Takeaways for Raptors Who Continue to Search For Chemistry in Loss to Magic

The Toronto Raptors couldn't get enough from their star players in a loss Friday night to the Orlando Magic

Jan 3, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN: Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley (5) dribbles against Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) during the second quarter at Scotiabank Arena.. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Orlando Magic 106, Toronto Raptors 97

Finding Chemistry

Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes have all the tools to complement each other offensively. Barnes provides the brute strength to dominate the paint, while Quickley’s craftiness, speed, and three-point shooting create the space Barnes needs to operate inside.

Yet, their offensive chemistry can feel disjointed at times, often resembling a “your turn, my turn” approach. Take Friday night’s opening sequence: Barnes didn’t touch the ball in the half court during Toronto’s first three offensive possessions, as Quickley and Jakob Poeltl ran two-man actions. Barnes finally got involved by powering through Jalen Suggs in isolation for his first meaningful touch.

The Raptors are actively working to integrate the duo more cohesively. Head coach Darko Rajaković said Friday that shootaround focused on structuring the offense around Quickley and Barnes playing off each other. The goal is to build a connection through time and repetition, ideally developing a reliable two-man game—whether it’s Barnes operating as the roll man for Quickley or Quickley screening for Barnes before popping out to the three-point line.

There were flashes of the two working together late in the fourth quarter as Toronto tried using Quickley off the ball while Barnes orchestrated the offense. However, it didn’t lead to much, as Barnes was unable to spark a comeback for the Raptors, missing a pair of jumpers as Toronto faltered.

Overall, it was a rough night for Quickley, who struggled against Orlando’s tough defense, finishing with just 11 points on 4-for-17 shooting.

"Once you're coming back from a long period always that first game is lot of energy, adrenaline kicks in like your body feels well, now it's time of adjustment, finding the rhythm back, finding the confidence there," Rajaković said of Quickley. "He's gonna keep that that attack mentality, no matter if the ball is going in or not. So yeah, he will need some time to find a rhythm."

Barnes had a better showing with 20 points, hitting a pair of turnaround mid-range jumpers in the second quarter and draining two threes early in the fourth as Toronto attempted to rally from a 22-point deficit.

Defensive Work to Do

If Toronto’s rebuild is going to succeed, the Raptors could learn a lot from Orlando. Consider what the Magic have endured this season: they lost their top scorer, Paolo Banchero, just five games into the year, and when they began to find a rhythm without him, their second-leading scorer, Franz Wagner, also went down with an injury.

And yet, the Magic haven’t skipped a beat. Why? Because their defense is among the best in the league, and they have a deep roster of reliable two-way players. They play hard, stick to their identity, and, from top to bottom, have players who compete.

Toronto needs more of that. Too often this season, the Raptors have been slow in transition and disorganized in defensive rotations. That’s how an offensively limited Magic team repeatedly punished them with open threes and easy buckets inside. One sequence in particular summed up Toronto’s nonchalantness: after Quickley hit a late second-quarter three-pointer and skipped back in celebration, Orlando immediately pushed the ball and drew a shooting foul at the rim.

"You cannot allow yourself after a mistake, missed shot or a turnover, or whatever might be the case, you cannot allow yourself to have two, three extra seconds of like thinking what happened," Rajaković said of the team's transition defense. "You gotta be able to quickly react and get back and that's something that we're talking about addressing, really trying to make growth there."

Earlier in the season, when the Raptors were shorthanded, lapses like these were somewhat excusable. But as the roster approaches full strength, their persistent defensive breakdowns are becoming harder to ignore.

Rotation Notes

Jamal Shead has overtaken Davion Mitchell as Toronto’s first guard off the bench in recent games, thanks to his steady playmaking. The rookie second-round pick has shown a knack for organizing the offense with the second unit. While he may not match Mitchell’s on-ball defensive intensity, Shead has been solid on both ends of the floor this season. Mitchell did, however, help close out the game as Toronto’s backup point guard in the fourth quarter.

"I think he got he got us a little bit going, gave us some energy there and allowed us to make a change on the defensive end," Rajaković said of Mitchell.

Chris Boucher, meanwhile, appears to have fallen out of the rotation. After logging just five minutes against Brooklyn earlier in the week, he didn’t see the floor against Orlando, signaling that he’s once again the odd man out in Toronto’s crowded frontcourt.

Up Next: Milwaukee Bucks

The Raptors will have the weekend off before continuing their homestand on Monday against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:30 p.m. ET.