The Toronto Raptors have, by far, the best defense in the NBA according to the league’s advanced defense rating. They currently have an 88.6 defense rating, more than seven points ahead of the next-best defensive unit, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Their lockdown trio of Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, and Collin Murray-Boyles has been stellar this year so far. Barnes has two steals, two blocks, and 20 rebounds through two games. Leonard, who will go down as one of the best defensive players in NBA history when it’s all said and done, has seven steals, 15 boards, and one block in two games.
Murray-Boyles, a second year player, has four steals and 11 rebounds in 38 minutes so far this year. Everyone who had high expectations this season is delivering, and it’s led to a 2-0 start this season and is looking, at least early, like they could compete at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Raptors Head Coach Darko Rajakovic made some bold statements about his expectations for the trio at season's end. He says Barnes will be first-team All-Defense, Leonard 2nd team, and Murray third-team. The Murray comment was a little overboard given there isn’t a third-team All-Defense team, but his point still stands.
Sam Vecenie, an NBA writer, called the recent Raptors-Wizards game one of the most physical he’s seen in his career, adding that it looked like the refs didn’t know how to handle it.
Vecenie went beyond Leonard, Murray-Boyles, and Barnes and brought up Ja’Kobe Walter, a third-year Baylor player. He said he pressured Trae Young incessantly and was a borderline pest against any player he was matched up with. Walter is another young player, along with Jamal Shead, who is expected to make a big jump this season.
Through two games, Toronto has forced 50 turnovers and allowed just 57 field goals. They limited Anthony Davis to just nine points and 3-for-12 from the field while forcing the future Hall of Famer into four turnovers. That came a couple of days after Davis went off for 34 points and 12 rebounds on 11-for-20 shooting in the Wizards' season opener.
If the Raptors keep up this pace, you will see multiple Toronto players make that All-Defense team, like Rajakovic suggested. This level of defensive intensity is exactly what the Raptors wanted when they added Kawhi Leonard this offseason to complement their young core of Barnes, Murray-Boyles, Shead, Walter, and others.