The Toronto Raptors have not had a major league award winner since Scottie Barnes took home the league's Rookie of the Year honour back in the 2021-22 season.

The Raptors have a chance in the 2026-27 campaign to get back on the podium as they continue to rise up the ranks in the NBA hierarchy. Here's a look at the likeliest award recipients for the Raptors in the upcoming season.

Coach of the Year: Darko Rajakovic

Rajakovic is going into his fourth season leading the Raptors, and he has gotten better every year. He was recently awarded a contract extension for his efforts, and he is emerging as one of the rising stars in the profession.

Rajakovic was a dark horse candidate for this award last year, receiving a third-place vote. Ultimately, the honour went to Boston Celtics boss Joe Mazzulla, while J.B. Bickerstaff of the Detroit Pistons finished second and Mitch Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs finished third.

The recipe for winning Coach of the Year is to have one of the best teams in the league. Therefore, as long as the Raptors continue to win, Rajakovic is a candidate.

Sixth Man of the Year: Collin Murray-Boyles

Murray-Boyles is entering his second NBA season, where he hopes to showcase some growth from his game last year. CMB was a big part of the Raptors' playoff run, where he averaged 14.4 points per game, which was a step up from his 8.5 points per game in the regular season. Stepping up when it mattered most showed the Raptors that they have a true building block in their arsenal.

The fact that he's only 21 years old should excite the Raptors for what's to come. CMB is still viewed as someone that comes off the bench for the team. He can play as a power forward or a small-ball center, which means he should be seeing the court pretty often. If Murray-Boyles can play like he did during the playoffs in the upcoming season, he should be among the candidates for the league's Sixth Man of the Year award.

Defensive Player of the Year: Scottie Barnes

Barnes is one of the league's top defensive players, as evidenced by his fifth-place finish in the Defensive Player of the Year voting this past season. Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Ausar Thompson of the Detroit Pistons, Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs were the only people to finish with more votes than him.

One of those top three should likely be the leading candidate going into the upcoming season. Barnes still has a lot of growth going for him. Something that Wembanyama, Holmgren and Thompson have in common is that their teams were in the top two in their respective conferences. If the Raptors are able to make that jump from being a mid-tier team to one of the top squads in the East, Barnes should get a little bit more consideration for the award.

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