​Media day for the Toronto Raptors is officially one week away, and expectations for this season are far different than in the past several years. The main goal for last season was to break the three-year playoff drought, and head coach Darko Rajakovic and his squad did so by earning the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. While they ultimately fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the seven-game first-round series, they built significant momentum towards becoming a real threat next season. Then came the trade for seven-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard. A team that was looking to win its first playoff series since the Bubble in 2020 is now expecting to make a deep playoff run and contend for an NBA championship right away. The East is set to be as competitive as ever this season, but if the Raptors fall in the first round again, major decisions will need to be made about the roster reconstruction around Leonard and franchise cornerstone Scottie Barnes. Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) | Dan Hamilton-Imagn ImagesOne player who played his way out of trade conversations was RJ Barrett. He was heavily linked to trades at the midseason deadline, specifically for three-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis (via Sam Amick), but showed his best capabilities to round out the regular season. Not to mention, he was Toronto’s leading scorer throughout the playoffs, including a game-winning three-pointer to force Game 7. Heading into this season, Barrett was asked to issue a message to the excited fans in a live interview with CBC Sports. “It’s going to be an everyday grind. It’s not going to be easy, but you can expect for us to play our hardest,” said Barrett. “I know we just added Kawhi to the mix, so you can expect some good basketball from us this season. But at the end of the day, we’re going to need you guys. We’re going to need your support. Being able to have you guys there cheering and stuff, it really is detrimental to the other team, and it gives us such a boost. We need you guys, for sure.” A large gripe that basketball fans around the world have with the current NBA is that there is allegedly no defense. Fans of the Raptors are blessed to know that isn’t true; Rajakovic and Barnes have the team giving it their all every possession on the defensive end, and it makes for a very exciting team to watch. Constantly forcing turnovers, getting out in transition, and scoring fast-break points is exhilarating for the fans at Scotiabank Arena, and their energy is felt by the other 29 teams in the NBA when they travel to Canada to face the Raptors. Toronto Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn ImagesHaving a real home-court advantage is extremely beneficial in sports; it was seen in the 2025 Finals when the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, two small-market teams, used the blistering noise from their respective home crowds to deflate the energy of their opposition. The Raptors were able to do exactly the same th