Kawhi makes another Raptors appearance, checks out Summer League team

Toronto rookie Allen Graves impressive again in win over Indiana Pacers.

Published Jul 13, 2026  •  5 minute read

Allen Graves poses on the red carpet prior to Round 1 of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City. Photo by Arturo Holmes /Getty Images

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There was some puzzlement when the Toronto Raptors selected Allen Graves with the 19th pick of the NBA draft a few weeks ago. Another defensive-minded, 6-foot-8-ish power forward on a roster loaded there but with deficiencies elsewhere? And that was before Kawhi Leonard was tentatively reacquired. But chief Raptors executives Bobby Webster and Dan Tolzman had both maintained at media availabilities beforehand that they’d stick with the franchise’s tried and true strategy of taking their favourite, regardless of position.

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“We’ve always kind of taken the same approach of just try to get the best player that’s there on the list,” assistant general manager Dan Tolzman had said before the draft when asked about the approach by the Toronto Sun. ”If it can line up with what the team needs at that time, positionally or depth wise, that’s the best case scenario. But I don’t think we’ve ever really worried too much about what the team has done or what we’re trying to do next year as much as just get as much talent in the building as we can,” Tolzman had said.

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“Because at that point, it’s gonna not only push the guys ahead of them that are on the team, but also so much can change from whether it’s draft night to free agency, the makeup of your roster that you never want to plan for something when it could be completely different.”

And Tolzman was right, since the team (at least on paper) made a blockbuster trade just days after the draft, bringing Kawhi Leonard back into the fold, pending the conclusion of the bizarre alleged salary cap violations by the Los Angeles Clippers scandal.

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Graves has made a nice first impression at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. In the opener Friday, Graves had made one of the better summer debuts in Raptors history, stuffing the stat-sheet with 22 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, two blocks and 3-for-8 three-point shooting. His follow-up was more pedestrian, though that game overall was just a slog for everyone. Graves had nine points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in that one, but committed six fouls and seemed hesitant to shoot at times. Still, even in a quieter outing, Graves still showed flashes of his all-around game.

Toronto played its third game there Monday afternoon, winning a thriller 94-93 over Indiana thanks to a late comeback. Graves again didn’t wow with statistics for much of the game, but his effort was tremendous and he seemed to be everywhere. He crashes the boards hard, goes all out for the ball defensively, finds teammates at the other end and you can see the remnants of his days as a point guard before a huge growth spurt turned him into a big man with the way he can handle the ball. As Toronto rallied, Graves kept asserting himself more and more and finished with 13 points, six assists and four steals. He and second-round pick Jaden Bradley were both game-best +14. Bradley scored 15 points.

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Unfortunately, promising sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles was held out for a third straight game due to an injury. Guard Chucky Hepburn also missed Monday’s game, as did Alijah Martin who also was held out of the previous two due to injury.

Oh hi, Kawhi

And speaking of Leonard, there he was Monday, taking a seat to watch Graves and other potential Raptors teammates play. Leonard said hello to former Raptors co-owner Larry Tanenbaum, general manager Bobby Webster and to his former San Antonio and Toronto teammate Danny Green, who happened to be taking part in the broadcast of the game. Between this and his appearance at Kyle Lowry’s retirement ceremony in Toronto, it certainly feels like Leonard thinks his Raptors return is a fait accompli.

It was seven years ago last week that Leonard was also the talk of Las Vegas when the news broke the night of an earthquake that he was leaving the champion Raptors for the Clippers.

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Who has impressed league-wide?

We always remind that Summer League doesn’t show you who can play, but rather who can’t, meaning take strong performances with a grain of salt – real NBA basketball is much tougher. That said, there have been some monster performances in Las Vegas so far:

Caleb Wilson, who went fourth overall to Chicago after the Bulls moved up in the lottery, scored 35 in his debut, the second-most since 2004 in a player’s first game in Vegas, nailing seven three-pointers. Seen as a superb athlete (think young Amar’e Stoudemire or Shawn Kemp) with lots of work to be done on his jump shot, Wilson hit as many threes in one game as he had in his season at North Carolina.

Top pick AJ Dybantsa has been advertised offensively through two games, showcasing a silky jump shot and an effortless ability to get to the rim, but a bit more defensively than expected. Billed as a long wing with some elements of Paul George, Tracy McGrady and Jaylen Brown, Dybantsa will be the headliner of an intriguing Wizards team (which also features veteran stars Anthony Davis and Trae Young, but also has quality youngsters like Kitchener’s Will Riley, who scored 32 points in a weekend game and will be entering his second season, Tre Johnson and another Canadian, Kyshawn George, plus former No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr).

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This year’s second pick, Darryn Peterson, has looked pretty spectacular. Nobody doubted his talent and Peterson can definitely score at will. He’s piled up turnovers and fouls though and like every young guard, will take some time to iron out some wrinkles. Still, you can see why he was so hyped before things went a bit awry at Kansas. One scout told ESPN Peterson is the best guard prospect offensively in the last 10 years.

No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer, No. 10 Brayden Burries

More under the radar, Detroit’s Chaz Lanier has turned heads. Only hardcore college basketball fans really knew Lanier, who averaged under five points a game in three years at little known North Florida before breaking with a 44% three-point shooting season before starring at Tennessee in a fifth NCAA season in 2024-25. A bit player for the conference leaders as a rookie, Lanier could be in store for a bigger role if he keeps up what he’s done in Vegas. Lanier, seen as one of the best shooters in the 2025 draft before going 37th overall, hit seven three-pointers in a game Sunday, and started Monday’s Pistons game 8-for-10 from three.

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@WolstatSun

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