Lou Williams warns against underestimating the Toronto Raptors as they prepare to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Three-time Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams, now an NBA analyst, delivered a clear warning about the Toronto Raptors as they prepare to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference first round.
Williams, the NBA’s all-time leader in bench points with 13,396 of his 15,593 career points scored as a reserve, spent one season with the Raptors in 2014-15 after being traded from the Atlanta Hawks. The Raptors won a then-franchise-record 49 games that season, and Williams became the first player in franchise history to win Sixth Man of the Year.
While he picks Cleveland to advance from the best-of-seven series that begins Saturday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Williams refuses to treat the fifth-seeded Raptors as an automatic exit.
“Scottie Barnes, what Brandon Ingram has done this year, Immanuel Quickley has been great… RJ Barrett and all of those guys in Toronto: No Pushovers,” Williams said.
Toronto finished the 2025-26 regular season at 46-36, a 16-win jump from the prior year and its first playoff appearance since 2022. The Raptors lead the league in fast-break points and sit third in second-chance opportunities.
Raptors’ Core Four Could Deliver Against the Cavaliers
Scottie Barnes, now a two-time All-Star, played 80 games and averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks while shooting 50.7% from the field. Brandon Ingram also earned All-Star honors in his first full season with Toronto, posting 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 47.7% FG. He led the team in scoring and is expected to be Toronto’s main scorer again in the playoffs.
Immanuel Quickley played 70 games and averaged 16.4 points and 5.9 assists while converting 37.4% of his threes. RJ Barrett, despite missing time with knee soreness, delivered 19.3 points and 5.3 rebounds on 49.1% FG in 57 games. Together these four account for the bulk of Toronto’s scoring and playmaking, giving the Raptors four 20-point threats on any given night.
Cleveland enters as the fourth seed at 52-30 with superior offensive firepower led by Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Evan Mobley. Harden, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in a midseason trade that sent Darius Garland to LA, appeared in 26 games for the Cavaliers. Cleveland went 19-7 with Harden on the floor, with the former league MVP averaging 20.5 points, 7.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds.
While Cleveland boasts the stronger lineup on paper, the Raptors’ regular-season success, three wins against the Cavs, makes this an interesting matchup.