Locked On Raptors - Daily Podcast On The Toronto Raptors

After a couple of seasons where player growth and development was the primary focus, this will be the first season where Rajakovic will face real expectations of winning. Vivek Jacob is joined by Joe Wolfond to discuss where the offence, defence and wins should be at for 2025-26.

The first segment focuses on the defence and whether or not last year's strides are for real. The second segment tackles the offence and that despite a lot of passing, it hasn't really become an efficient one. Finally, assessing what win totals will have Darko viewed as having performed...

The Toronto Raptors need to make the 2025-26 season a big one and Immanuel Quickley is key to that. Vivek Jacob is joined by Hello and Welcome's William Lou to break down why this season is so important for Quickley, how he can make it a big success, and what reasonable expectations should be for him.

In the first segment, discussions include the perspective when Quickley was first acquired as part of the trade for OG Anunoby, expectations then, and how things have played out since. Having been paid handsomely and been handed a starting role, this...

Darko Rajakovic has a good problem with what projects to be a deep rotation and decisions to make on who plays and who doesn't. Vivek Jacob is joined by The Athletic and Sportscasting's Esfandiar Baraheni to discuss how things might shake out.

In the first segment, Vivek discusses with Es why R.J. Barrett might be playing fewer than 30 minutes per game this season. There's plenty of players offering competition between Gradey Dick, Ja'Kobe Walter and Ochai Agbaji and so this will be a crucial part of the Raptors' rotation.

Second, the centre rotation could...

Taking a closer look at the keys to the Raptors improving both their three-point attempt frequency rate and shooting percentage. Just how vital are Immanuel Quickley and Brandon Ingram to the three-point puzzle? Vivek Jacob goes solo to discuss.

In the first segment, the focus is specifically on three-point attempt frequency and how the Raptors can improve on finishing 28th last season.

The second segment moves on to three-point percentage and the keys to elevating from 23rd last season.

Finally, Vivek dives into the different teams across the league to assess where the...

If everything goes right for the 76ers health wise this season, they should be better than the Toronto Raptors -- but that's not how things in Philly work, are they? In Episode 1940, Sean Woodley chats with Trill Bro Dude (You Know Ball) to talk about the state of the 76ers and how they stack up next to the Raptors in the Eastern Conference's middle class. Off the top, they chat about whether the Sixers do in fact qualify as a mid team, and what the status of Joel Embiid is going into this coming season. Next, they talk about...

The Miami Heat seem primed to be annoying good again, even with a roster that isn't all that thrilling to behold; can the Toronto Raptors keep pace? In Episode 1939, Sean Woodley is joined by David Ramil (Locked On Heat) to talk about the Heat's prospects for their first full season without Jimmy Butler and dig into why they're likely to be pretty good again, because they will simply never die! They chat about how the Heat figure to deploy their lineups this season, what kind of impact ex-Raptors Davion Mitchell and Norman Powell are likely to have on the...

The Milwaukee Bucks have the star power, but do the Toronto Raptors have the depth to rack up more regular season wins this season? In Episode 1938, Sean Woodley and Camille Davis (Locked On Bucks) chat about how the Bucks and Raptors stack up within the middle tier of the Eastern Conference this coming season. Off the top, Sean gets the latest on the ongoing Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Watch and dig into the Bucks' offseason moves, which have left Sean pretty uninspired! Next, Camille grills Sean about the Raptors' roster and tries to get a clearer picture of what to...

The Detroit Pistons were one of the stories of the league last season, but can they avoid the same fate as a similar Toronto Raptors team from recent memory? In Episode 1937, Sean Woodley is joined by Ku Khahil (Locked On Pistons) to talk about how the Pistons and Raptors stack up in the wide open middle pack in the Eastern Conference. Off the top, they chat about how what factors in addition to Cade Cunningham's leap made the Pistons so much better than expected last year, and whether they'll be able to replicate that success. Is there any way...

The Toronto Raptors traded away the Indiana Pacers' 1st-rounder in 2026 in the Brandon Ingram trade -- could that pick end up being a golden ticket, or are the Pacers gonna be too good even without Tyrese Haliburton? In Episode 1936, Sean Woodley chats with Tony East (Locked On Pacers) to kick off a week-long look at some of the Raptors' closest competitors in the middle of the Eastern Conference with a chat about the Pacers and whether losing their best player to an Achilles tear will doom Indy to the lottery, or if they've got a little more juice than...

Pablo Torre broke a crazy potential scandal involving Kawhi Leonard, the Los Angeles Clippers, Steve Ballmer and some suspicious money. NBA Squad breaks down all that we know, what this could mean for the league and much more!

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Will the Toronto Raptors honour Masai Ujiri with a statue to commemorate his contributions to the franchise? And if so, when will it go up, what will it depict and where should it stand? In Episode 1935, Sean Woodley goes solo to close out the pod's offseason with a mega mailbag show! Sean fields questions about statues, whether Malik Monk still makes sense as a potential Raptors target, the best jersey designs in Raptors history, go-to diner breakfast orders, cheapening Toronto Raptors in-arena concessions, Pascal Siakam's 2022-23 season, the disconnect between what sports are supposed to be about and the...

The Toronto Raptors finally stand a chance of playing a normal, entertaining basketball season for the first time in years! In Episode 1934, Sean Woodley and Katie Heindl (Basketball Feelings) lay out the guide for Toronto Raptors fans to enjoy this coming season, sort through how to navigate the confluence of high internal expectations and extremely low expectations nationally, and pinpoint the things they're most excited to watch unfold with the team this season. Simply watching Brandon Ingram play basketball promises to bring a whole lot of enjoyment on its own! Plus, the Raptors' youth will get a chance to...

The Toronto Raptors could stand to benefit from all kinds of player development arcs this season, but which ones would be the most helpful? In Episode 1933, Sean Woodley is joined by Vivek Jacob to play a classic Locked On Raptors Stupid Little Game: What's More Likely?! Off the top, Sean and Vivek discuss whether they'd rather see Gradey Dick become a league-average defender OR see Brandon Ingram launch 7 threes a game in his first full year with Toronto. Next, they chat about whether they'd rather see Jamal Shead shoot 37% from three, OR Jonathan Mogbo shoot 65% from two-point range. Lastly...

The Toronto Raptors crop of rookies in 2024 was one of the feel-good stories of the season last year, but can Ja'Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, Jamison Battle and Jonathan Mogbo hang as the team looks to be more competitive this season? In Episode 1932, Sean Woodley goes solo to outline what's at stake for each of Toronto's soon-to-be-sophomores, and what they each need to refine to cement themselves as part of the Raptors' long-term vision. Off the top, Sean runs through the heavy competition each of last year's rookies is going to face for minutes at their respective positions. Next, Sean...

How many wins would the Toronto Raptors need to win to qualify this coming season as a success as the team looks to move out of its rebuild? In Episode 1931, Sean Woodley goes solo to field a bunch of mailbag questions from you, the listeners! Off the top, Sean digs into what it would take for the Raptors to turn this coming season into a success, and why it might not be totally down the raw win total. Next, Sean talks about what we might look back on five years from now and pinpoint as potential downfalls of this...

Toronto Raptors third-year guard Gradey Dick has a lot to gain from a good season in 2025-26, and plenty to lose as well. In Episode 1930, Sean Woodley and Vivek Jacob chat about their lasting impression of Dick's up and down second year in the NBA last season, why the first half of his year is probably more telling of his true ability than his injury-addled struggle in the back half and the hurdles he needs to clear in order to put himself in line for a big payday next summer when he becomes eligible for a contract extension. Can...

The Toronto Raptors have reportedly made RJ Barrett's camp aware that he could be involved in trade discussions head into the new NBA season -- is it the right call for the team to explore trading the local-born fan favourite? In Episode 1929, Sean Woodley and Katie Heindl chat about Jake Fischer's latest reporting on Toronto's buying intentions and why RJ Barrett is the logical odd man out if the Raptors are looking to swing a deal to upgrade the roster. Plus, they bring back an old favourite segment on the show: SUMMER VACATION WATCH! Are the Raptors good at...

The Toronto Raptors have a higher ceiling than most national media types seem to think is possible, but there's absolutely some disaster potential here as well. In Episode 1928, Sean Woodley and James Herbert (CBS Sports) talk about the ceiling, floor and median outcomes for the wild card Raptors going into the 2025-26 NBA season. Off the top, Sean and James chat about how if Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley all adapt their games to fit with one another, there is absolutely room for the Toronto Raptors to be a playoff team in the wide open...

The Toronto Raptors aren't the first team you'd think of when it comes to major awards contenders this coming NBA season -- but that doesn't mean we can't talk some award winning into existence! In Episode 1927, Sean Woodley and Vivek Jacob (Raptors in 7) play a classic Stupid Little Game and draft their best longshot awards bets for Toronto Raptors players going into the 2025-26 season. Is Scottie Barnes a shoe-in for an All-Star nod? All-Defense? Will Brandon Ingram throw his name in the ring for any major awards in his first full year in Toronto? Can Gradey Dick makes...

The Toronto Raptors announced on Monday that Bobby Webster will remain as the team's General Manager and will head up basketball operations as the team will not be hiring a new Team President after all. In Episode 1926, Sean Woodley digs into the strange run of decision-making up top that very much makes it clear that Keith Pelley, Ed Rogers and the Rogers suits have fully assumed control of the franchise, why it's more encouraging that they've chosen Webster to run the show going forward than it would have been in if they hired Dwane Casey or Marc Eversley, and...

The Toronto Raptors have a lot of guys who are gonna need minutes this year -- do they have too many?! In Episode 1925, Sean Woodley goes solo to field a whole bunch of mailbag questions from you, the listeners! Off the top, Sean plays the 240 Minute Game and tries to lay out how the Raptors' minutes distribution will shake out up and down the roster this season. It's tough to fit everyone in! Next, Sean gets into why he doesn't care about the schedule release, the Raptors falling off a cliff whenever Jakob Poeltl gets hurt and whether than...

He's not the best player on the Toronto Raptors, but there's a strong case to be made that Immanuel Quickley is the most important player to the Toronto Raptors' success this coming year. In Episode 1924, Sean Woodley and Es Baraheni (The Athletic NBA Daily, Raptors Republic, CEBL) to talk about Quickley's importance to the Raptors and why he's in line to have a very good season if he can stay healthy. They chat about why Quickley's unique skillset on the Raptors' roster is essential to the team playing functional basketball, the strides he made in an abbreviated first full...

Is Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković more likely to be a Coach of the Year finalist, OR to get fired before Christmas? In Episode 1923, Sean Woodley and Vivek Jacob play a few rounds of everyone's favourite Locked On Raptors Stupid Little Game: What's More Likely?! Off the top, they talk about whether Rajaković ahead of his third season on the job. If things go horribly, is there a chance he's let go before the New Year? Or is there a big opportunity for him to take a run at a surprise Coach of the Year award if Toronto ca...

The Toronto Raptors have a shot to be pretty good in 2025-26, but it could also go pretty poorly! In Episode 1922, Sean Woodley is joined by the villainous Matt Moore (HP Basketball, Locked On NBA, Locked On Nuggets) to talk about why he doesn't see the Raptors winning more than 37 games this upcoming season, the potential flaws in any statistical projection of a team that hasn't actually played together yet, his lack of belief in Brandon Ingram being an elevating for the Toronto Raptors, the perception of the Raptors being hurt because they haven't taken a traditional path to...

Chris Boucher, the longest serving Toronto Raptors and last remaining member of the 2019 Championship team, is a Boston Celtic. In Episode 1921, Sean Woodley and Katie Heindl reunite to talk about Boucher's lasting legacy as a long-time purveyor of energy, dunks and good vibes off the Raptors bench, whether him going to the dastardly Celtics changes how he'll be viewed in Toronto long term, why he might be one of the last beloved bench guys of his kind in an NBA that encourages back-of-roster churn more each and every year, and some of their favourite moments from Boucher's seven seasons...

The strength of the Toronto Raptors in 2025-26 seems likely to be their ability to mix and match starters with bench guys throughout 48 minutes -- can it be a recipe for success? In Episode 1920, Sean Woodley and Vivek Jacob play a Stupid Little Game where they attempt to build out 5-man starter-plus-bench lineups that stand a chance of winning their minutes this coming season within a strict budget. Can Scottie Barnes find success sharing the floor with Brandon Ingram and bench pieces in a way Barnes plus four reserves didn't work last season? Will Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl...

A healthy Brandon Ingram should transform the way the Toronto Raptors play offense, and the case for optimism in the 2025-26 Toronto Raptors isn't all that hard to outline as a result. In Episode 1919, Sean Woodley is joined by Michael Pina (The Ringer) to talk about the impact a healthy Brandon Ingram can have on the floor for the Raptors despite his damaged reputation around the league, how his skillset will ease the burden on Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, the upside for the Raptors' offensive and defensive units this year, why some youthful bench contributions could...

Jakob Poeltl's extension was good for the Toronto Raptors, Sandro Mamukelashvili is a fun if low-impact signing, RJ Barrett's future is as murky as ever and the Toronto Raptors BADLY need to just do the rebrand to purple already, please. In Episode 1918, Sean Woodley continues to spew his 500 Takes of Summer after sitting out the last six weeks on daddy duty, with thoughts on why the Jakob Poeltl extension makes sense even if it locks the Raptors into an expensive roster that hasn't yet proven much, why the Mamu signing is a nice addition to a big man rotation...

It's been a wild offseason for the Toronto Raptors and Sean Woodley is BACK to spill his thoughts on Masai Ujiri's firing, Bobby Webster as the potential new president of basketball ops, the Collin Murray-Boyles pick and more! In Episode 1917, Sean makes his return from parental leave to talk about the Raptors surprise ouster of Masai Ujiri after 12 years on the job, the somewhat concerning names being bandied out as his potential replacement and why Bobby Webster should be the man for the job if it doesn't go to Chad Buchanan or Kevin Pritchard of the Indiana Pacers. Plus...

It's another mailbag edition of the show! Vivek Jacob looks at MLSE still keeping spending the same at Summer League, who'd be the best Raptors poker player, where the team stacks up in the East, and more!

What does parting ways with Masai Ujiri really say about MLSE? Is it just a prudent financial move so money can be directed elsewhere? Who fared best in Vegas at the Blackjack and Poker tables? That's all tackled in the first segment.

In the second segment, it's a parade of questions related to how the Raptors will stack...

Taking a trip down memory lane with some of the best Toronto Raptors head coach rants, the biggest disses by an opponent, and best moments from the broadcast with Buckets & Tea (Raptors Republic) podcast host Cathryn Naiker.

In the first segment, Vivek and Cathryn debate the best head coaching rants between Sam Mitchell's "Zero, zero, zero," Dwane Casey's "We go back to Canada" and Darko Rajakovic's "Scottie Barnes is gonna be the face of the league."

Next up, who dissed the Raptors more between LeBron James and Paul Pierce. Finally, Vivek and Cathryn re-live some...

As we transition away from Summer League, it's time to shift attention to the latest on the Toronto Raptors' search for a new team president. Vivek Jacob is joined by TSN's Josh Lewenberg to discuss how much progress has been made.

In the first segment, we discuss the dynamics surrounding the decision-making of bringing in a new team president and which way MLSE may be leaning.

In the second segment, Vivek and Josh discuss the possible ramifications if Bobby Webster doesn't get promoted from the GM role to President. Would that trigger Webster looking for...

Looking back on Collin Murray-Boyles and Alijah Martin's Summer League with Hello and Welcome podcast's William Lou. Vivek and Will also discuss the bench wing depth as well as favourite bench lineup options.

Will shares what he learned about Murray-Boyles and Martin as people through his conversations with them in Vegas. Then, Vivek and Will discuss what they saw out of the two over the course of Summer League action and if there were any surprises.

Next, Vivek and Will rank the bench wing depth between Gradey Dick, Ja'Kobe Walter, Ochai Agbaji, Jamison Battle and...

The Toronto Raptors' hopes of winning the 2025 Summer League championship ended in a semifinal loss to the Sacramento Kings. Vivek Jacob recaps the loss, zooms in on some of the individual performances, and looks at some big picture takeaways from the five games played.

It was another rough first quarter offensively for the Raptors and in a matchup of a great defence against a great offence, that was always going to spell doom. The Raptors trailed by as many as 22 in the third quarter but Jamal Shead led a spirited fightback that cut the deficit to just...

Damian Lillard's return to Portland shakes up the NBA landscape. What's behind this unexpected move? The Locked on NBA Squad Show panel dives into Lillard's decision, debating its impact on the Blazers and young star Scoot Henderson. They explore summer league insights, revealing which players might not cut it in the big leagues. Plus, get ready for some hot takes on NBA team predictions, including the Nuggets, Lakers, and Pelicans. Tune in for expert analysis on defensive strategies, the evolving Eastern Conference, and bold projections for the upcoming season. Don't miss out on the squad's insider perspectives and lively debates! 0:00...

Collin Murray-Boyles was excellent in leading the Toronto Raptors to an 81-69 win over the Golden State Warriors and a place in the 2025 NBA Summer League semifinals. Vivek Jacob goes solo to break down the win and look ahead to the semis on Saturday against the Sacramento Kings.

A quick recap is followed by analyzing what made Murray-Boyles so successful in this contest. As we've come to expect, the defence was immaculate but what really stood out was scoring 20 points pretty comfortably. Listen in to understand how he was used and why he was effective. Alijah Martin...

It's time to answer some mailbag questions! What's the level of confidence in the bench for next season? What are some of the under the radar skills that are emerging at Summer League? What does Alijah Martin bring to the table that Ochai Agbaji doesn't? Vivek Jacob goes solo to answer those questions and more.

In the first segment, Vivek sets bench expectations by going through how the rotation could play out and which players will be the most important bench pieces. There's also a question about the Raptors not having rebranded in a little while and...

Taking a deeper look at the Toronto Raptors' Summer League performances through three games. Vivek Jacob is joined by Sportsnet's Blake Murphy to see just how much Ulrich Chomche has progressed in a year, where Ja'Kobe Walter and Jamal Shead are heading into Year 2, and if Bench Mob 2.0 is an actually possibility this season.

To start, Vivek and Blake break down Chomche's performances thus far and whether that puts him in position to factor into the Raptors' regular season rotation. Chomche has shown great improvement in functioning at the pace of these games and making great plays...

The Toronto Raptors remained undefeated at the 2025 NBA Summer League with a 101-97 win over the Denver Nuggets. Vivek Jacob goes solo to break down Ja'Kobe Walter's amazing performance, the team unity shining through in a tense moment, and more growth from Ulrich Chomche.

This was the performance we've been waiting for from Walter at Summer League. He was clearly the best player on the floor, scoring at will and making play after play on the defensive end to finish with SEVEN steals. His 26 points in 29 minutes were the biggest factor in the win.

E...

Collin Murray-Boyles makes his Summer League debut, AJ Lawson provided a big spark, and Jonathan Mogbo shines. Vivek Jacob goes solo to break down the Toronto Raptors improving to 2-0 after defeating the Orlando Magic 89-86.

First up, Murray-Boyles got off to a rocky start as he struggled on his drives, not getting to the basket or being able to pull-up. He grew into the game as it went on and had some good two-way sequences that flashed his potential. AJ Lawson's offence has been much needed for the Raptors and he delivered once again.

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