We’re just mere hours away from the Toronto Raptors’ opening tip-off against the Chicago Bulls, kicking off what should be an exciting 2026-27 campaign. Yesterday’s slate certainly delivered plenty of entertainment and close competition (kudos to Detroit and Philly on their gutsy wins), and I can only hope the Raps are ready to match that energy and show out.

Now, with all due respect to the Bulls, they don’t exactly scare me at first glance. Sure, they’ve got a promising young duo in Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson, plus a friendly face from the Raptors’ past in veteran newcomer Norman Powell. Still, the betting lines favor Toronto — and for good reason.

This is a great matchup for Toronto to impose its will, show that Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard can be the double-headed monster people expected, and prove that the rest of the young core can step up as complementary pieces. And Chicago isn’t the only favorable matchup on the schedule. Looking at Toronto’s first 10 games, I’m rubbing my hands with excitement over the chance for the Raptors to build early momentum and get the East’s attention right from the get-go.

This opening stretch is going to be absolutely critical for Toronto

After Chicago, the Raptors face the Washington Wizards and Minnesota Timberwolves, followed by two games against the Orlando Magic — one of them an NBA Cup group-stage matchup. Then it’s off to Los Angeles for tilts with the Lakers and Clippers, before Toronto closes out the stretch against the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Memphis Grizzlies.

Now, I don’t know about you, but looking at those teams stacked up against Toronto, the Timberwolves and Nuggets are the only matchups I feel could turn into dogfights. The Lakers might be another one. I could also see the Raptors splitting their two games against Orlando, and if I had to pick one to win, I’d obviously want them to get the group-stage game.

Even then, this opening stretch couldn’t be more favorable. It gives Toronto a chance to ease into the regular-season grind, get its rotation in order, and bank some crucial early wins. That could be especially helpful for Kawhi Leonard: the Raptors may not need to overwork him in most of these matchups, and there could even be room for full-on load management. I’d like to think this stretch could open another critical window for some of the bottom-end guys fighting for bigger roles (Alijah Martin, Trayce Jackson-Davis, or rookie Allen Graves) to step in and prove their worth.

But for that opportunity to come, I’ll be watching how the Raptors address the issues that could keep them from building a comfortable lead early and giving those third-stringers an extended look. Scottie Barnes will likely need to bring out the aggression we saw in spurts during the preseason. Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett will need to be reliable supporting pieces, while names I’ve been keeping a close eye on (like Jakob Poeltl and Jamal Shead) will need to find their groove early as they adjust to the new season.

After Memphis, the schedule gets a lot tougher for the Toronto Raptors. The rest of November and early December bring some heavy artillery: you got Boston, Philadelphia, two meetings with New York, Detroit, Denver again, and first looks at the Rockets, Spurs, and Thunder.

Sure, it might sound simple from the outside to say the Raptors should beat the easier teams. But the East already looks cutthroat and unforgiving — even from just the two games I watched yesterday. Toronto needs to find its rhythm early and start living up to those lofty preseason expectations right from the get-go. There may not be much room for early missteps, as every game could be the difference between Toronto joining the East’s top tier and slipping toward the middle of the pack.

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