NBA Summer League has just begun and today’s full slate will see several teams and rookies take the court for the first time wearing their new uniforms. This contest, between perennial Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament invitees, will tip-off just after 8:00 p.m. ET, as the Bulls and the Raptors will square-off.
On the DraftKings Sportsbook, Toronto is a 6.5-point favorite and is listed at -278 on the moneyline.
Bulls vs. Raptors Roster Breakdown
The headliners in these Summer League games are the rookies, and each team playing in this contest did have a lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. At ninth-overall, the Raptors selected Collin Murray-Boyles out of South Carolina, while the Bulls took Noa Essengue at No. 12, an 18-year-old forward out of Europe who is likely going to need a little seasoning before he makes too large an impact in the professional ranks in North America. In a way, these two men are very emblematic of their team’s full roster.
Toronto comes into Summer League with a group that is not only dripping in NBA experience, but a group that has a lot of history competing together. Murray-Boyles will join a roster that features sophomores Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo and Jamison Battle — all of whom logged over 1,000 minutes of action with the Raptors during the 2024-25 season. This wasn’t empty volume, either. Shead ranked fourth among all rookies in assists (316). Battle shot 40.5% from three-point range, which was the second-best mark among rookies with at least 100 threes attempted. Mogbo was the first rookie in his class to register a triple-double, with a stunning performance against the Hornets on April 9. These guys can play. Heck, A.J. Lawson and Colin Castleton saw significant run for Toronto down the stretch of the regular season. Alijah Martin is a 23-year-old second-round pick that’s coming off a National Championship at Florida. Again, this is a squad that should know what’s it’s doing on both sides of the ball.
I can’t necessarily say the same about the Bulls. Essengue is a raw prospect and he’ll join a team that lacks any notable names outside of Matas Buzelis, who is likely a little overqualified to still be in the Summer League. Aside from those two men, I’m not sure anyone on this roster will be wearing a Chicago uniform when October comes around. Javon Freeman-Liberty is a G League veteran with some NBA experience and Josh Primo is a former lottery pick of the Spurs, but that’s about it.
Bulls vs. Raptors Prediction, Pick
In my experience, Summer League is less about winning games than it is not losing games with stagnant offense, disorganized defense and turnovers due to unfamiliarity. As stated above, the Raptors’ expected starting lineup of Shead, Walter, Mogbo, Battle and Murray-Boyles has played a ton together at the highest level of basketball — aside from the rookie power forward, obviously. Still, Murray-Boyles was a defensive stand-out in the SEC and he’ll compliment Shead and Mogbo as a third tenacious on-ball defender.
There’s a reason Toronto currently owns the third-best odds to win the Summer League title on DraftKings Sportsbook. They’re going to be good.
