Basketball

The clock is creeping towards midnight in Montreal. Habs Nation is hoping it doesn’t strike 12 before the Stanley Cup Playoffs even begin.

Speaking with people around the Toronto Raptors, the area of growth that excites them most about Scottie Barnes is the maturity and leadership he has shown on and off the court, writes TSN's Josh Lewenberg.

The biggest test of Darko Rajakovic’s fledgling NBA coaching career came in the middle of his second season, just as the calendar flipped to 2025. Between early December and mid-January, the Toronto Raptors dropped 16 of 17 games. But it wasn’t just that they were losing games, it was how they were losing them.

Jamal Shead’s teammates were in awe, even though they had all seen it before. The Raptors’ 6-foot rookie point guard was lurking in the paint when RJ Barrett drove to the basket in a game against Washington earlier this month. As Barrett’s layup hit the rim and bounced out, Shead went up and threw down a one handed put-back slam.

There’s no honour among tankers. The Raptors aren’t being subtle, but to keep pace with the teams around them at the bottom of the standings they can’t afford to be.

The trade that sent Brandon Ingram to the Raptors is barely a week old, but the long and lanky forward has already made franchise history.

On the eve of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, less than 13 months after Siakam was dealt and the rebuild began in earnest, the Toronto Raptors acquired New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram.

A couple days later, the Raptors remain in awe of the mega trade that sent shockwaves around the NBA and throughout professional sports over the weekend.

Scottie Barnes has always been able to do special things on the defensive end of the basketball court. Before he was zipping no-look passes across the floor, mastering the mid-range or posting triple-doubles, the Florida State product tantalized NBA scouts with his lofty defensive upside.