Toronto Raptors are doing something no NBA team has done in 15 years

The Toronto Raptors are off to a strong start to their 2026-27 campaign, and their defence deserves a lot of credit.

Through their first four games, Raptors' head coach Darko Rajaković has Toronto playing as the league's best defensive team, to the point where they are already setting NBA records.

For the first time in franchise history, Toronto has forced 20-plus turnovers in each of their first four games. It's a feat that no NBA team has accomplished in 15 seasons, with the 2011-12 Denver Nuggets the last to pull it off.

The Raptors have racked up a league-leading 57 steals over that stretch while forcing opponents to turn over the ball 94 times. They've also done a good job protecting the ball themselves, recording the third-fewest turnovers among the NBA's 30 teams.

Toronto has the most steals among all NBA teams through the first four games. (HoopsJunkie.io)

Rajakovic's defensive schemes don't just have Toronto forcing opponents to make mistakes. The Raptors are making teams pay for them.

The team has averaged 24 points per game off opponents' turnovers, which puts him atop the Eastern Conference in that particular stat. The sample size may be small, but it's already a four-point increase in comparison to last season.

The defensive play of two-time All-Star Scottie Barnes and third-year guard Ja'Kobe Walter deserves a lot of credit. Both players are averaging more than two steals per game and rank among the NBA's top 15 players in the category.

Raptors have forced 20+ turnovers in 4 straight games, the longest streak to start a season since the Nuggets in 2011-12. Opponents have committed 94 turnovers through 4 games.

— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) October 29, 2026

Of course, it's still early in the season, and some fans might argue that the Raptors haven't faced enough tough opponents to prove their defence is the real deal.

That's a fair point, but even during Toronto's 23-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 25, the Raptors forced a team widely expected to be one of the best in the Western Conference to commit 23 turnovers.

The fact of the matter is, Toronto's defence will be a nightmare for most NBA teams this season, especially those that frequently turn the ball over. It's a style of basketball fans should be excited about.