Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors are set to face the New York Knicks Tuesday night in Scotiabank Arena. After storming back from a 13-point deficit for a road win against the Washington Wizards, the Raptors look to avoid a 4-0 sweep in the season series with New York.

Toronto’s record against the superior teams in the league is unavoidable at this point in the season. As the Raptors sit as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 35-25 record, their record against the top-10 teams in the NBA dips to just 1-15, outside of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Toronto Raptors guard/forward Brandon Ingram (3) | © Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

While proving their capabilities of competing with top teams before the playoffs is important, the highest priority for the Raptors should be durability moving forward. When the full nine-man rotation is healthy and available, they still have work to do in establishing continuity and roles offensively, especially when Barnes and Brandon Ingram are off the floor. 

Before the final matchup with the Knicks, head coach Darko Rajakovic gave an injury update on Barnes, along with standout rookie Collin Murray-Boyles.

“[The quad injury] is still bothering [Barnes] a little today,” said Rajakovic. “He went through a whole practice, but he got hit there in the quad. It’s sore, he’s trying to push through it, but [the pain is] there … Collin is still struggling to catch the ball, so he did not do anything with the team today. He did a bunch of conditioning on the side and he’s going to be out for the game.”

It’s encouraging to hear Barnes choosing to play through the pain, but is something to take a closer look at moving forward. While the Raptors do need to prove themself against playoff competition before the postseason begins, they will have little to no chance of winning a playoff series without their 24-year-old superstar. 

When it comes to Murray-Boyles, it’s not very uplifting to hear that the injury is still holding him out of games. The initial injury happened in mid-December before reaggravating it at the end of January. Thumb contusions aren’t one of the injuries that require the most attention, so the fact that it’s bothering him enough that he can’t even catch the basketball is worthy of concern for the near future.

Rajakovic has a decision to make when assessing the fully healthy starting lineup. The former No. 9 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has started at center for a great portion of the season due to Jakob Poeltl being out with a lower back strain for nearly two months. While the Austrian big man is surely being paid to be the consistent starting center that Toronto desperately needs, it’s worth noting how impressive the team defense is when Murray-Boyles is on the court with the starters in his absence.

Whether the plan is to have them switch back and forth depending on the matchup, keep Poeltl as the consistent starter, or even move RJ Barrett to the bench to have them both on the floor together, everyone needs to be healthy to continue the dwindling experimentation period. There are just 22 more regular-season games for the Raptors, and it’s essential that they find their true identity and who fits into that before the postseason arrives.