The Toronto Raptors haven't been to the mountaintop since 2019, but they're heading in the right direction again. Brandon Ingram said as much during Saturday's All-Star Media Day at the Los Angeles Clippers' Intuit Dome.

The 28-year-old spoke about being an All-Star alongside fellow Raptor Scottie Barnes.

"It shows something about our team, how the season's going," he said. "We winning this year, and I think we beat the expectations. And we just love the game of basketball."

Toronto acquired Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans last season, and the partnership has worked thus far. The former Duke Blue Devil is averaging 21.8 points on 47.4 percent shooting (36.5 percent 3-point) with 5.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists over 34 minutes, which is a big reason why the team is on pace for its first winning season since 2021-22.

This is both Barnes' and Ingram's second career All-Star nod.

Trading for Ingram gave Toronto another star alongside Barnes, who's averaging 19.3 points on 50.4 percent shooting (30.1 percent 3-point) with 8.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.6 blocks, and 1.3 steals over 34.4 minutes. The 24-year-old is the franchise cornerstone, and it drafted him No. 4 overall in 2021 and signed a five-year, $224.2 million extension in July 2024, per Spotrac.

On the other hand, Ingram has one more year on his deal after this season before a $41.9 million player option in 2027, per Spotrac. There's no guarantee that the Barnes-Ingram partnership will last beyond then. 

But there's no need to worry about that now. Instead, Raptors fans can enjoy the team's 32-23 record, which puts it fifth in the Eastern Conference. For a squad that hasn't made the playoffs since 2022 or the second round since 2020, that's an exciting step.

Winning a championship is another story. Outside of Barnes and Ingram, Toronto's roster is full of question marks long-term. Veteran guard Immanuel Quickley and big man Jakob Poeltl are on two of the NBA's worst contracts, as they're role players owed an average of $32.5 million and $25.8 million through 2029 and 2030, respectively. Guard R.J. Barrett's deal will expire after next season, and big man Sandro Mamukelashvili has a player option for next year.

The jury is still out on the young group of forward Collin Murray-Boyles, guard Jamal Shead, and guard Grady Dick. Murray-Boyles is averaging 7.9 points on 55.3 percent shooting (34.8 percent 3-point) as a first-round rookie, Shead is averaging 6.8 poins (36.3 percent FG) with 5.4 assists, and Dick is averaging 6.5 points (42.4 percent FG).

The Raptors will likely have to get more high-end talent to go all the way, but they could at least experience playoff basketball again before figuring that out in the summer.