Ex-Toronto Raptors coach thinks Kawhi-led team will barely make playoffs

There's been a lot of hype surrounding the potential of this Raptors team this season, but one former Toronto coach doesn't think too much of it.

During a segment on SiriusXM's NBA Radio last weekend, former Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell had a hard time believing that Toronto would be a contender in the Eastern Conference this year.

In his predictions for the 2026-27 season, Mitchell had the Raptors barely squeaking into the playoffs, projecting them to finish eighth in the East behind the Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers.

"Toronto last year got a bump feasting on very bad competition and didn't do well against good teams," said SiriusXM NBA Radio host Brian Geltzeiler.

Mitchell completely agreed with him.

The 2026-27 NBA Season is right around the corner! @BGeltzNBA and @SamMitchellNBA drop their Eastern and Western Conference seeding predictions and award winners for the 2026-27 season Listen to the full show: https://t.co/QGy2CCJdYg https://t.co/PQJUpDjYs9

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) October 17, 2026

The Raptors went 20-28 against teams with winning records last season, compared with a 22-8 record against teams that finished below .500.

Mitchell and Geltzeiler also wondered whether Kawhi Leonard will play enough games this season to turn Toronto into a legitimate Eastern Conference contender. The 35-year-old has played more than 65 games in two of his last three seasons.

Raptors fans shouldn't be too surprised by Mitchell placing Toronto eighth, though. He reportedly made a similar prediction after the Raptors first traded for Leonard ahead of the 2018-19 season.

All Toronto sports fans know how that particular season turned out.

Where have I seen this before https://t.co/OfWhFBRgrA

— 🎩 (@HR_6IX) October 21, 2026

Mitchell coached the Toronto Raptors for parts of five seasons between 2004 and 2008 until he was dismissed from his role 17 games into the 2008-09 season, following an 8-9 start.

At the time, he was the longest-tenured head coach in franchise history. Dwane Casey later surpassed him, coaching the team for seven seasons between 2011 and 2018.

The 63-year-old has since worked as an assistant coach with several NBA franchises and most recently served as a basketball analyst for TSN and NBA TV.