TLDR: The Raptors open the season on Wednesday, October 21, at Scotiabank Arena, and the reason to watch is Kawhi Leonard, who is back in a Raptors jersey 7 years after leading Toronto to the 2019 title. The Chicago Bulls are the first opponent, and they come in banged up up front.
Toronto's training camp was all about Leonard. He made his first preseason appearance as a Raptor since the 2019 title run, and by Toronto's final exhibition, Raptors Republic said he had "fully bought into the movement system" Darko Rajakovic built. The more important note for Wednesday is how well he and Scottie Barnes worked together. Both played limited minutes in the preseason, but Barnes looked comfortable in the new offense and the two were good together on the floor. If Leonard and Barnes can share the ball, Toronto has an actual top end, which it hasn't had for a while.
Chicago's problem is the frontcourt. Nic Claxton tweaked his hamstring in early October and was to be re-evaluated in 2 weeks, which falls right around opening night. Zach Collins (toe) and Tobe Awaka (knee) both missed the preseason finale. Isaac Okoro also sat with an undisclosed issue. Awaka grabbed 11 rebounds in the preseason opener, so losing him is more than a depth hit. If 2 or 3 of those 4 can't play Wednesday, the Bulls will be using a short rotation of bigs against a long, switchy Toronto team. Books have Toronto as a clear home favorite.
The Bulls didn't look bad in October, though. They went 3-2 in the preseason and finished with a 133-116 home win over a shorthanded Timberwolves team. The offense had some punch. Rookie forward Caleb Wilson led the way with 15 points in the win over Phoenix, Josh Giddey ran things with 7 assists, and Chicago turned 26 Suns turnovers into 36 points. The defense is the concern. Losing 133-128 in Denver is the kind of score that follows a team into the regular season.
Toronto has a minor list of its own. Nate Bittle (foot) just signed a two-way deal and isn't likely to factor in. Before the finale in Detroit, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Allen Graves and Alijah Martin were also on the Raptors' report. None of them changes the matchup the way Chicago's frontcourt injuries do. The bigger unknown is Leonard's minutes. He was limited all preseason, and nobody has said whether the leash comes off on opening night.
There's nothing riding on the standings yet with both teams at 0-0, but the game tells you something about each club. Toronto gets to find out whether a Leonard-Barnes team can win comfortably against a weakened frontcourt. Chicago gets to find out whether its fast, turnover-hunting style holds up on the road against real size. Tipoff is 7:30 PM ET.
