{"id":203388,"date":"2026-07-01T20:25:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T00:25:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=203388"},"modified":"2026-07-01T20:48:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T00:48:25","slug":"raptors-defensive-frontcourt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/07\/01\/raptors-defensive-frontcourt\/","title":{"rendered":"Raptors Defensive Frontcourt Could Become The NBA’s Best"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Toronto Raptors are once again all-in after completing a blockbuster move to bring Kawhi Leonard<\/a> back to Canada.<\/p>\n

While much of the attention has focused on Leonard’s return, the bigger story may be what his arrival means for Toronto’s defense. A Raptors defensive frontcourt featuring Scottie Barnes<\/a>, Collin Murray-Boyles<\/a> and Leonard has the potential to become one of the most disruptive units in the NBA.<\/p>\n

Each player brings a different defensive strength, but together they could give Darko Rajakovi\u0107 unprecedented lineup flexibility on that end of the floor.<\/p>\n

Raptors Defensive Frontcourt Could Become The NBA’s Best<\/h2>\n

Three Elite Defenders With Different Strengths<\/h3>\n

Barnes continued establishing himself as one of the league’s premier defensive forwards during the 2025-26 season. He became the first player in franchise history to record at least 100 steals and 100 blocks in a single season while consistently defending every position on the floor. Barnes’ ability to switch onto guards, wings, and centers allows Toronto to remain aggressive without sacrificing size. His defensive chops were easily impressive enough that Barnes should have made the All-Defensive First Team<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Murray-Boyles complemented that versatility almost immediately. Despite being a rookie, he earned All-Rookie Second Team honors thanks to his physicality, rebounding, and ability to defend multiple positions. His impact became even more noticeable during the playoffs, where his production increased significantly against Cleveland. Rather than being overwhelmed by postseason basketball, he embraced the challenge.<\/p>\n

Then comes Leonard. Even at 34 years old, he remains one of basketball’s smartest defenders. A two-time Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time All-Defensive Team selection, Leonard continues to excel because of his positioning, anticipation, and elite hands. While he may no longer guard the opposing team’s best scorer for 40 minutes every night, he still changes games defensively whenever he is on the floor.<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Switchability Could Become Toronto’s Biggest Weapon<\/h3>\n

Few teams possess three forwards capable of defending virtually every position.<\/p>\n

Barnes can comfortably defend point guards through centers. Leonard has spent his entire career eliminating elite wings in the postseason. Murray-Boyles adds another layer of physicality, giving Toronto someone capable of battling bigger forwards while still moving well enough to switch onto guards.<\/p>\n

That combination would allow Rajakovi\u0107 to experiment with aggressive defensive schemes rarely available to most NBA coaches. Instead of constantly sending help defenders, Toronto could simply switch nearly every action and trust its personnel to win individual matchups.<\/p>\n

That type of versatility becomes invaluable during playoff basketball, where offenses spend entire series hunting mismatches. Against this trio, finding one would become extremely difficult.<\/p>\n

Toronto also continued investing in defensive versatility during the draft by adding Allen Graves<\/a>‘ two-way potential, giving Rajakovi\u0107 another long, switchable defender to develop behind this core. Graves going to the Raptors<\/a> gives Toronto one of the most intriguing defensive prospects in the entire draft.<\/p>\n

Defense Would Create Offense<\/h3>\n

The value of this frontcourt extends beyond stopping opponents. All three players generate turnovers; Barnes thrives as a help defender, Leonard remains among the league’s best at stripping ball handlers, and Murray-Boyles consistently creates extra possessions through steals, blocks, and offensive rebounds.<\/p>\n

Those defensive plays often become transition opportunities, an area where Toronto was at its best throughout last season. Rather than relying exclusively on half-court offense, the Raptors could create easier scoring chances simply by forcing mistakes.<\/p>\n

That identity already helped Toronto exceed expectations one year ago. Adding Leonard only raises the ceiling.<\/p>\n

The Ceiling Could Be Championship-Level<\/h3>\n

Every championship team has an identity. For Toronto, that identity could once again be defense.<\/p>\n

Offensively, the Raptors would still depend on Barnes, RJ Barrett<\/a>, and Leonard to create enough scoring. Defensively, however, they could overwhelm opponents with length, intelligence, and versatility unlike almost any team in the league.<\/p>\n

There are certainly questions surrounding Leonard’s health and workload over an 82-game season. Still, how Toronto completed the Leonard trade could ultimately define the team’s long-term outlook. By keeping Murray-Boyles in the Leonard trade<\/a>, the Raptors preserved one of the league’s most promising young defenders while adding another elite two-way presence to the roster.<\/span><\/p>\n

When healthy, pairing Leonard with Barnes and Murray-Boyles creates a defensive frontcourt capable of matching up against virtually any lineup in the NBA. That combination alone would give Toronto one of the highest defensive ceilings in basketball.<\/p>\n

Featured Image: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Toronto Raptors are once again all-in after completing a blockbuster move to bring Kawhi Leonard back to Canada. While much of the attention has focused on Leonard’s return, the bigger story may be what his arrival means for Toronto’s defense. A Raptors defensive frontcourt featuring Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles and Leonard has the potential […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5768,"featured_media":203395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62,3,14],"tags":[50481,49857,168,1964,3852],"class_list":["post-203388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","category-news","category-raptors","tag-allen-graves","tag-collin-murray-boyles","tag-kawhi-leonard","tag-rj-barrett","tag-scottie-barnes"],"modified_by":"Daniel Benjamin, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5768"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203388"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":203399,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203388\/revisions\/203399"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/203395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}