead of the defense. That should matter against a Bulls team that will have to find its own frontcourt answers.

Prediction: Toronto's top-end talent and home-court comfort should outweigh the depth concerns. Expect Chicago to hang around while Toronto's rotation sorts itself out, but Leonard and the starters should create enough separation late. Raptors 112, Bulls 105.

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