The Toronto Raptors announced their arrival for the 2025-26 campaign with a statement victory on Wednesday night, dismantling the Chicago Bulls 135-92 at Scotiabank Arena. But the final score only tells half the story. The real headline was the sheer ferocity of Toronto’s defence, a unit that swarmed the Bulls for 15 steals and turned the home opener into a masterclass in disruptive, aggressive basketball.
A rookie’s ambition meets a veteran’s mastery
Ja’Kobe Walter entered the season with a bold, individual target: lead the NBA in steals. He made an immediate down payment on that goal, picking off three Chicago passes in his home debut. Yet the second-year guard found himself trailing his own teammate on the night. Kawhi Leonard, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year, registered four steals in a vintage performance that reminded the league why he remains the gold standard for perimeter defence.
Four other players around the league matched or exceeded that total with five steals apiece over the opening two days, leaving Walter fifth on the early leaderboard. He was unfazed.
“I think I did a good job starting off with three, but right now, I’m not leading,” Walter said following practice at the OVO Athletic Centre on Thursday. “I definitely think that being competitive with my teammates because we all play defence and everybody’s getting steals is definitely going to help me reach that goal.”
That internal competition is exactly what head coach Darko Rajakovic wants to cultivate.
The Leonard effect: safety net enables aggression
Toronto finished last season with the league’s fifth-ranked defence, averaging 8.8 steals per game — tied for tenth with Memphis. The Detroit Pistons paced the NBA at 10.4. The addition of Leonard, however, has fundamentally altered the geometry of the Raptors’ scheme. His presence allows younger, instinctive defenders like Walter, Jamal Shead, and rookie Allen Graves to gamble on the ball with a security blanket behind them.
“That’s a big thing. Coach says it all the time: whoever’s on the ball, you want to be comfortable,” Walter explained. “We want you to be comfortable enough to know that everybody else behind you has got your back, because we play really aggressive, and it’s OK to get beat. You’re going to get beat sometimes, but knowing that you’ve got four people behind you that are going to rotate to help you is definitely going to give you more confidence on the ball.”
The rotation bought in fully on Wednesday. Bench contributors Shead, Collin Murray-Boyles, Jamison Battle, and Graves combined for seven steals, showcasing a depth of disruptive talent that few rosters can match.
Quickley embraces the challenge
While the reserves feasted on passing lanes, starting point guard Immanuel Quickley accepted a singular assignment: shadow Chicago All-Star Norm Powell. Quickley finished with two steals and a game-high plus-38 rating, a testament to his impact on both ends.
“They really challenged me just on the defensive end, and I kind of wanted to,” Quickley said. “Obviously, [Powell is] a great player, so you’re not gonna be able to just stop him, but I just tried to make it as hard as I could. But it’s the whole defence. It wasn’t just me. It was our whole team. Great effort.”
Rajakovic views this collective mindset as the foundation of the team’s identity. He wants the Raptors to dictate terms, forcing opponents into uncomfortable decisions deep into the shot clock.
“You want to impose your will on the defensive end. You want to get teams out of their comfort level, out of their sets, out of their, you know, Plan A,” Rajakovic said. “You always want them to go to their counters and then Plan B and Plan C.”
The coach was blunt in his assessment: the team is not yet where he envisions it by April. Thursday’s practice was devoted entirely to dissecting the Bulls game film. Preparation for Friday’s road test against the Washington Wizards — also 1-0 — would have to wait for the flight south.
Why it Matters
The Raptors have long prided themselves on defensive versatility, but this iteration feels different — faster, deeper, and unafraid to live in the passing lanes. If the early chemistry between Leonard’s elite rim protection and the young guards’ ball-hawking instincts holds, Toronto could vault from a top-five defence to the league’s most feared unit. That trajectory doesn’t just win regular-season games; it builds the playoff resilience required to survive seven-game series against the Eastern Conference elite. For a franchise rebuilding around Scottie Barnes, establishing a defensive culture now is the surest path to sustained contention.
