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[Toronto Raptors]

Toronto Raptors vs. Portland Trailblazers: Time to reverse the fourth quarter faux pas

Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images

Despite a double-digit lead in their last matchup, Toronto faltered in the final frame. Now, they have the opportunity to shore up the defence and take one back.

The Raptors will play host to Portland for their second and final matchup of the season tonight, the first of a back-to-back home stand. The last time out, the Blazers were able to fight back from a deficit and gain the lead in the final two minutes of the game. Despite the loss, the Raptors had five players in double figures.

By the looks of it, Barnes and Poeltl, two of the strongest performers in the first outing won’t be available tonight, so the onus will fall to the Raptors who touch the court to pick up the slack. It would be no surprise to anyone if RJ is one of the guys to step up. After resting on Tuesday against the Bulls, he will be looking to add to his 31-point performance on Sunday vs. Philadelphia. Hopefully he will continue to prove his scoring, passing, and defensive abilities tonight.

Shead has also been a pivotal player, averaging almost 10-3-5 in March, earning him a nomination for the East Conference Rookie of the Month. His ability to facilitate the offence has been solid so far this year, and he could also be a difference maker in this game.

The Blazers will also be missing a significant amount of talent, with many of the same players on the bench as the first game. This time, Anfernee Simons also may not be available, who led all scorers with 22 points. They will have to look to Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija who both managed 30+ point performances on Tuesday. A positive note we might expect is a little bit more of Dalano Banton. When Portland hosted the Raptors a couple weeks ago, Banton only saw 4 minutes of action. He posted a solid 11-7-5 against the Hawks on Tuesday though, laying the groundwork for an opportunity against his former team tonight.

The key to this matchup for the Raptors will be to force the Blazers to make mistakes and limit their own in the fourth quarter. Forcing 20 turnovers and drawing 20 fouls the last time, Toronto was able to gain extra possessions that helped them build their initial lead. Unfortunately, they developed their own bad habits, especially in the final frame. Shoring up their ball movement and limiting defensive lapses will prevent any opportunity for Portland to make their way back into this game.

While already eliminated from playoff contention, they will continue to use their final games of the season to build chemistry and provide opportunities for the rookies and bench to develop. With excellent performances from Shead, Walter, Mogbo, and Battle lately, it’s exciting to see how the future of the team continues to develop.

Where to Watch

On TSN at 7:30 pm ET.

Probable Starters

Toronto: RJ Barrett, Ja’Kobe Walter, Orlando Robinson, Jamal Shead, Ochai Agbaji

Portland: Donovan Clingan, Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, Dalano Banton, Toumani Camara

Injury Report

Toronto: Scottie Barnes (Questionable: Joint contusion), Ulrich Chomche (Out: MCL tear), Gradey Dick (Out: Bone bruise), Brandon Ingram (Out: Ankle sprain), Jakob Poeltl (Out: Rest), Immanuel Quickley (Out: Rest), Jared Rhoden (Questionable: Joint sprain)

Portland: Deandre Ayton (Out: Calf strain), Sidy Cissoko (Out: Ankle sprain), Jerami Grant (Doubtful: Knee inflammation), Scoot Henderson (Out: Concussion protocol), Bryce McGowens (Out: Rib fracture), Anfernee Simons (Questionable: Forearm contusion), Robert Williams III (Out: Injury management).

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/3/...s-time-to-reverse-the-fourth-quarter-faux-pas

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Raptors fall 112-103 to the Blazers as several Canadians shine

Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images

Sharpe, Barrett, Lawson, and Banton showed how bright the future is for Canadian basketball as Portland came away with the play-in-boosting victory.

It was 2010s night at Scotiabank Arena. However, a Canadian basketball game broke out.

The visiting Portland Trailblazers defeated the Toronto Raptors, 112-103, as a plethora of Canadians took over the scoreboard.

The Blazers were led by London native, Shaedon Sharpe, who broke the record for most points scored by a Canadian against the Raptors, with 36 points. Former Raptor, and Torontonian, Dalano Banton scored 21 points. Toronto was led by Mississauga native, RJ Barrett, who returned after resting in the previous game, with 18 points. AJ Lawson, who was born in Brampton, had 13 points off the bench.

Sharpe’s 36 points are the 3rd-highest in any game by a Canadian. The top two performances, 39 and 37 points, were both produced by Barrett, of course.

From the non-Canadian department, Deni Avdija had 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists for a Portland squad still fighting for a play-in spot in the West. Ochai Agbaji, who also missed the last game for rest, led all reserves with 15 points.

The Toronto Raptors continued their season-long tribute of the 30th anniversary by celebrating the 2010s. Terrence Ross was in attendance and received a loud ovation during a timeout. Leo Rautins and Paul Jones were also recognized with video tributes.

In the pre-game pressers, both Head Coaches, Chauncey Billups and Darko Rajakovic spoke about the importance of pressuring the ball early.

“It’s disruptive. If you ask any opposing player....nobody likes to play against that type of defense,” said Rajakovic. “It does not allow teams to get into their offensive sets easily.”

When asked about higher pickup points on the defensive end, Billups replied, “I love it. If you’re gonna be that young, why not play full court?”

Ball pressure was evident throughout the first quarter. Avdija picked off two passes by Jonathan Mogbo. Jamal Shead stole from Banton as he crossed halfcourt. After a Mogbo bucket, the Raptors applied full-court pressure on the inbounds pass, leading to a five-second violation.

Barrett blocked a layup attempt by Banton from behind, eventually leading to a Ja’Kobe Walter three-pointer. On the next possession, Barrett forced Banton into a turnover, leading to a Shead steal and Barrett putback layup off a Shead miss. The Toronto-on-Toronto crimes were rampant!

AND ONEEEE pic.twitter.com/hbQgs3uC6a

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 4, 2025​

While Toronto spread the scoring wealth with nine different Raptors scoring in the first quarter, almost all of Portland’s offense came from two players. Sharpe and Deni Avdija combined for 25 of Portland’s 29 first-quarter points.

Portland was without a starting lineup worth of talent as Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, DeAndre Ayton, and Robert Williams were all inactive. For Toronto, Jakob Poeltl and Immanuel Quickley were given the night off, joining the injured Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick on the sidelines.

The Blazers entered the game only 3 games back of the Sacramento Kings for the final play-in spot in the West.

Picking up ballhandlers well beyond the three-point line was an ongoing theme. Lawson broke up a dribble handoff between Avdija and Donovan Clingan, leading to a breakaway dunk for AJ.

Barrett must’ve had five deflections in the first half. He poked another ball free that was scooped up by Barnes and led to a fastbreak layup for RJ.

Scottie Barnes has passed O.G. Anunoby for 11th on the Toronto Raptors’ all-time scoring list. pic.twitter.com/HRF5urvBYh

— Chris Walder (@WalderSports) April 4, 2025​

With both teams applying a ton of ball pressure, combined with the depleted lineups on both sides, the following tweet makes a whole lot of sense.

26 combined turnovers in the first half of Raptors-Blazers. There are 5.5 games left, in case you were wondering.

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 4, 2025​

Three of the four leading scorers from the first half were born in the Greater Toronto Area. Sharpe had 20 points. Barrett led Toronto with 12, while Lawson led all reserves with 9. Avdija did not score in the second quarter and finished the half with 14.

At halftime, the Raptors led the Blazers in transition points (+5), steals (+4), and points in the paint (+10). Yet, with only a 50-47 lead, it felt like Toronto left too much on the table.

Both teams exchanged the lead throughout the first few minutes of the second half. When Barnes and Barrett went to the bench, Portland took control of a tight game, turning a tie game into a 6-point advantage.

The Sharpe and Avdija show continued in the third quarter. This time, they brought Dalano Banton along for the ride. The trio outscored the Raptors 29-26 as Portland entered the final frame with an 83-76 lead.

Portland carried the momentum from the third quarter into the first few minutes of the fourth. With the Raptors unable to cut into Portland’s lead — and Scottie Barnes absent on both ends of the floor — Darko called timeout with 7:33 left and a 94-85 deficit. As has been the case for the last month, the core players (Barnes and Barrett tonight) took to the bench for the evening. Billups kept his starters on the floor, ensuring Toronto’s reserves couldn’t cut into Portland’s lead.

Another Deni masterclass ‍

26 PTS
15 REB
6 AST
2 STL
2 BLK pic.twitter.com/s9alU8ginX

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) April 4, 2025​

With the loss, Toronto “clinched” a worse record than the Blazers and can drop no further than 8th in the reverse standings. Considering the consistent losing by the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, the only place the Raptors could conceivably move is from 7th to 8th. However, consecutive losses by Toronto combined with last night’s Spurs win over the Denver Nuggets means the Raptors’ Flagg-ic number is now only two. Any combination of two Raptors losses or Spurs wins will clinch 7th spot in the draft lottery standings for Toronto. With the 2nd game of a back-to-back against the 5th-place(!!) Detroit Pistons tomorrow and a couple more games still to play, the Raptors likely don’t need to wait until the final game of the season — in San Antonio — to finalize their spot in the draft lottery.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: enjoy these final games of the season. It may be a long time (ideally) before the Raptors are playing meaningless games again. The growth of the young players provides a glimpse into the bright future of this roster, while the losses provide hope for a huge talent to join the squad!

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/3/...tland-trailblazers-shaedon-sharpe-deni-avdija

 

[Toronto Raptors]

The Toronto Raptors may have drafted their next big superstar

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

When the Toronto Raptors picked Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, Jonathan Mogbo and Ulrich Chomche in the 2024 NBA Draft, they may have secured the franchise’s next superstar.

As Darko Rajakovic sat in front of the media ahead of the Toronto Raptors’ penultimate home game of the 2024-2025 season, the list of core players sitting out against the Detroit Pistons was long. RJ Barrett resting, Scottie Barnes with a hand injury, Gradey Dick still battling his bruised knee bone. When Darko was asked who would step up to the plate tonight, his answer was not much different than it has been most of the season: the young guys.

The Raptors headed into the 2024 draft with just one pick after having to give their lottery pick to the San Antonio Spurs. That 19th overall pick ended up turning into four picks total as Toronto traded for the 31st, 45th, and 57th. Those turned into Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo, Jamal Shead and Ulrich Chomche.

Chomche was the most raw player of the group, playing most of his season with the Raptors 905 before suffering a knee injury that ended his season. Mogbo has also played less than expected due to some injury, but ended up starting multiple times due to injuries other players were suffering from.

Despite starting the season with a shoulder injury, Ja’Kobe Walter seemed to make a good recovery. He has made some circus-level entertaining shots this season and hustled hard to prove his worth. As a first round draft pick, the expectation that Walter would get some solid playing time on a tanking team was pretty high, and he has stepped up.

That leaves Jamal Shead — maybe the most intriguing draft pick of the Raptors’ four choices. The point guard out of Houston immediately gave off strong Fred VanVleet vibes: shorter point guard, solid defender, can shoot. He got to Toronto and pretty immediately had a loyal following of fans, the “SheadHeads.”

Friday night, as the Raptors fell 117-105 to the Detroit Pistons, Shead scored 14 points, 9 assists and 1 rebounds on 5-12 shooting from the field. He also had 2 steals.

The defence has been the most well-rounded part of Shead’s game in his rookie season. He can guard the perimeter pretty well — something appreciated in Darko’s defensive-minded system. He’s got the start eight times this season, played in 71 games (so most of them) and was easily able to crack the rotation as a rookie. Even as Davion Mitchell was still around and the Raptors technical “back up point guard,” Jamal Shead was getting minutes ahead of him.

This season, Jamal Shead is:
- 4th in the NBA in assists off the bench (219)
- 3rd among rookies in assists (243)
- 3rd among rookies in points created via assist (9.8)
- leading the Raptors in games played (64) https://t.co/eeKFOwlBDO

— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) March 21, 2025​

Shead has shot 41.1% from the field and 33% from three as a rookie, not terrible but room for improvement. He has 4.0 assists per game this season as well, showing a keen eye for playmaking. Per Keerthika Uthayakumar, he has achieved many league-wide accolades including most games played on the Raptors team this season. He has a shot of getting an All-Rookie Team nod once those awards are handed out as well.

Yet, does Shead have the potential to become the Toronto Raptors next big star project? Well, let’s compare him to Fred VanVleet once more — Shead was drafted 45th overall while VanVleet went undrafted, and was still able to rise to stardom. Of course the Championship run of 2019 helped, but that meant VanVleet did not get as much playing time in the NBA (only 37 games) as a rookie as Jamal did.

Jamal Shead took VanVleet’s #23 for a reason, and he will have more chance to develop into a role player (possibly beyond) for this team this summer and fall. The Raptors are planning another summer of team practicing and bonding — last summer the team held camps in Spain and coaches travelled to meet up with players for training. This summer will be even more free, as there are no Olympic Games and players will have more free time.

When it comes to the Raptors’ upcoming lottery pick, they are more likely to pick a taller shooting guard, forward, or center option. This is mostly based on the players project around No. 7 (where the Raptors are currently sitting odds-wise). Currently the projected 6th-9th picks are all bigger players.

From there they will head into next season with their starting lineup of Immanuel Quickley, Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl intact (hopefully). They will also have a lottery pick (hopefully) and Shead will likely become Quickley’s back up guard as he plays his second NBA season. Based on the progress he has made this season, Shead has a path to become a long term option for the Toronto Raptors.

His assisting and playmaking are developing well, especially when you look at the stats Uthayakumar listed above. He also has a defensive rating of 117.6 — 2nd on the Raptors among players who have played 50+ games this season, behind Jamison Battle, per stat muse.

He also has a great personality and is loved by fans. When he was drafted, a video went around of Shead that showed him picking up the garbage after one of his college teammates kicked over a trash can in anger. He has continued to show off that personality through his rookie season, forming relationships with Ja’Kobe Walter and his other teammates.

"ACTIVE HANDS!"- From their best Darko impersonations to the one rookie thing CB made Jamal do. Here are a few minutes of the carpool I did with Raps rookies Shead and Walter we haven't aired yet:https://t.co/qJOXwgckfg https://t.co/MGJgJtzW17 pic.twitter.com/7sjli5VsZw

— Lindsay Dunn (@LindsayDunnTV) April 3, 2025​

All of this is the ground work needed for Shead to continue to thrive. The more he plays well, the more fans will root for him. The better he plays in the minutes he is given, the more he will be used in times that the Raptors need him. Plus, should the time ever come that Quickley is moved somewhere (you never know) hopefully it’s at a point where Jamal Shead could step.

So the Toronto Raptors may have drafted their next big star in Jamal Shead.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/4/24401485/toronto-raptors-draft-prospects-jamal-shead-rookies

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets: Time to get an April win

Photo by Pamela Smith/Getty Images

With four games left of the season, the Raptors look to win their first game in the calendar month

The Toronto Raptors are on the road, going toe to toe with Brooklyn Nets for a matinee game. So far, the Raptors are 2-1 against the Nets, with this being their fourth and final matchup of the season. All but locked into seventh-best draft odds, we’ve reached the point in the season where the tanking conversation can end, and we can focus on some feel-good wins.

For Brooklyn, the season has shaped up to be what most expected. After being active in the trade market and re-tooling their roster, a cascade of injuries to their young talent wrote the rest of the season off. They have a bright future, with Cam Thomas, Cameron Johnson, and Nic Claxton all able to contribute to a winning team. Reality is that they’re likely still years away from that, though.

With both benches loaded with injuries, this will be another game that will utilize the both teams’ bench and rookie talents.

For the Raptors, Ja’Kobe is coming off a 22-point team-high performance against the Pistons on Friday. He continues to impress with his quick and accurate midrange shots and efficiency from deep that help drive the offence. Many of his shots were on dimes from Jamal Shead who had 9 assists in that game, as their chemistry on the court continues to develop.

RJ Barrett will also be a presence in this game, helping bring veteran leadership to a young lineup and demonstrate his abilities as a two-way player. In the last five games, he’s averaged 20-5-4 while shooting 48% from the floor.

As the Raptors go up against another team riddled with injuries and limited experience, they will have to limit mistakes on the offensive end and shore up their defence to secure a win.

Shead has been great at distributing the ball while limiting turnovers, but they will need to ensure it’s a team effort. They’ve turned the ball over about 15 times per game this season, so they will need to continue to work towards limiting them to prevent extra possessions for the Nets.

Another key for the Raptors will be limiting defensive lapses. The Raptors have had the third-best defensive rating in the league over the last 15 games, and while part of that is due to the calibre of their opponents, they have shown a lot of development over the season as well. Their help defence, communication, and switching have all made drastic improvements. The only issue is when that system breaks down, they allow an easy path to the basket or back cutting. This will be the perfect opportunity to continue to make adjustments defensively to prevent both of those things.

Where to Watch

Tune in at 3:30 pm ET on SportsNet!

Probable Starters

Toronto: Jonathan Mogbo, RJ Barrett, Orlando Robinson, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead

Brooklyn: Jalen Wilson, Keon Johnson, Trendon Watford, Ziaire Williams, Drew Timme

Injury Report

Toronto: Scottie Barnes (Questionable: Joint contusion), Ulrich Chomche (Out: MCL tear), Gradey Dick (Out: Bone bruise), Brandon Ingram (Out: Ankle sprain), Jakob Poeltl (Out: Rest), Immanuel Quickley (Out: Rest)

Brooklyn: Nic Claxton (Out: Rest), Noah Clowney (Out: Ankle sprain), Cameron Johnson (Out: Back contusion), De’Anthony Melton (Out: ACL tear), D’Angelo Russell (Out: Ankle Soreness), Day’Ron Sharpe (Out: Knee sprain), Cam Thomas (Out: Hamstring strain)

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/6/...ors-vs-brooklyn-nets-time-to-get-an-april-win

 

[Toronto Raptors]

The Rap-Up: Hope springs eternal as the season wraps up

It’s the season finale of The Rap-Up, so let’s acknowledge how promising this year has been and how exciting next year will be!

Every April, hope springs eternal for Toronto sports fans.

The Toronto Blue Jays kick off an MLB season with dreams of adding a third World Series championship. The Toronto Maple Leafs prepare for a deep playoff run, hoping to end a 50+ year Stanley Cup drought. Sure, both teams typically end their seasons without raising their respective championship trophies, but the hope is undeniable at this point in the calendar.

Fans of the Toronto Raptors have plenty of reasons to be hopeful for the team’s future.

For the first time in his tenure with the Toronto Raptors, Masai Ujiri admitted on Media Day before the season started that the team is going through a rebuild. The ‘r’ word often translates to multiple seasons in the lottery (i.e. ‘19-’24 Pistons, Process Sixers, present-day Wizards). As has always been the case with him, Masai defies conventional thinking on how to run an NBA franchise.

Almost every Raptor showed positive growth this season, helping accelerate the rebuild. Scottie Barnes grew as a leader and justified his position as the cornerstone of the franchise. Immanuel Quickley has shown flashes, more often than not, of the star point guard who will help lead the next era of Raptors basketball. IQ developed a great on-court chemistry with Jakob Poeltl. In fact, multiple teammates had great rapport with Poeltl, who was easily the second-most important Raptor this season. RJ Barrett validated the positive signs he displayed after Toronto acquired him last season.

Toronto endured several seasons of poor bench lineups and lacklustre young players. The proverbial chest was restored this year. Ochai Agbaji was one of the most improved three-point shooters. Gradey Dick started the season as a legitimate MIP candidate. Jamal Shead has already cemented himself as Toronto’s backup point guard of the present/future. Ja’Kobe Walter is capable of dropping 20 points and/or generating multiple steals on any given night. Jamison Battle is an absolute bucket.

Oh, and the front office already took care of Free Agency by picking up Brandon Ingram in ‘pre-agency’!

Regardless of where the Raptors end up after the Draft Lottery on May 12th, at least one rotation player is getting drafted in June. The team looks promising as is, and will look even better after the draft.

this ball movement ‍ pic.twitter.com/uUTA4BUra5

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 6, 2025​

April 9 vs Charlotte Hornets

It’s the final home game of the season! I’ve been lucky enough to attend (and cover) several games this year and can confidently say that the Raptors did an excellent job of celebrating the franchise’s 30th anniversary with themed nights, a plethora of Raptor alumni, and special guests/performances. Tonight, the team will celebrate the fans! There will be a special tribute for Nav Bhatia, but the overarching theme is to thank all the fans.

Paying homage to the fans is a nice way of wrapping up a season full of losses and bereft of star players. This game will be missing 2-3 All-Stars (Lamelo Ball and Brandon Ingram; Scottie Barnes is questionable), 1-2 starters (Brandon Miller; Jakob Poeltl is questionable), and slew of solid reserves and rising prospects (Tre Mann, Grant Williams, Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick, Jamal Shead, and Ja’Kobe Walter).

Fun fact that may only interest me

The Charlotte Hornets are the only team in the bottom-10 that have not won the draft lottery this century. (That doesn’t count the Utah Jazz, who have never won the draft lottery)

With fairly similar odds — 10.61% vs this season’s likely odds of 14% — the Hornets’ only time winning the lottery was in 1991, when they finished with the 5th-worst record and eventually drafted Larry Johnson.

A lot of readers of this space were not born yet, but I was old lucky enough to watch him play. ‘Grandmama’ had Zion Williamson’s ferocity, but with a jumpshot. He was exciting to watch and played for the team with the best uniform. Johnson was a godsend to NBA merchandisers! If the lottery gods shine on Charlotte, this year’s draft will produce another hot commodity for Hornets jersey sales!

HBD GRANDMAMA LARRY JOHNSON

LEBRON: “My goodness! A straight up animal!"

KENDALL GILL: “Think LeBron with Hakeem’s footwork & Shaq’s strength. Damn, he was beautiful to watch.” pic.twitter.com/H8TWwns6xw

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 14, 2024​

Prediction

Resting starters is one thing. Watching a perfectly healthy Jakob Poeltl and RJ Barrett on the bench is expected for a tanking team. Resting young prospects, though, is another. The Raptors have already resorted to resting Ochai Agbaji recently. Now, they’ve added Jamal Shead to the ‘DNP-Rest’ list.

Yet, that still may not be enough against a Hornets team that only has one victory (over the lowly Utah Jazz) over its last 10 games. Toronto wins its final home game and covers the -10.5 spread.

April 11 @ Dallas Mavericks

By the time this game tips off, the Mavericks may have already clinched a spot in the play-in. As of April 9th, Dallas has a three-game lead over Phoenix, with three games remaining for both. The Suns host the Oklahoma City Thunder later that night.

If you read last week’s article, you know I’ve been tracking Toronto’s ‘Flagg-ic number’, which is currently at one. Any victory by the San Antonio Spurs or loss by the Raptors would guarantee Toronto can fall no further than 7th in the reverse standings. Inversely, the Raptors are also one victory or one Brooklyn Nets loss away from guaranteeing they cannot rise to 6th in the reverse standings. We’ve seen the Nets enough this season to know that a season-ending, three-game win streak over the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New York Knicks is not going to happen!

With Dallas and the Sacramento Kings all but guaranteed to face each other in the 9-10 play-in game next week, you’d figure the Mavericks would rest their players and, ultimately, hurt Toronto’s plans of losing......but who exactly sits, outside of Anthony Davis?

Kyrie Irving and Olivier-Maxence Prosper are out for the season. Dante Exum is out with a hand injury and hasn’t played in three weeks. Jaden Hardy is dealing with a leg injury. As far as I know, Kessler Edwards, Kai Jones, and Brandon Williams have all used up their two-way games.

Fun fact that may only interest me

The Mavericks are 5-2 with Anthony Davis in the lineup. Considering all that’s been said in the aftermath of The Trade, you’d think the Mavericks were left with a roster full of G-Leaguers!

Dallas’ promising record with AD has kept alive my dream scenario: Lakers vs Mavericks in the play-in for the final playoff spot!

A victory over Sacramento in the first play-in game will take care of the Mavericks’ part of the deal. With 3 games remaining, the Lakers are in a logjam with five other teams for spots #3 through #8. Should the Lakers fall into the play-in spot AND lose the 7 vs 8 game, the entire sporting world will hold its collective breath as Luka Doncic faces the Dallas Mavericks in a do-or-die game!

Anthony Davis on the Mavs-Lakers game tomorrow night:

“It’s just another game. Y’all make it bigger than it needs to be. Another game for me. It will be Luka’s first time back, so might be a lot of emotions for him…”

(via @JoeyMistretta_) pic.twitter.com/ljxcRuL3Mk

— MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) April 8, 2025​

Prediction

Davis needs as many reps as he can get before the postseason. With zero back-to-backs remaining on the schedule (the likely cause for him missing the Clippers game last week), I expect the Mavericks to field all their (healthy) starters. Dallas covers the -8.5 spread.

April 13 @ San Antonio Spurs

Welcome to the Ben Uzoh game!

In the final game of the 2011-12 season, the Raptors faced the New Jersey Nets. Both teams had identical 22-43 records in the strike-shortened season. A loss would raise the team to a tie for 5th in the draft standings, while a win would drop the team to a tie for 7th. Ben Uzoh, playing the 60th and, ultimately, final game of his NBA career, produced a 12-point, 12-assist, and 11-rebound triple-double. His efforts led the way for Toronto as the Raptors won by 31 points.

The Raptors would lose the 7th-place tiebreaking coin flip with Golden State. Instead of drafting Harrison Barnes, whom they wanted at #7, Toronto selected Terrence Ross at #8. More importantly, had the Raptors lost to New Jersey, drafting in 5th or 6th (a coin flip would have been needed to break another tie), Toronto would have selected the player that was drafted 6th — Damian Lillard.

It’s impossible to guess what would have happened after drafting Dame (Toronto probably would not have traded for Kyle Lowry after drafting Ross), but the implications of that final regular-season game loomed large.

If the Spurs or Raptors cannot take care of business before this game, 7th place in the draft lottery standings will be up for grabs!

Fun fact that may only interest me

Stephon Castle is the odds-on favourite to capture this season’s Rookie of the Year award. Victor Wembanyama was last season’s unanimous Rookie of the Year winner.

Last four rookie guards with a 1,000/250/250/70 season:

Luka
Trae
Cade
Stephon Castle

Good company. pic.twitter.com/1HQwklNrGP

— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 6, 2025​

No team in NBA history has ever won the Rookie of the Year three seasons in a row.

The Spurs have the 8th-best odds to Capture the Flagg. The lottery gods have been very kind to San Antonio when a generational big is the consensus #1 overall pick!

Prediction

Regardless of how the games play out leading to this, San Antonio has been competitive enough to be the favourite to win. Who knows what will happen with Chris Paul after this game. Or Chris Boucher. Or Garrett Temple. The winds of change are blowing and a crop of exciting rookies will further cramp the tight quarters that are NBA rosters. But before we think about what the offseason brings, let’s wrap up game #82. The Spurs end their season on a high note with a victory and covering the -5.5 spread.

********

Last Week’s Record: 4-0​

Season Record: 35-44​

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/9/...f-the-week-april-7-13-hornets-mavericks-spurs

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Highs and Lows of the Toronto Raptors’ 30th Anniversary Season

Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

With the Raptors’ last home game of the season come and gone, we reflect on what went well and what did not for the Raptors.

Well Raptors fans, we are (almost) at the end of this season. On Wednesday, the Toronto Raptors played their last home game of the 2024-2025 season, fittingly on their stunning purple Vince Carter court. They’ll hit the road to close out their season, with no chance now of making a play-in tournament push. Instead, it’s right into draft talk for the Raptors, who have locked in the 7th best odds in the NBA Draft lottery.

Before we look ahead at the future, there is still some reflection to do on how the 2024-2025 fits into the tapestry of this franchise as a whole. It’s 30th season, not filled with wins so much as what felt like baby steps towards a future with (hopefully) more wins. Luckily (yet anyway, there is still a few days left) there were no lawsuits, no betting scandals, and it’s safe to say the overall vibe was better this season than last.

The Raptors have seemed to decide on a vision to focus on, did well drafting some solid projects to continue investing work in, and made a splash during the trade deadline. Yet, all of those are future moves and not now moves. The “now” product was... a work in progress.

“Before I talk about the team, I have to talk about our fans. We do have the best fans in the world. We’re going through rebuild and every single night 18,000, 20,000 people come to support us. It’s outstanding. We go on the road and sometimes we play against teams that are going through the same process. That’s not what we experience when we’re on the road. To see that kind of love and support, it really proves that this is a very special place.” - Darko Rajakovic

It wasn’t 100% bad though this year though, so let’s take a look at a few highs of the season:

Trading for Brandon Ingram​

The moment the vision started coming together. With the addition of Ingram, the Raptors path seemed plenty clearer, especially when his contract was extended so soon. He wants to be here, now he just needs to get healthy.

Before Wednesday’s win against Charlotte, Darko told the media that while Ingram won’t play in any of the Raptors’ remaining games, the prognosis seems good on his ankle. While the team was in Brooklyn, they went with Ingram to see an specialist doctor who told them his recovery was going well. He was given a platelet rich plasma injection this week, which will help speed up the recovery of his ankle as well. Darko noted that he should be healthy enough to participate in the Raptors’ offseason training schedule, and the hope is that he will be playing and back in good health by the time next season starts.

So trading for Ingram was a next season move, but the Raptors have a guy they can not only depend on but one with high ceiling. Ingram is a scorer — as he proved once by scoring a 40-piece on the Raptors. Him healthy alongside Scottie Barnes and the rest of the lineup will be a huge boost for the Raptors. Next year, anyway.

Team Chemistry​

If we couldn’t have wins, at least we had vibes. The team was filled with great energy and the players genuinely loved playing together. With that genuine connection came a lot of growth from them as leaders.

Scottie Barnes especially grew into his role a lot. On the TSN broadcast it was reported that Barnes hosted several team dinners throughout the season, and worked on both his leadership skills with the team while also training to represent the team better. That meant going through training to do better in media speaking engagements and making sure he was involving himself in the community.

That obviously trickles down into the younger players as well. Players like Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter already came to the team with reputations of being good teammates and good people, but this environment has helped them along. Walter is now the team ambassador for MLSE Launchpad, a charity that helps underserved youth through basketball programming. Shead is making addresses to the fans before games.

Leading this team off the court is of course Garrett Temple, who has been credited time and time again as the voice inside these guy’s young ears. Whether it’s about the on-court development or just life, Temple seems to be the guy to go to when you need to chat. It proves the closeness of this team.

"Let it be known" - If you were wondering whether Garrett Temple, who turns 39 in May, plans to retire after this season (as asked by @AaronBenRose post-game Wednesday). https://t.co/AbI4Izh1wI pic.twitter.com/dNBT6g93GE

— Lindsay Dunn (@LindsayDunnTV) April 10, 2025​

Temple stated after Wednesday’s game that he wants to come back and play next season. He turns 39 in May, and despite that shows great hustle on the court. There does not seem to be any reason to not re-sign Temple this summer. His deal is fairly cheap, and his impact on the core players is incalculable.

The team owns their lottery pick this time​

Last year, among the tanking discourse, the Raptors didn’t even own their own pick. It was top-6 protected, but similar to this season, the team ended on the edge of those odds. On top of that, they ultimately fell to the 8th pick and lost it anyway. This time that’s not an issue, because the Raptors own their lottery pick no matter what.

That’s a bonus. Of course the pick would have been better if the team had embraced the tank, but right now they have the 7th best odds. Who knows, they could make a leap, but it’s still an improvement. They have a 31.9% chance of leaping into a top-4 pick, and a 7.5% chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick.

Time to leave the purple season behind us​

Keep the purple though, and the Vince Carter court. Please.

The Raptors will end their season on Sunday evening in San Antonio. From there, players, Darko and Masai Ujiri will likely speak to the media next week to give end of season remarks before heading into the offseason.

The plan, Darko outlined Wednesday evening, is to balance individual work with rest and team training. Last summer, the Raptors took many chances to get the entire team together — including a full team retreat in Spain. Darko says the plan is to do similar things this summer, allow the players to get together in groups on their on as well, and send out coaches to meet up with players wherever they are to put in work as well.

For the coaching staff and front office, attention now turns to the draft, and soon after free agency. The Raptors have already locked up all their biggest players and likely won’t be big players in free agency this season. Ingram, Barnes, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl and Immanuel Quickley are all under contract for next season. Gradey Dick and the rookies (Shead, Walter, Mogbo and Battle) will likely be returning.

Maybe the biggest question is Chris Boucher, whose contract is expiring. The sole remaining member of the 2019 Championship team has been out of the rotation this season, playing sparse minutes. His last appearance was in late March, and when asked if Chris would take to the Raptors court one last time this season — possibly his last time ever in his home country jersey — Darko said it “wouldn’t be fair” to Boucher to make him play after he had sat for four weeks.

So other than a trip to the Lone Star State this weekend, the Raptors season is coming to a close. While many parts (mostly the purple parts) were great, there won’t be many people too sad to see this season in Raptors history come to a close.

The goal next season is to be competitive, so hopefully in a year we aren’t saying “have a good summer” to our Scotiabank Arena colleagues in April (when it snowed that morning) and instead prepping for a playoff push.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/10...s-lows-darko-ingram-boucher-draft-free-agency

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Toronto Raptors take a chance on young player with their latest signing

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors have signed Toronto born and raised AJ Lawson to a two-year deal

As the season winds to a close for the Toronto Raptors, a few last contract ends needs to be tied. One comes with the signing of Toronto’s own AJ Lawson to a standard NBA deal.

The Toronto Raptors are converting two-way guard AJ Lawson to a two-year NBA contract, Todd Ramasar and Mike Simonetta of Life Sports Agency told ESPN. Lawson has averaged 8.8 points and 3.2 rebounds for the Raptors this season and now earns a standard deal. pic.twitter.com/2c5UDf9WaJ

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 11, 2025​

Lawson, who played in the CEBL before eventually making his way to the Raptors, is the latest Canadian talent this team has rewarded. The franchise has made a substantial effort to bring in, try out, and often reward both Canadian and Toronto grown talent. Even before the recent surge of Canadian patriotism came about.

RJ Barrett is probably the biggest recipient of that, being brought home in a trade in late 2023. He’s played phenomenally since coming home. Then there was Kelly Olynyk, who the Raptors traded for before signing to a contract and then ultimately trading as part of the Brandon Ingram deal. Still got his money though.

Now Lawson will get an extended look. This two-year deal is not guaranteed for the entire stretch, but this allows him to participate in the Raptors’ summer program and training camp. The team will get an extended look at him and be able to decide whether or not he should be on the roster going into next season. It’s also a pay raise for the local player.

Lawson has averaged 8.8 points and 3.2 rebounds for the Raptors this season when he has played, given extended minutes due to injuries and rest protocol for other players.

Expect a few more bookkeeping transactions from the Raptors this weekend.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/11/24406250/toronto-raptors-masai-ujiri-aj-lawson-signing-contract

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Raptors fall to Mavericks 124-102 to start their Texas road trip

Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images

Scottie and Ochai carried the glut of the Raptors’ scoring on a tough night in Dallas

In their second-to-last game of the season, the Toronto Raptors visited the Dallas Mavericks for their first matchup since the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic packing in exchange for Anthony Davis. With the playoff picture in the West heating up, Dallas saw this as a must-win game, playing with rhythm and aggression from outset. Toronto wasn’t able to match it, and fell to the Mavericks 124-102.

Despite the loss, Toronto had strong performances from Ochai and Scottie, who managed to carry much of the offence throughout the game. Ochai finished with 24 points and 6 rebounds, going an astonishing 6/7 from long range and 9/12 from the field overall. Scottie started slow, but didn’t let that dictate his performance, ending with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists to go along with a steal and a block.

OCHAI GOING OFF :

6/6 FG
5/5 3PT
17 PTS https://t.co/HmUxhEQ9au pic.twitter.com/p6YPQ890tv

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 12, 2025​

For Dallas, Anthony Davis was a major contributor, easily racking up a triple double of 23-13-10 with 7 blocks in only 30 minutes. Gafford, Christie, Washington, and Lively II all contributed double-digit scoring performances as well, helping round-out the Mavericks’ offence. Dallas is locked into a play-in spot, competing with Sacramento for the opportunity to progress in the postseason and will likely try to carry this momentum to the next stage.

–

The first quarter started slowly, with both teams having trouble finding their shot. Dallas managed to score in the first two minutes, but it took Toronto almost twice as long to find the bottom of the basket. A few costly turnovers gave the Mavericks the opportunity to build an early lead, but it evaporated quickly as Ochai managed to go 4-for-4 from long range, scoring the Raps’ first 12 points. He continued to carry that momentum to finish the quarter with 17, but lacked support, as the rest of the team continued to struggle shooting. The next highest scorer was a four-way tie of only 2 points for each of Shead, Mogbo, Scottie, and AJ. Dallas was able to put together more of a team-effort, allowing them to close the quarter with a 10-point lead.

In the second, Scottie tried to assert himself early. He was able to layup his first attempt, but the swarming defence of Dallas caused him to miss his next three shots and turn the ball over. It felt like a tone-setting chronology of plays, as the Raptors began to leak oil and start a series of scoring droughts that spanned much of the quarter. Dallas built an insurmountable lead, dominating on both ends of the court. Toronto fought back a little at the end with Scottie’s return to the floor, but only managed 13 points in the frame, entering the locker room with a 38-66 deficit.

Dallas showed no signs of slowing in the third, with Davis continuing to lead on both ends of the floor. Toronto’s struggle on the boards escalated, allowing the Mavericks extra possessions that they capitalized on. Scottie and Ochai continued to chip away, both staying engaged and managing to carry the majority of the Raptors’ scoring load. A.J. Lawson also found another gear, but Dallas outscored them for the third straight quarter.

Scottie continued to will the Raptors back into the game early in the fourth, chipping away at the Mavericks’ lead. Despite tightening up their defence as well, there was no way back into this game. Toronto managed to claw back somewhat, outscoring the Mavericks by 7 in the frame. Temple, Battle, and Lawson all managed to find their way into double figures by their effort in the closing minutes of the game.

–

Although it was a tough game, most of their difficulty can be attributed to a tough start. Now, with their draft odds locked in, they can travel to San Antonio to try and finish the season on a high note. The Raptors will face the Spurs for their final game of the season at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/11...ericks-124-102-to-start-their-texas-road-trip

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Toronto wraps up season with loss to San Antonio 125-118

Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Despite the loss, career performances from Mogbo and Battle provide positive ending note

And with that, the Raptors 2024-2025 season comes to a close. In a way, this game was perfectly emblematic of the season. It had the good, the bad, and the ugly. Fun performances from the rookies, periods of struggle on both ends of the floor, and the reality that no lead is safe. A fitting end to a rebuilding year, and one that has been full of hope for the future.

The Raptors certainly came into this matchup looking to end the season on a high note. Their offence was clicking throughout the first half, with ball movement that created great looks for everyone on the floor. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to sustain it for the full 48 minutes. To add insult to injury (or rather injury to insult), the Raptors also lost Garrett Temple early in the first quarter to a sprained knee, who missed the remainder of the game.

Despite the loss, the Raptors had several strong performances. Jamison Battle set his career high with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, shooting 7-for-14 from long range. Scottie flirted with a triple double, finishing with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists. Castleton, Lawson, Shead, and Agbaji also scored in double figures. Mogbo had another all-around performance, stuffing the stat sheet with 9 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals, almost attaining his second triple double of his young career.

MOGBO SLAM pic.twitter.com/59Tm8wyPI4

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 13, 2025​

San Antonio is happy to close out the season as well, with Wemby and Fox riding the bench with injuries that caused the direction of the season to change completely. Also in the draft lottery and the outcome of this game irrelevant for their odds, the Spurs’ goal was to end the season off positively.

Stephon Castle, the Spurs’ rookie of the year contender had an excellent game, with 20-8-6. Keldon Johnson chipped in 23-9 and vets Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes helped lead the offence combining for 33-12-7 and 7 steals. Despite the deficit at the half, they never gave up.

–

In the first quarter, the Raptors defence struggled slightly, not fully committing to some plays and allowing the Spurs to get easy looks. Despite a mediocre team effort, Ochai looked aggressive on that end, picking up Stephon Castle at full court and putting pressure on him. On the heels of a 17-point first quarter performance Friday night, it only made sense that he was trying to get going early. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as hot tonight, and instead it was Jamison Battle who would carry the first-quarter three point shooting for the Raptors. With his first two converting, Battle continued to fire them without hesitation. Notably, one of those shots was his 100th of the season:

100 made threes on the season for Battle pic.twitter.com/8bxL9IsDfh

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 13, 2025​

His confidence kept growing as they kept falling, finishing with 18 points on 6-for-7 shooting in the first, helping give the Raptors the advantage in a back-and-forth quarter that closed 37-32.

Scottie tried to come alive in the second and managed a tough shot to open the quarter. His next few trips were not as successful, making him lose some steam. He headed to the bench, and with the return of the rookies to the floor, the tide turned, and some pesky defence and unselfish ball movement between Shead, Mogbo, and Agbaji allowed them to build a substantial lead. When Scottie returned to the floor, his aggression and effort was refreshed, and he started to dominate, making a series of turn-around, step-back, and fadeaway shots that renewed his confidence.

YESSIRSKIIIIIIII pic.twitter.com/mhoQm5CxF6

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 13, 2025​

This combined effort meant that the Raptors rocked a 20 point lead headed into the locker room.

Unfortunately, the game wasn’t over yet. It’s hard to tell exactly where things went wrong for the Raptors in the third. They started strong, with some clever passing and cutting opening up the door for easy slams and open three-point shooting.

Don’t play wit himmm pic.twitter.com/2PSln5TrKk

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 13, 2025​

Then they started to get a little bit shaky, and San Antonio came back into the game with a renewed effort and energy. The crowd started to engage as the Spurs chipped away on the Raptors’ lead. Possession by possession, a 26-11 run depleted Toronto’s lead to 2.

The first few minutes of the final frame were back-and-forth possessions with neither team able to build a lead. They both found ways to score, and their defences tightened. Halfway through, the Spurs made their final push. Able to draw fouls and find their way to the line, they pulled away just enough to hold a comfortable three-possession lead. With some key calls late in the stretch going against Toronto (one of which got Darko heated to the point that he could’ve probably been t’d up), the Raptors ran out of time. As the clock expired, San Antonio led 125-118.

—

Now they enter the offseason with high hopes for the draft and time for the roster to get healthy and build chemistry. As much as it’s been an up-and-down season, there’ve been fun moments and it’s impossible to not look forward to next year.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/13...ps-up-season-with-loss-to-san-antonio-125-118

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Raptors Draft Watch: With the season wrapped, focus turns to NBA Draft

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The Raptors’ 2024-25 season is over and they will hit the draft season early, with a chance to add another high-calibre talent in this coming draft.

Now that the Toronto Raptors’ 2024-25 season is over, the attention shifts towards the upcoming NBA draft. Unlike the previous season, the’ 24-25 campaign was not a disaster. Still, they find themselves in familiar territory: Not in the playoffs or the play-ins, but not bad enough to secure max Ping-Pong balls.

Overall talent was a concern heading into last year’s draft, and the Raptors’ front office has done a commendable job revamping the roster by acquiring young rotation players to strengthen the team. Currently holding the 7th best odds, the Raptors can advance into the top four picks, where the top-tier prospects are found. Noteworthy among these prospects is Cooper Flagg, as this draft cycle has been characterized as “Capture the Flagg” tank season. However, ending up with either Dylan Harper or Ace Bailey doesn’t feel like a consolation prize.

Even with the addition of Brandon Ingram, it would be in the Raptors’ best interest to get one of the top picks, as you could never have enough top-tier talent. Just look at how ridiculous the Los Angeles Lakers are, stealing Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks for Anthony Davis, with joints being held in place by duct tape.

Current Roster​

President Masai Ujiri and GM Bobby Webster enter the draft season with 13 players on standard contracts, with only Chris Boucher and Garrett Temple hitting free agency this summer. Coach Darko Rajakovic stapled Boucher on the bench at every opportunity he got over the past two seasons, except for the “Trade Deadline Showcase Special” minutes that he got. It’s doubtful for the Raptors to bring him back. On the other hand, Temple should have a spot on the Raptors’ 2nd row as an assistant coach, should he decide to hang it up.

The Raptors’ depth chart looks like this:

Guards: Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, AJ Lawson*, Jared Rhoden+

Wings: Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Ochai Agbaji, Jonathan Mogbo, Jamison Battle

Bigs: Jakob Poeltl, Colin Castleton*, Ulrich Chomche+

(AJ Lawson and Colin Castleton are both on a “#proveem” deal to fight for their roster spot next season, while Jared Rhoden and Ulrich Chomche are on a Two-Way Contract)

It’s worth noting that the Raptors are loaded with wings, and between Quickley, Shead, Barnes, and coach Rajakovic’s offense that’s less dependent on point guard play, the team’s all set at the point guard spot. The Raptors are thin in the middle, with Jakob Poeltl, the only reliable big player on the team, as Ulrich Chomche’s still a project with a capital “P.”

Shoddy Tank Job​

The Raptors came out of the gate this season like a fawn struggling to find its balance and faceplanting a couple of times, leading to a 7-26 record at the end of the calendar year. The futility also positioned them at the thick of the tank race, along with the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, and the New Orleans Pelicans.The schedule became favourable, but to the Raptors’ credit, things clicked for them, as they started playing better and harder – looking more and more like an NBA team coached by an NBA coach. Unfortunately, the team did not want any part of the play-in action and prioritized “development” over winning, which should directly correlate to a higher chance of losing games and, thus, more Ping-Pong balls.

At the Sloan Conference, there was talk that the Raptors couldn't tank because the rest of their schedule was the easiest 20-game stretch in history. I can't really check that, but it is the easiest by a lot this year. pic.twitter.com/Ec8JhpA8LM

— Dean Oliver (@DeanO_Lytics) April 10, 2025​

However, despite some blatant moves, the “tank job” was not appropriately executed, like giving key players paid time off or pulling key players early in the fourth. Some moves are subtle enough, like taking out key players (i.e. Barnes and Quickley) at the same time, leaving an all-bench/3rd stringers for an extended period through some pockets of the game.Perhaps the Raptors didn’t raise the white flag early enough. It’s hard to blame the team – they needed a platform to get Quickley back into game shape. Perhaps they should have shut Boucher down much earlier, after a few excellent showcase games.

However, the most mind-boggling decision-making from the coaching and front office standpoint is allowing players who are unlikely to be part of the team’s future cook to help secure an unnecessary win. Teams like Utah, Charlotte, and Washington had been more creative in giving developmental reps to their youngsters, yet held on to the “L” at the end of the game.

Orlando Robinson was so good tonight, RJ had to interview him
23 PTS
12 REB
3 AST
10-14 FG pic.twitter.com/p0EBuucVax

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 27, 2025​

Hopefully, AJ Lawson and Jaren Rhoden will be part of the team next season, as they both had breakout games for the Raptors that led to some wins. Still, players like Colin Castleton helped the Raptors win a few games during his brief stint as a Raptor. In fact, he’s 5-5 as a Raptor. Then we have Orlando Robinson, who was played like he’s pegged as a future 3rd string big. He’s had some outstanding games for the Raptors, and he’s probably the only Raptor with a winning record, with an 18-17 record when he saw the floor this season.

Pick Odds​

The Raptors are locked into 7th in lottery odds after last night. Odds:

1st pick: 7.5%
2nd: 7.8
3rd: 8.1
4th: 8.5
(Top 4: 31.9)

7th: 19.7
8th: 34.1
9th: 12.9
10th: 1.3
11th: 0.03

— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) April 10, 2025​

Despite not finishing with a top 4 draft odds, the Raptors have a chance to move up. Let’s dream about these odds:

- 1st overall: 7.5%

- 2nd overall: 7.8%

- 3rd overall: 8.1%

- 4th overall: 8.5%

The only downside is that if one of the teams from the 8-14th spots moves into the top four, the Raptors will likely slide down to the 8th spot. Here are the remaining odds for the Raptors leading to the lottery:

- 7th overall: 19.7%

- 8th overall: 34.1%

- 9th overall: 12.9%

- 10th overall: 1.3%

- 11th overall: please, no

Recent Pick History​

Since the NBA significantly tweaked the odds for the 2019 draft cycle, only three pre-lottery draft positions have won the #1 overall pick. The ideal spot is at the 2nd or 3rd best odds, where those spots got the #1 overall pick twice over the last six draft cycles.

Over the last six draft cycles, the team with the worst record hasn’t yielded tank-worthy results, missing out on the 1st overall pick and ending up outside of the top 4 half the time. The 2nd best lottery odds seem to be the most profitable in the top four, taking two 1sts, one 2nd, and one 4th overall pick. The Raptors’ current pre-lottery position, 7th overall, has yielded a 1st overall pick (2019 – Zion Williamson) and three 4th overall picks, including some guy named Scottie Barnes.

Perhaps the Raptors’ front office made a strategic decision to end up with the 7th best odds? Who knows. At least we should just be happy that we’re not conveying a 1st round pick to San Antonio.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/15...watch-season-wrapped-focus-turns-to-nba-draft

 

[Toronto Raptors]

No Excuses: Toronto Raptors set high goals for next season

Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors held end of season player availability on Monday.

With the Toronto Raptors season coming to an end over the weekend, the team held “locker clean out” availability, or exit interviews! These will continue throughout the week, with the players on Monday, Darko Rajakovic on Tuesday, and Masai Ujiri on Wednesday.

Many of the players were available to speak today. They themselves came in to have their final meetings with Darko Rajakovic and a final team meeting. After today, the team will be able to leave the city and have a real break before coming back to do some work outs in May.

Brandon Ingram​

First up on the podium was Brandon Ingram. He said that his ankle was feeling better and trending upwards, yet he was stuck feeling a bit of agitation. The platelet rich plasma injection he received last week helped him to be continue trend upward. The hope is that he will be able to work out with the team when they return in May.

When it came to what he learned being around the team since he was traded, being unable to play, his first thought was admiration for the organization. He liked being able to keep his teammate accountable as someone observing from the sidelines, and he has spent the time learning more about himself as well. He’s been able to learn what motivates them and get to know them on a purely personal level. Though he isn’t able to build on-court chemistry with his teammates he was able to build that personal chemistry.

As for the coaching staff, Ingram says they have been in constant communication with him. What they eventually want to see from him on the court, how they envision his role to play out, the plans they have for him once he is healthy.

Scottie Barnes​

Scottie Barnes started his availability by taking a moment to thank the fans for the dedication they had over the season. He went on to talk about the trust and pride he has in the team’s young core, talking about how he thinks they could be a playoff team next season. He also knows that once the wins start coming in for the team, things like All-Defensive team nods are going to start coming in as well.

This summer, Barnes wants to work on his consistency — especially with shooting. He mentioned his hand is still giving him a little bit of trouble when it comes to being able to grip the ball properly.

As for the team as a whole, he commented on how close everyone is, that they have built “genuine friendships” with each other. He says it makes it easier to lead because he knows who these guys are as people and they have a genuine relationship and desire to see each other succeed.

Barnes has also grown exponentially as a leader this season. One thing he really wanted to improve on was his public speaking efforts, so he was able to get one-on-one guidance with someone in order to build those skills. He wanted to be a better communicator so he could connect with people (teammates, coaches, even fans), but also to be more comfortable getting his message out when he did speak. By knowing what he was talking about and knowing how he wanted to say certain things, he knew there would be less “agendas” about the words he said and his words would be clearly interpreted.

Barnes also commented on the rookie class this season, saying he trusts Ujiri and Webster’s vision for the team. They were better than the average rookie class, in his opinion.

Gradey Dick​

The sophomore player’s season ended early due to injury, but he was in good spirits on the podium. He reflected on how fast it feels like his first two seasons have flown by. He is expected to be able to join the team for workouts starting in May, and will take some time off and go home to Kansas.

He’s also excited to go to Caribana this summer, so true king.

https://t.co/oioxnQ55BZ pic.twitter.com/W2VCZXKibe

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 14, 2025​

Jamal Shead​

Jamal Shead was definitely one of the most surprising rookie cases all season. Drafted at No. 45 after the Raptors traded for the pick, Shead came in not lacking skill but also not lacking leadership and communication skills. He seemed to be the glue that really made the rookies bond this season, helping them get out of their shells and bond with the other players.

His past of being put in team situations where he needed to learn public speaking skills and be a leader also helped him through his rookie season. He understands that everyone around him is just a person like he is. That reminds him to be mindful when speaking to referees or media members.

Overall he seems excited for what’s ahead and ready to take a leap in year two.

RJ Barrett​

RJ Barrett is ready for a break, and a deserved one. He’s been playing year-round for a few years with the World Cup, NBA seasons, and the Olympics last year. Add in a tough personal year for him and his family, and yeah, he needs a break for sure.

One positive for Barrett this season has been playing in front of the fans, and at home. He feels like he is living out childhood dreams whenever he hears his name called out at Scotiabank Arena. He also had to adapt as a player quite a lot this season, having the ball in his hands a lot more and being a leader.

He’s excited for the team to take a leap next season as well. He knows the young core can make some moves and is confident in the other pieces of the team that can improve.

It seems to be only up from here for the Raptors.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/15/24408102/scottie-barnes-rj-barrett-gradey-dick-toronto-raptors

 

[Toronto Raptors]

“I have no ego” Raptors front office has glowing reviews of coach despite losing record

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Toronto Raptors Head Coach Darko Rajakovic and President Masai Ujiri speak to the media after team’s season ends.

The Toronto Raptors held end-of-season availability for head coach Darko Rajakovic Tuesday morning and Vice President Masai Ujiri Wednesday morning this week. With the end of the Raptors season, many questions looked ahead to the future of the Raptors, but especially how they expect to perform next season. It feels like all the moves the Raptors made this year were in order to be able to perform better by next season.

There is definitely optimism about that around the team, as the players expressed it on Monday as well. Darko, who always has been one to be vocal in his support for his players, was optimistic about next season. Yet, Darko did spend a lot of time on the podium talking about his own coaching journey and how he hopes to evolve as a coach throughout the offseason.

“I don’t have an ego”​

Darko told the media that he doesn’t have an ego — a good quality to an NBA coach. Maybe his most banging line of the whole thing was him saying that if he wanted to make people happy, he would sell ice cream instead of being an NBA coach. In his one-on-one meetings with players this season, he asked them for honest feedback on how he can improve as a coach this season. He asks the same of his coaching staff, saying he takes all of the feedback into account when thinking about his own development this offseason.

Masai Ujiri has glowing reviews of his coach, whose contract he extended not long ago. When asked what he thinks of the culture of this team currently, Ujiri gave it an “A+” citing Darko as a huge part of that.

Darko will definitely be judged with a bit more expectation next season as this team moves into the next phase of their rebuild. The players don’t seem worried though, with RJ Barrett asking media in his availability “have you seen Darko draw up plays?” The coach is in constant communication with his players and his expectations around them, which many players say is why they have so much trust in him.

As for the rebuild itself, Ujiri was confident in the team’s progress this year and into next.

There are only so many ways to build a team​

Ujiri’s three step process to rebuilding is quite simple: trades, free agency, draft. Not much surprise there. He’s always been extremely meticulous with his moves — open about when he fails but continuously confident in himself about the next step. It’s what makes him a good basketball executive, as you can’t be making moves with half-confidence.

The moves he made this season — trading for Ingram, drafting the rookies, other trades — he believes will move the team forward next season. He is confident ownership will be okay with being in the tax next year if the product is good enough. When it comes to players (especially Scottie Barnes) thinking they will be a playoff team, Masai very much liked to hear that. It’s a good sign, he said, that players are thinking like that.

Heading into the draft lottery​

One thing about Ujiri is that he knows how to draft — he even mentioned today how he got his start in scouting. Save for a few unavoidable missteps, draft prospects under Ujiri’s tenure have been extremely good, especially when you think about where he has found some of these players in the draft. Second round and undrafted players turning into All-Stars, making risky lottery picks and watching them turn into stars.

Now going into the draft lottery, Masai is hopeful, but also knows they will get a good guy no matter what pick they get. He’s excited about the prospects in this draft, a sentiment he even shared last year when their lottery pick was handed over to the Spurs.

The attention and focus now turns to that, as we have about a month until the draft lottery and two months (and change) until the draft. The Raptors have the 7th best odds in the draft, meaning that they have about a 30% chance of leaping up into the top four. It’s a great place to be in a deep draft.

As always, Masai also reiterates many times in his presser, “we will win again in Toronto.”

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/16...ai-ujiri-darko-rajakovic-draft-trades-rebuild

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Toronto Raptors may have drafted best rookie class in the NBA

Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images

Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamison Battle, and Jonathan Mogbo have shined this season, proof of the exciting future for the franchise

Largely touted as a weak draft class, this year’s rookies were under scrutiny from the get-go, with any evidence to support that theory bordering newsworthy. While some of the members of this class have struggled and others haven’t seen much playing time, neither of those are true for the guys that have suited up for the Raptors.

Despite an up and down season overall, the highlight has undoubtedly been the performance and contributions of their rookie squad who have shown remarkable abilities on both ends of the floor. A game-winner, a triple double, a couple of surprising rim-rocking dunks, and some excellent 3-point shooting are all part of the recipe that has made this group so fun.

Together, they are second in the league in points per game among rookies, second in steals, third in assists, and fifth in rebounds.

The future is bright for this squad, and from top to bottom the organization is excited about it. Their camaraderie, chemistry, and skill have made them fan-favourites, and now with a summer to build on what they’ve created this year, excitement will continue to grow.

So let’s break down what each of the Raptors’ rookies brought to the table this year, just to prove how we might just have some of the best rookies in the league:

—

Jamal Shead

Leading the team in games played this season with 75, Shead’s availability was a necessity as they dealt with injuries up and down the roster. In those contests, he averaged 7.1 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in under 20 minutes per game. While modest, his slow start to the season is partially to blame. If you consider only the last 15 games, those numbers jump to 10.9/2.4/6.4 respectively.

His improvement over the course of the season can largely be attributed to his minutes. While an unfortunate circumstance for those who missed games due to injury, it gave him and his fellow rookies the ability to play through mistakes and develop chemistry together.

Shead is not a score-first guard. While he found ways to get his own shot, his ability to find teammates in the most impossible places and drop the ball in for them was usually his priority. This mindset secured him the third-place spot for rookies in the league in assists per game. It also gave us a ton of fun highlights like this:

Spinning through this DHO forces the defence to commit somewhere. In this case, they left Chris and Shead makes a great pass pic.twitter.com/PlyRgQ3e8l

— Amit Mann (@Amit_Mann) October 19, 2024​

or this:

Haven't watched much Toronto this year, but I'm a Jamal Shead guy. Plays hard, seems to know how to play. Love this fake pass then nice little interior dime. pic.twitter.com/KypXnCZoCH

— Wayne Spooney (@WSpooney) January 1, 2025​

He managed to set a career-high of 12 assists about two weeks ago, against the Nets in one of the final games of the season. It wasn’t the first time he had double-digit assists though, a testament to his ability to get his teammates involved.

He also showed consistent improvement over the course of the season in his defensive hustle that goes beyond the stat-sheet. While he averaged around only 1 steal per game, he doubled that number in April. His toughness frequently appeared to frustrate and force errors in whoever he was guarding. While there was a bit of an adjustment to how his pesky defence was refereed, it also improved over the course of the season which Shead attributed to his conversations with officials.

“Ask questions.. They’ll help you” he said during his exit interview, noting that he would always find out what he was doing wrong to get better.

The energy he brings on the defensive end goes beyond just stopping his mark. He will dive and hustle for loose balls, rebounds, or errant passes that he thinks he can get to. In a preseason matchup he was already doing things like this:

45th pick Jamal Shead using that motor on both ends!

WAS-TOR #NBACanadaSeries | League Pass
https://t.co/AYzE01DaRS pic.twitter.com/fTjoI3yzUU

— NBA (@NBA) October 7, 2024​

He also managed to lead all rookies in charges drawn, having twice as many as the next player on that list. Yet another way he was able to get under his opponent’s skin.

Not only has Shead demonstrated his abilities on the court, he has also done so as a leader and voice off the court. Throughout the season and especially in his exit interview, he spoke highly of his teammates, the future of the team, and the coaching staff. His team-first mentality is a big part of that which was most evident when he spoke about his off-season work.

“It’s not about what I want to work on, it’s about what (Coach Darko) wants me to work on”. Shead wants to help contribute to the team and succeed where he’s needed. Regardless of their record this year, he knows he can be a part making the Raptors a winning team.

The way he has carried himself throughout the season with everyone in the Raptors’ organization has undoubtedly made him a fan-favourite, and it’s impossible to not be excited about what his development could mean for the team moving forward.

At a minimum, no one would mind seeing this again:

Jamal Shead throws one down

Raptors leading in the 3Q on NBA League Pass! pic.twitter.com/HV3EtB48xs

— NBA (@NBA) March 21, 2025​

Jonathan Mogbo

Appearing in 63 games for the Raptors this season, Mogbo averaged 6.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. In the same fashion as Shead, those numbers jump to 9.1/7.8/4.7 in the final 15 games of the season.

He lacked some of the consistency in minutes as he came in and out of the lineup due to various injuries, but always showed the ability to get back in rhythm and find ways to contribute.

His role on the team now and in the future is not as cut-and-dry as it may seem. He possesses the athleticism and physical tools to be a lob threat and cutter, completing plays like this:

MOGBO SLAM pic.twitter.com/59Tm8wyPI4

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 13, 2025​

In fact, there could be a reel of Mogbo throwing it down throughout the season, every opportunity he got.

That said, classifying him as a screener or cutter would be a massive underrepresentation of what he can do. 7th among rookies in assists, Mogbo is an underrated passer. Yes, he can make great plays at the rim, but he’s also demonstrated the ability to defer to someone else if their shot is better. This decision making led him to becoming the only rookie this season with a triple double. And he almost had two.

Mogbo with a nice rebound in traffic followed by a fast break dime to Rhoden pic.twitter.com/1LJbCqv8Gc

— Raptors Report (@RapsReport) April 10, 2025​

He can help facilitate too, which seems to be a perfect fit for the offensive system they are developing that prioritizes ball movement and finding the best scoring opportunity.

His length helped him on the defensive end, where he tallied 55 steals (5th among rookies), 34 blocks (12th among rookies) and 150 deflections (1st among rookies). There were moments that he struggled too, a little bit slow on a switch or missing a back-cut, but seemed to just pick back up on the next play.

He will need to continue to work on consistency at both ends of the court, but he showed flashes all season of his potential, and with a summer to develop, he will come back even better.

Jamison Battle

Starting 10 of the 59 games he played with the Raptors this season, Battle came to the team as a 3-point shooting threat to help space the floor. Averaging 7.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 17 minutes per game, Battle had an up and down season that garnered excitement and curiosity about his ability to contribute.

Despite early struggles, his work ethic and development were put on display. Playing 9 minutes in January and failing to score opened the door to criticism, but Battle continued to work and came back to average 10 points per game in March, capping the season with a 25 point, 9 rebound performance against San Antonio. His teammates spoke to his ability to work and improve, and he showed evidence of that as the season came to a close.

BATTLE IS COOKING pic.twitter.com/3vbluwHLkH

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 13, 2025​

The most significant part of his game has been long-range shooting. Finishing the season at a mark of 40.5% from beyond the arc, he finished with 105 total 3s, tied for 6th amongst rookies, and second-most made by a Raptors’ rookie. His skill from that distance was evident, and did exactly what it was supposed to: create space for everyone else. When asked about Battle, Garrett Temple said that “he has an elite NBA skill in shooting the basketball”.

Just like Gradey though, it didn’t take long for Battle to start to expand his game. Pump fakes, footwork, and cuts were all sprinkled in as the season went on, showing potential for more from him.

Let it fly, BATTLE pic.twitter.com/GINrHwXkjJ

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) February 12, 2025​

The biggest thing for him to work on will be defence, as he often found himself in foul trouble as his minutes increased, fouling out on two occasions and getting dangerously close several more times. With his size and shooting ability, being able to keep him on the court and in games will be imperative as an option.

Ja’Kobe Walter

Amongst the rookies, Ja’Kobe played the fewest games, struggling with a variety of injuries to his finger, hip, and shoulder, limiting his appearances. His most significant injury was to his shoulder, keeping him out to start the season. He made his debut November 1, only to re-injure his shoulder a couple games later and sit out three more weeks. Despite that, he was able to build momentum as the season went on, already setting milestones including a career high 27 points against Houston, going a perfect 5-5 from long range against Chicago, and recording his first double double with 14 points and 11 rebounds against New Orleans.

Overall, he averaged 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 21 minutes per game. His abilities as a shooter coming into the draft were one of the attributes the Raptors were seeking, and they haven’t been disappointed. His free-throw and 3-point shooting were both excellent, especially in the later stages of the season, but what is perhaps one of the most intriguing parts of Ja’Kobe’s game is his ability to shoot in the midrange. He can stop on a dime and connect from almost anywhere in that range.

He oozes confidence, taking challenging shots and making an effort to create for himself, regardless of the score, who he shared the floor with, or how impossible the situation may seem. His game winner against Orlando is the perfect example of this:

JA'KOBE WALTER GAME WINNER.

pic.twitter.com/cPlP86D3Mp

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 5, 2025​

On the defensive end, Ja’Kobe showed great effort throughout the season, but noted that part of his learning curve this year was adjusting his own defence. When asked about a welcome-to-the-NBA type moment or experience, he brought up a game against the Pacers where he was “getting hit by screens all game” trying to guard Haliburton. He mentioned watching film and learning how to adjust, and while only one example, his development on that end of the floor speaks to his willingness to learn and adjust to get better.

Continuing to make adjustments on the defensive end is one of his goals over the summer, along with continuing to “get stronger” so he is able to physically compete in the league.

—

Although this season was tough in a lot of ways, the Raptors’ rookies made late-season “meaningless” games fun. Their opportunity to build chemistry together shouldn’t be traded for anything, and has created a foundation for them as they continue to grow and develop as players individually, and as a team.

In the words of Jamal Shead, “the sky is the limit” for these guys.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/17...s-rookie-class-walter-shead-mogbo-chomche-nba

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Simulating the Draft Lottery 10 times to see if Toronto can get Cooper Flagg

David Banks-Imagn Images

How many times out of 10 can the Toronto Raptors roll a top NBA Draft pick? How possible is it for them to draft Cooper Flagg?

Cooper Flagg has officially declared for the NBA Draft. The projected No. 1 overall pick announced on his social media Monday morning that he will officially be heading to the NBA. Some of us (me) saw that announcement and immediately opened tankathon to roll the dice a few times.

The Toronto Raptors ended the season with the 7th best draft odds in the NBA. That means they have a 31.9% chance of getting a top-4 pick in the draft, and a 7.5% chance of securing the No. 1 overall pick — otherwise known as Cooper Flagg.

It’s really up to chance at this point. We can pray to the basketball gods to have mercy on Canada, but it’s really four little ping pong balls that determine fate. Though the lottery only happens once, let’s spin the tankathon wheel 10 times to see where the Raptors end up:

Spin #1:​

• Pick 1: New Orleans Pelicans
• Pick 2: Houston Rockets (via Phoenix)
• Pick 3: Washington Wizards
• Pick 4: Utah Jazz

...

• Pick 8: Toronto Raptors

Spin #2:​

• Pick 1: New Orleans Pelicans
• Pick 2: San Antonio Spurs
• Pick 3: Utah Jazz
• Pick 4: Philadelphia 76ers

...

• Pick 8: Toronto Raptors

Spin #3:​

• Pick 1: Charlotte Hornets
• Pick 2: Washington Wizards
• Pick 3: Portland Trail Blazers
• Pick 4: Brooklyn Nets

...

• Pick 8: Toronto Raptors

Spin #4:​

• Pick 1: Dallas Mavericks
• Pick 2: Brooklyn Nets
• Pick 3: Washington Wizards
• Pick 4: San Antonio Spurs

...

• Pick 9: Toronto Raptors

Spin #5:​

• Pick 1: Dallas Mavericks
• Pick 2: Charlotte Hornets
• Pick 3: Washington Wizards
• Pick 4: Utah Jazz

...

• Pick 8: Toronto Raptors

(This isn’t going well so far!!)

Spin #6:​

• Pick 1: Utah Jazz
• Pick 2: New Orleans Pelicans
• Pick 3: Philadelphia 76ers
• Pick 4: Charlotte Hornets

...

• Pick 7: Toronto Raptors

Spin #7:​

• Pick 1: San Antonio Spurs
• Pick 2: Toronto Raptors (FINALLY)
• Pick 3: Portland Trail Blazers
• Pick 4: Utah Jazz

Spin #8:​

• Pick 1: Charlotte Hornets
• Pick 2: Washington Wizards
• Pick 3: Utah Jazz
• Pick 4: Portland Trail Blazers

...

• Pick 8: Toronto Raptors

Spin #9:​

• Pick 1: Utah Jazz
• Pick 2: Toronto Raptors
• Pick 3: Portland Trail Blazers
• Pick 4: New Orleans Pelicans

Spin #10:​

• Pick 1: Brooklyn Nets
• Pick 2: Philadelphia 76ers
• Pick 3: Washington Wizards
• Pick 4: San Antonio Spurs

...

• Pick 8: Toronto Raptors

So that was... disappointing. Out of 10 spins, the Raptors only hopped up into the top-4 twice, both at the second pick. They dropped to the No. 8 pick six times, the No. 9 pick once, and stayed on-par at No. 7 once. Hate that!

For fun, I reset the system and rolled another five times, why not? In those five rolls, the Raptors landed 7th, 8th, 7th, 1st (!!!!!!!!!), and 8th.

Then I reset it again. Five more rolls: 7th, 8th, 8th, 9th, 9th. Ouch.

This time I exited out of the page, opened a new window, and reset the system a few times before rolling five more times: 8th, 8th, 8th, 4th, 8th.

25 tankathon rolls total. The breakdown ended up being 14 No.8 picks, four No. 7 picks, three No. 9 picks, two No. 2 picks, one No.4 pick and most importantly ONE No. 1 pick. Surprisingly not a single No. 3, No. 5 or No. 6 pick in 25 rolls.

The takeaway? It only takes one shot to get the No. 1 pick, but also the Raptors are more likely to land in the 7-9 range. My other takeaway is that if Dallas somehow jumps up into the top picks after not only getting Paige Bueckers No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft but also after the incredibly stupid season they had... I am going to be big mad.

Do you think the Raptors could leap up into the top-picks? Have we given enough to the hoop gods to be rewarded for out patience? I guess we will see in just a few short weeks.

For fun, three more rolls: 7th, 3rd, 9th.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/21/24413171/draft-lottery-toronto-raptors-cooper-flagg-nba

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Grading the Toronto Raptors tanking effort now that the season is over

Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Raptors HQ Staff comes together to reflect on this past NBA season.

The Toronto Raptors have finished their season, missing out on the Play-In Tournament and the Playoffs. Attention now shifts to the 2025 NBA Draft, where the team has the 7th-best odds heading into the lottery next month.

Despite this losing record and lack of postseason, the Toronto Raptors players, coaches, and front office seem pleased with the progress the team is making. The rebuild seems to be coming along, and everyone involved is hopeful to be ready to contend for a playoff spot as early as next season.

As the season ends, the Raptors HQ staff held a roundtable to discuss their thoughts and feelings after the 2024-2025 season.

What are your thoughts on this team’s future based on the season?​

Chelsea: It finally feels like the team is making progress instead of trending backwards. It almost feels like we are over the hump of this rebuild. It’s not over yet, of course, but the hardest part seems to be over. I think, given injuries, the record, and the state of the team, progress was made overall. The rookies developed more than expected, Brandon Ingram was brought in, Barnes and Barrett had great seasons. There is no reason to doubt next year will continue to trend upward.

JD: The team is definitely ending their season in a much better situation than how the team entered the season. There’s plenty to be optimistic about this team’s future, especially how this coming draft and summer free agency can further shape this team to be even better. There are still questions that need to be addressed, but at least, the team’s in a much better direction now than how the last two seasons went down.

Rebecca: They’re headed in the right direction. There’s a lot of good chemistry, and it was fun to watch everyone get solid minutes. So many of the guys on the roster showed flashes of what they’re capable of, and it gave me a lot of hope for the future. I look forward to seeing what the team looks like once everyone is healthy.

Joe: I feel more optimistic than I did heading into the season — there’s a definite path to making the play-in next year (which is partially a commentary on the state of the Eastern Conference). I suppose this is breaking the rules of the question, since this isn’t “based on the season” per se, but I don’t think I can make a call here until the draft lottery. After the Tampa season I would’ve told you things were bleak, but moving up from 7 to 4 in the draft changed that. Will this year be similar?

Jay: Masai Ujiri has done it again! Ujiri’s tenure with the Raptors has been characterized by meticulously toeing the line between building for the future while staying competitive. That formula was a win for Raptors fans, who were treated to a competitive team year after year, and a win for the front office as they stacked the roster with talent and, ultimately, cashed in their chips at the right time for a run at the title!

Masai used a similar approach in this first (and only?) rebuilding season. The front office drafted very well, re-stocked the bench with young talent, and introduced a new term into the basketball lexicon: pre-agency. The post-championship Raptors felt like there was a ceiling on the potential (not a very high one recently). But next season’s Raptors appear headed in the right direction towards the ultimate goal!

The Toronto Raptors have added three rotation-level rookies: Walter, Shead, and Mogbo, as well as a developmental project, Chomche. They have traded away Davion Mitchell, Bruce Brown Jr., and Kelly Olynyk, while acquiring Brandon Ingram. Chris Boucher, RJ Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl have remained with the team. Has the Raptors’ front office made sufficient moves to improve the team?​

Chelsea: It’s hard to judge until we see all the pieces in action together, yet on paper, it looks pretty good all things considered. Ingram should be a great addition to this team, it’s just a matter of getting him on the court next season. I am excited to see how the draft and free agency play into the roster going into next season. Yet, from a surface level, looking at the roster last season to now, the moves have improved this team’s prospects.

JD: Damn if you do, damn if you don’t. The Front office has gotten it’s share of criticism for the lack of trade deadline moves (“the price is too damn high”), but this year, they’ve done a great job at the draft, struck out during free agency, and was able to manoeuvre around the trade deadline to change the team’s timeline, for better or worse. If this is a book, these moves feel like a “prequel,” and there might be bigger moves coming up this summer. Have they done enough? I’m not fully bought in, but they’ve done enough to position themselves this summer to make some significant moves where we can say, “Oh, the Raptors are back.”

Rebecca: “Sufficient” is the key word here. They were the right moves to make for the long term (for the most part). Bruce Brown Jr. was always a trade piece, Kelly didn’t fit the timeline of the rebuild, and Davion was good but would’ve just taken minutes from Shead. Jak and RJ have both been great this season, and the rookies have all shown the ability to be contributors to the team. Ingram was a bit of a surprise to me personally, but I’m looking forward to watching him play. All of that said, I don’t think it’s enough. One more all-star calibre player (at least) and a bit more development are standing between them and competing.

Joe: Have they made sufficient moves to improve the team? Yes. How significant an improvement? Let’s see how Ingram meshes with the core (and if he stays on the court), and if Barnes can elevate his game. My hunch is that more moves need to be made for this team to make any real noise. But they’re more talented than they were last off-season.

Jay: The Raptors’ front office has done as well as you could hope for, considering the circumstances. I stand by my initial thinking that Fred VanVleet’s departure was unlucky (Houston struck out on all their free agent targets, had a LOT of money to spend, and was under the salary floor) and inadvertently kick-started this rebuild. Masai and Bobby turned OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam into Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, Ochai Agbaji, and Ja’Kobe Walter (the trade exception from the Siakam deal also helped facilitate the Jalen McDaniels trade that ultimately landed Jamal Shead). So, YES, the Raptors have done a remarkable job of improving the team!

What was your Raptors highlight of the season?​

Chelsea: Ja’Kobe’s game winner for sure. It was just so wild and unexpected and such a funny statement at the end of a weird game. Also, the shot itself looks like a stunt haha

JD: For me, it’s a toss-up between Jak’s corner three and Ja’Kobe Walter’s game winner.

Rebecca: Any of Ochai’s statement dunks. He’s just a fun player who throws it down with authority, especially in transition.

Joe: The Ja’Kobe Walter game winner was just so absurd. But also, Vince Carter’s jersey retirement was a true milestone for the franchise, and will probably be what I remember most from this season.

Jay: I’d normally answer this question the same way all of my colleagues did (and add Jamal Shead’s putback slam), but this season was all about Pooping for Coop. So, my ‘highlights’ were all the nail-biting losses! From RJ Barrett’s failed buzzer-beating threes in BOTH games against Denver, to Immanuel Quickley’s foul on Coby White, to Jaden Ivey’s buzzer-beater in Detroit. This is the rare season where losing was acceptable, and Toronto made the losses highly entertaining!

What was your Raptors lowlight of the season?​

Chelsea: The injuries for sure. It’s hard to judge a team’s compatibility when IQ barely plays the first half of the season, Scottie’s hand is injured for the last half, and the player you trade for doesn’t even play. I think we would have a much better idea of where this team is if the injuries had not been so deafening.

JD: I want to say it’s the multiple blowout losses where the team got ran out of the court early, and next thing you know, it’s a 40+-point lead. That game at Boston was one of them, where we lost by 50+ points. But overall, I didn’t expect this team to win a lot — it’s the lack of fight, heart, effort that the team showed during the first three months of the season. I would’ve been fine to see a “moral victory loss” than see the team quit several times.

Rebecca: I think for me the hardest part to watch some of the “unexpected” lineups. There would be 4 or 5 minute scoring droughts and it felt like there wasn’t many options of offence that took the wind out of the sails of whoever was on the floor. I also missed seeing Chris Boucher more.

Joe: Between the injuries and half-hearted tank, I would say the lowlight was seeing core players constantly in street clothes.

Jay: The 54-point loss to Boston was a gut punch, mainly because of the opponent and the venue. They could have lost by 30 points to Washington at Scotiabank Arena or by 80 points in Oklahoma City, but not by 54 points....to the division rival.....in their annoyingly loud arena.....just hours before celebrating the new year!

Has Coach Rajakovic secured his position for next season?​

Chelsea: Look, I am biased because I LOVE Coach as a guy. Yet, I also think he has done everything in his power to shift the tide for this team. He entered a franchise with a SERIOUS culture problem and has not only fixed it in two seasons but made it exponentially better. He is a great coach for these young developing players, not just as players but as people. He’s thoughtful and he cares about them as players but also as people. The real test for him begins next season, in my opinion. Can he uphold this culture while also coaching the team to a winning season? All I know from being around the team is that the players adore him, and Masai is happy with his work. So, to me, that seems like he is secure for the moment.

JD: The season began poorly for Coach Rajakovic, and it was so bad that it wouldn’t come as a surprise if he was let go within the first 15-20 games of the season. However, he gradually improved the team’s performance and secured “buy in” from his players, resulting in more competitive gameplay. As the latter half of the season presented a favourable schedule, we witnessed improved performances by the Raptors against teams that offered less resistance.

Looking ahead, had we not acquired Brandon Ingram, I would have been inclined to acknowledge that Coach Rajakovic has earned the opportunity to continue coaching at the start of the season, as the expectations would be lower. However, Ingram’s acquisition shifted the timeline and the expectations for both the players, coaching staff, and the front office. The critical question remains whether Rajakovic can competently lead a team expected to be competitive within the Eastern Conference next season. I have my reservations.

Rebecca: I have a really tough time with this one because I genuinely like him as a person. He seems to care a lot about the team and his players, and it’s undeniable that he made a lot of good changes. The defence improved throughout the season, and the ball movement and offence was, at times, really fun. I think that the injuries, roster changes, and overhaul of the system has made it really difficult to judge his capabilities yet. I’d like to see him have a year where he’s able to run the team at full strength and with consistency. I’m going to hold any judgement until then.

Joe: Look, Michael Malone and Taylor Jenkins were both fired 70+ games into the season, so I’m scared to say that any coach has secured their position for next season. That being said, I think Rajakovic, toward the end of the season, got results out of a not-great roster (against, yes, a soft schedule) and deserves a season with a more competitive (and hopefully available) roster. But it’ll be year three for him, and with the Ingram trade raising expectations for next season, I think the front office’s patience will be more tied to wins and losses.

Jay: Darko is good for at least one more season, which says a lot in today’s volatile environment! Let me give myself an out: Darko is good until the end of 2025, as long as the Raptors are in the playoff picture. If Toronto is scraping by in a play-in position, regardless of injuries, expect the seat to get hotter in January.

Next season, Brandon Ingram will ______:​

• improve the team
• be the new Rudy Gay
• cause more issues
• invest more on street clothes for Canadian winter
• [other]_______________

Chelsea: [other] Bring this team back to a .500 level and above team. Look, let’s be honest here and say the Eastern Conference is in rough shape. If Ingram is healthy and the other pieces of this team are healthy and things are operating as they should, this team could be in a playoff position. I might not say that if they were in the Western Conference, but in the East? Things are rough all around. A good Ingram and an improved Raptors team can compete in this conference.

JD: Be the new Rudy Gay. He will show the things that he’s good at, and mix it with the things that he gets criticized for on the floor. However, much like Rudy, the coach will have a hard time finding the right pieces to complement him, and it’ll be a struggle against teams with a good defensive game plan.

Rebecca: Improve the team. It’s hard to go down from a tanking season, and BI has a lot of talent on the offensive end that will make things easier for everyone else. My only question is fit, and I have a hard time seeing a situation where Scottie, RJ, Quickley, and BI are all getting the offensive load they want.

Joe: Something in between improving the team and being the new Rudy Gay. He’s going to bring their floor up by adding a lot of scoring juice, and he’s improved a lot as a playmaker. But I think his limitations are enough to stop him from being a real needle-mover.

Jay: [other] ....be a crowd favourite! There’s nothing more endearing to a starving fan base than a player who can get a bucket. Quickley will rain from deep, Poeltl and Barrett will score in the paint, Barnes will orchestrate from all over the court, and Ingram will own the mid-range. Brandon’s already got a great rapport with his teammates (did you see him rocking the Shead jersey after losing the Duke/Houston bet?). At some point in November, he’ll hit a clutch bucket in front of the home crowd and cement his status as fan favourite!

Scottie Barnes _____:​

• took a step forward as the team’s franchise player
• plateaued this season
• was consistently inconsistent
• other:_____________

Chelsea: [other] He improved his off-court skills. Look, it’s not exactly what you want to hear, but as the franchise’s leader, it’s important to have leadership skills. Scottie took a leap in that aspect, and it was the perfect season to do so. The culture is changing, he needed to change too. Now that he has those skills and is hopefully healthy next season, he can take the on-court leap he needs to take.

JD: At first, I thought he was revving up the gas to accelerate and take a big jump, but his usual knick-knack of injuries and performance inconsistencies plagued his season. So yeah, in a way, it felt like he plateaued this season.

Rebecca: He was consistently inconsistent. I hate to say it, too, because I’ve always been (and still am) high on his potential. The issue is that in some games, it feels like he’s not trying. There will be moments throughout the season where he is giving 110% effort and manages to chase down a block someone in transition and then turn around and drain a three. Then 10 minutes later, he’s letting someone dunk over him or running laps of the court and complaining to the refs. I’m not sure what he needs to change to be his best self all the time, but I’d like to see that happen.

Joe: Consistently inconsistent. Like Rebecca said, he spans the gamut from appearing disengaged to displaying All-Defence level chops. At 23 years old, Barnes can very well grow his game and take a step up. But to me, this past season did not feel like a step up from his All-Star season in 2023-24.

Jay: I’m the only one who thought Barnes took a step forward? If you remember the 2023-2024 season, Barnes was occasionally seen arguing with teammates. This season, Scottie took ownership of his role as the team’s leader, on and off the court. Yes, he was consistently inconsistent, but so were the tank-driven lineups he was constantly playing in. I honestly expected a rougher transition for Scottie, considering some of the immaturity he displayed in previous seasons. Barnes has shown enough to be Toronto’s leader for the present and future.

Did the Raptors effectively pursue a strategy to secure a higher draft pick?​

Chelsea: If they were trying to tank, they failed. If they were trying to develop the rookies they drafted last season, they succeeded. In terms of a draft pick, I mean they didn’t exactly secure Cooper Flagg odds but it’s not impossible. Tanking is weird and hard.

JD: This is the draft to be picking at the top, and having a top 4 pick at worst would be ideal. A top 3 selection can reshape the team’s future while keeping up with the front office’s decision to expedite their timeline. The team should have decided whether to pursue the best lottery odds or believe on the development of their existing young talent and aim for play-in contention. The last 20 games have disappointed fans with a poor product with half-hearted tanking and key players sitting out. The team needs to either make tanking worthwhile or provide entertaining games; there’s no middle ground.

Rebecca: Not even close. They were out-tanked by teams like the Jazz, Wizards, and Brooklyn, the result of which will now probably be a middle-of-the-lottery pick. It’s a deep draft and the Raptors seem to always find what they’re looking for regardless of the number, but they probably could’ve done more to drop some of the games this season. That said, I’m kind of glad they didn’t. It’s hard as a fan to watch a 15-game season and with the way teams can rise and fall in the draft, it might not have made a difference anyways.

Joe: No. But in fairness to them this was a very competitive tanking season, defined by juggernauts like the Wizards, Jazz and Hornets.

Jay: Sigh. Yes. Surprise, surprise. Mr. Glass Half-Full is drinking the tea again. Think of the alternative, folks. If the Raptors successfully secured a bottom-3 record, that would mean the rookies AND the core would have underperformed. Cooper Flagg (or the chance of landing the pick for Cooper Flagg) is going to save a team with no bench and no young talent? Toronto’s in a better position now, with a more complete roster, than it would have been had they finished with 10+ more losses.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/22/24404937/toronto-raptors-season-grades-tank-lottery-draft

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Grading the Toronto Raptors' sneaky yet effective two-way contract strategy

Photo by Melissa Tamez/NBAE via Getty Images

Player Reviews? No, this is more like a review of how the Raptors effectively used their Two-Way Contract roster spots.

The Toronto Raptors actively used their Two-Way roster spots for the second straight season to achieve long-term and short-term goals. This is a big departure from the past few seasons when the team was much more patient to see if their Two-Way prospect would pan out (or not). Also, having a third Two-Way contract slot gave the team much more flexibility to evaluate prospects in different stages of their careers.

The Raptors had several names attached to their Two-Way spots this past season:

• DJ Carton
• Branden Carlson
• Jamison Battle
• Orlando Robinson
• Jared Rhoden
• AJ Lawson
• Ulrich Chomche

It’s been a blur, I may have missed a name or two from that list.

Looking into the “linear roster spot champs,” here’s how I believe it went down:

• 2W #1: Ulrich Chomche (Undisputed, #AndStill)
• 2W #2: DJ Carton —> AJ Lawson —> VACANT
• 2W #3: Branden Carlson —> Jamison Battle —> Orlando Robinson —> Jared Rhoden (#AndNew)

Development at its finest pic.twitter.com/8XdD23BHOL

— Raptors 905 (@Raptors905) April 16, 2025​

Heading into last year’s free agency, the Raptors had two Two-Way contract players in DJ Carton and Mo Gueye, with Javon Freeman-Liberty’s Two-Way contract converted into a multi-year “prove-em training camp deal.” Gueye was released during the free-agency period because, “Hey, we have Mo Gueye at home (Chris Boucher), who’s a much better player, but we don’t even want to play him.” Branden Carlson signed as a UDFA after the draft and got one of the Raptors’ 2W spots but lost the training camp battle (pun intended) to Jamison Battle, who took his 2W spot. On the other hand, DJ Carton survived the training camp. Still, injuries robbed him of an opportunity to show what he can do. The Raptors quickly moved on to AJ Lawson, who “visited home” and torched the Raptors 905 while playing for the Long Island Nets.

Midway through the season, Battle impressed enough to have his contract converted. His spot briefly went to Orlando Robinson, whom the Raptors did not see a future on their roster. He waived him after helping the team win unnecessary games, and he swiftly promoted Jared Rhoden from the Raptors 905 to take Robinson’s spot. Meanwhile, the Raptors converted AJ Lawson’s 2W contract into a standard contract before the end of the season, leaving the Raptors an empty 2W spot to end the season.

Oh, we almost forgot about Ulrich Chomche. Chomche is a long-term project, so his spot is safe even though he suffered a season-ending injury a few months ago. Let’s look at the Two-Way Prospects:

Jared Rhoden​

Raptors: 10 GP, 21.5 MIN, 11.4 PTS, 32.4% 3P%, 3.8 REB, 1.4 AST​

Raptors 905: 26 GP, 31.4 MIN, 19 PTS, 39.3% 3P%, 6.9 REB, 3.4 AST, 1.3 STL​

Jared Rhoden had a night to remember! The @Raptors two-way signee recorded a career-high in scoring and tied his career-high in three-pointers made. pic.twitter.com/YsSFDP5Dzf

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) March 30, 2025​

Rhoden started the season on the Toronto Raptors’ training camp roster, missing the cut. Shortly after, the Charlotte Hornets signed him to a Two-Way contract. However, Rhoden did not survive the season at Charlotte, as injuries and Isaiah Wong’s strong play forced the Hornets to waive him early in December. That situation worked out well for the Raptors, as Rhoden found himself back in the Raptors’ organization, this time with the Raptors 905. Rhoden recovered in time for the “Regular season” part of the G League season, joining a stacked Raptors 905 roster. He gave Coach Dru Jones plenty of flexibility, adjusting to the team's needs. He’s been in and out of the starting lineup, effortlessly floating between the first and fourth options depending on the game, alternating between playing off-ball, hunting for his shots, and being tasked with creating some advantage.

With the Raptors 905, Rhoden dialled up his aggressiveness as a starter, hunting and looking to create more often. Coming off the bench, his minutes and touches were dialed down, but his efficiency got better. He scored 15 points on 55.2% shooting, including 48.6% from behind the arc, in 9 games. However, the most exciting part of Rhoden’s young Raptor career is when his number got called in the fourth quarter back in March/April, aka Darko’s Tank Strategy, where he would sit his key players in the fourth quarter. Rhoden played heavy minutes in the fourth quarter over his last nine games, averaging 8.6 minutes and putting up 5.3 points while shooting a whopping 46% from behind the arc. He made it tough for the Raptors to tank on games and played meaningful minutes.

Rhoden had a couple of stellar games—a 25/12/5/4 game against the Philadelphia 76ers and a tough 23/7/4 performance against the Charlotte Hornets, where he played through a torn labrum. Unfortunately, Rhoden suffered a shoulder injury in the Raptors’ home finale against the Hornets when he got tangled with Taj Gibson. While he showed his toughness and resilience by playing through the injury to finish the game, the injury was worse than it looked, and the Raptors just recently announced that Rhoden underwent shoulder surgery that might put him on the shelf for 4-6 months.

Jared Rhoden underwent surgery this week to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Recovery & rehab time is estimated at 4-6 months. Tough break for a player who showed promise at the G League & NBA level this season. He’ll miss most of the team’s summer development program.

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 22, 2025​

That’s a tough break for Rhoden, which puts his roster spot in a precarious position. The timetable takes him out of the Summer League, and a return in time for the training camp (late September) will have to depend on a fast recovery.

AJ Lawson​

Raptors: 26 GP, 18.7 MIN, 9.1 PTS, 32.7% 3P%, 3.3 REB, 1.2 AST​

Raptors 905: 26 GP, 19.6 PTS, 38.2% 3P%, 4.7 REB, 2.4 AST, 1.3 STL​

AJ Lawson had a couple of cups of coffee with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Dallas Mavericks, but the Toronto native may have found a home right in his backyard. Lawson started the season as a free agent, landing a gig with the Long Island Nets. A hot start, punctuated by an electric performance in front of his hometown crowd at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre, likely caught the Raptors’ attention. Arguably his best game at the NBA G League level this past season, Lawson demolished the Raptors 905 with 37 points, seven boards, and three steals. He was such a ball of energy that coach Drew Jones and his Raptors 905 could not contain him that entire night. Lawson joined an already stacked Raptors 905 roster after waiving DJ Carton early in December and had pretty good production, putting up 19.6 points and 4.7 boards while hitting 38.2% from behind the arc. Despite a bit of a dip compared to his counting stats while playing for the Long Island Nets, Lawson’s much more efficient as a 905er, given the fewer minutes and touches.

Lawson did not see any meaningful minutes until the Raptors raised the white flag on their season, playing in 21 of the final 22 games, including as a starter twice. Coach Darko Rajakovic gave him a long look, averaging approximately 22 minutes per game during this stretch. Lawson scored 10.7 points and four boards while shooting 41.8% from the field, including 32.3% from behind the arc. Perhaps his best stretch as a Raptor came during the three-game stretch against the Wizards, Sixers, and the Jazz, where he averaged 26 points and 7.6 boards while going 13-for-28 from behind the arc. Defensively, he could channel his energy and motor to contribute to the team’s try-hard defence, and he gambled less defensively compared to his NBA G League tenure.

Lawson’s performance convinced management to give him a pay bump, elevating him to a standard contract right before the end of the season and potentially giving him the right to fight for a roster spot in this coming training camp. For Lawson, he’s shown that he can be a good fit for coach Rajakovic’s offence – he won’t shy away from presenting himself as a play finisher, sometimes, for better or worse. He will need to spend the summer working on his efficiency, as he won’t always get the mid-to-heavy minutes he got late in the season. Suppose Lawson can show that he can come in for 10-12 minutes, be efficient, and have the ability to scale up his production with extended minutes. In that case, he may be able to hold on to a roster spot next season.

Ulrich Chomche​

Raptos (TOT): 7 GP, 5 PTS, 2 FG, 5 BLK, 2A​

Raptors 905: 33 GP, 7.1 PTS, 7.6 REB, 1.1 AST, 2.9 BLK, 2.9 PF​

There’s nothing noteworthy statistically for us to be excited about Chomche’s rookie season, where he spent more time with the Raptors 905 than with the main club. However, looking at his season as a whole (Raptors + Raptors 905), seeing how he’s progressed is encouraging. The club eased him in slowly with their G League team, with Chomche initially pegged to come off the bench behind Branden Carlsen. He looked raw as the Raptors 905’s backup big, and a “two years away from being two years away” label wouldn’t be a stretch. As fate would have it, Carlson would receive a call-up early in the season, forcing coach Drew Jones’ hand to start Chomche.

BIG BLOCK FROM CHOMCHE pic.twitter.com/lkMxR8eA0I

— Raptors 905 (@Raptors905) January 30, 2025​

Chomche mixed flashes of his potential sprinkled between plays of looking lost, out of position, and having overall inexperience early in the Tip-Off tournament part of the G League season. However, Chomche’s confidence grew as the games went on, especially once he got used to the game speed and also had a much better grasp of his position offensively and defensively. While coach Jones did not call many plays for him, Chomche gradually improved on reading what was happening on the floor and finding the spots to put himself in a position to be a play finisher.

Chomche’s defensive instincts allowed him to make excellent defensive plays, especially around the rim. However, playing off instincts also exposed him in some situations, but those are growing pains. Chomche’s energy, activity, and flashes of oozing potential were fun to watch, especially if he’s barely scratching the surface of what he can do. If anything, Chomche’s “recovery range” defensively is so huge, given how light he is on his feet, to go along with his quickness and length. If he figures it out defensively, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with.

Playing time with the main club was not in Chomche’s cards until the Raptors reached the Tankathon part of their season. Still, he did get the rotation-level type of run against the Philadelphia 76ers. Against Joel Embiid, Chomche had 12 minutes of cardio and acted as a blocking pad. Against Embiid, Chomche looked small physically. Embiid understandably had the strength advantage, but Chomche showed how light he is on his feet and showcased his length. He managed to stay in front of Embiid for the most part and recovered fast enough when he helped out. He did, at times, fall for Embiid’s dirty tricks, and that’s probably his “Welcome to the NBA” story.

Masai says one of disappointments was the injury to Ulrich Chomche. Felt he was really progressing defensively to the point he was one of better defenders in G League at 18 years old. Indicates people might be sleeping on him a bit due to work ethic and talent. "Will take time."

— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) April 16, 2025​

Unfortunately, before the All-Star break, Chomche had a freak accident while playing for the Raptors 905. His teammates rolled his knee, resulting in an MCL tear. Overall, Chomche’s rookie season is a moderate success. Still, he’ll need to spend more time with the Raptors 905 next season.

***

Instead of giving individual end-of-season grades for the Two-Way prospects, it’s more appropriate to grade the team’s overall utilization of the two-way roster spots this season. Consider this:

• They have made a long-term move by identifying Chomche and stashing him to a Two-Way spot — an A- move;
• They quickly moved on from Branden Carlson to promote Jamison Battle, whom the organization identified as a Georges Niang-type who can come in at any point of the game and hit a couple of trifectas. This is a solid B+ (the only gripe here is that the Raptors should have used DJ Carton’s spot instead).
• Picking up AJ Lawson to replace Carton is an A+ — he fits the Raptors’ style of play and showed what he can do with the main club.
• Using the spots to evaluate and identify prospects was a solid A+ move, cycling through Carlson, Battle, Orlando Robinson, and Jared Rhoden. They have made a compelling upcoming training camp battle with a lot of continuity and competition for next season’s last few roster spots.

Overall, we give the Raptors an “A” for excellent and creative use of their Two-Way spots.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/25...lrich-chomche-rhoden-lawson-two-way-contracts

 

[Toronto Raptors]

One of these NBA Draft prospects could be Masai’s next Masterstroke

Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

An early look at several mock drafts to find the consensus top 10 prospects. Is the future Raptor on this list?

As much as we would love the Raptors to land the #1 overall pick, a.k.a. Cooper Flagg, there’s a big chance that the Raptors could end up anywhere in the top 10. We looked at several NBA mock drafts to get a good feel for the players who could be available for the Toronto Raptors in this coming draft. Based on the average draft range, we came up with five tiers, and there’s a good chance that one of these prospects will be a Raptor after the 1st round of the NBA draft.

Honorable Mentions​

These prospects have a wider range, some appearing as high as 7th overall and as low as late in the first round. However, it’s worth watching these guys, as they could sneak into the mid-lottery range depending on how the ping-pong balls land.

Collin Murray-Boyles, PF, 6’7” - South Carolina (20)​

Jase Richardson, SG, 6’3” - Michigan State (18.7)​

Asa Newell, PF, 6’10” - Georgia (19.7)​

Egor Demin, Combo Guard, 6’9” - BYU (19.3)​

Noa Essengue, SF/PF, 6’9” - Ratiopharm Ulm (18.5)​

Out of these prospects, it’s easy to project what Jase Richardson and Collin Murray-Boyles can bring. Asa Newell, Noa Essengue, and, to some extent, Egor Demin are all “mystery boxes.” Mystery, as in you could be getting a potential star, a quality starter, a bench player, or a bust. What they can do at the NBA level is also a mystery, as they would need a longer developmental runway. Still, they are intriguing, especially for the Vision 6’9” hive.

Tier 5​

Khaman Maluach, C, 7’2” - Duke (18.8)​

Jeremiah Fears, PG, 6’4” - Oklahoma (18.7)​

Kasparas Jakucionis, Combo Guard, 6’6” - Illinois (19.1)​

Of these three prospects, Jeremiah Fears could go as high as the 5th pick but has some doubters, ranking him late or barely outside the lottery, which speaks of his polarizing talent. He’s an explosive on-ball guard, a scorer and playmaker, and quite an aggressor. However, Fears’s size, frame, and physical strength have caused draft pundits to double-take on his draft position.

Perhaps one of the most well-rounded players in the lottery range outside of Flagg, Kasparas Jakuciounis’s playmaking, court vision, scoring versatility, and size/positional flexibility make him a great fit for any team that would draft him. ESPN’s got him as the 7th best prospect, and The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie’s got him 5th on his board. However, some draft pundits might not see a high ceiling due to his average athleticism and quickness, as it’s already evident against lower-level competition.

Khaman Maluach hitting between the legs stepback 3s at 7-foot-2 in warmups. pic.twitter.com/UpU7eEAHUk

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) March 28, 2025​

Khaman Maluach is probably the biggest enigma in this draft. Standing at 7’2”, Maluach combines intriguing physical attributes with his developing skill set offensively and defensively that, if it translates well at the NBA level, could make him a big problem for many NBA teams. Maluach is a “project” at this point, and his inconsistencies plagued him throughout his freshman year at Duke, including a disappointing Final Four performance where he grabbed his shorts more than the rebound. Still, he can potentially be a dominant two-way centre at the NBA level.

Tier 4​

Tre Johnson, SG, 6’6” - Texas (19.3)​

Kon Knueppel, SG/SF, 6’7” - Duke (19.9)​

Derik Queen, C, 6’10” - Maryland (20.5)​

This tier represents the 5-8 range at this early point of the draft, but Tre Johnson might be the only one from this group who would get picked in the top 8 when it’s all said and done. That’s very likely because of his elite three-level scoring and ability to deliver under pressure. However, his elite skill set is a double-edged sword, as he looks like a rich version of Cam Thomas, with questions about playmaking, shot selection, and defense.

Kon Kneuppel is an excellent shooter, but he’s more than that. He makes good decisions on the floor, and while he’s neither athletic nor explosive, he’s physical on both ends. However, additional limitations, such as foot speed, hamper his draft stock, as there are some reservations on whether he can defend quicker and more explosive wings/guards.

DERIK QUEEN. MARCH. CINEMA.

MARYLAND BEATS COLORADO ST. AT THE BUZZER TO HEAD TO THE SWEET 16

(via @MarchMadnessMBB) pic.twitter.com/wpUElsOgqJ

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 24, 2025​

Derik Queen is one of the — if not the most polished big in this draft. He’s skilled on the post, both as a scorer and a playmaker, and has all of the offensive attributes of a modern big. However, reservations about his height and position prevent him from entering the top 5 conversations. Despite being an undersized center, Queen’s athleticism is limited and doesn’t offer much rim protection. He could be a tweener, where he’s too small to play center but too slow against the big wings masquerading as a power forward.

Tier 3​

VJ Edgecombe, SG, 6’5” - Baylor ( 19.9)​

Ace Bailey, SF, 6’10” - Rutgers (18.9)​

These two prospects are the consensus third and fourth picks of this draft, and who goes third and fourth is a hotly debated topic. For now, Ace Bailey might have a slight upper hand, but his size, athleticism, and scoring ability as a big wing make him an intriguing prospect. However, Bailey’s shot selection, decision-making, and sloppy handle got him at this range instead of the next tier or two.

Ace Bailey is in. The nonsense about the @RutgersMBB freshman not being a team player or one dimensional earlier in the season is laughable. Just watch the highlights from just one game earlier in the season. He will be an elite NBA shot maker. pic.twitter.com/APmEBAPyEs

— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) April 23, 2025​

VJ Edgecombe’s blend of athleticism, explosiveness, motor, defensive intensity, and overall activity on both ends of the floor makes him one of the most exciting prospects to watch. His offense is still a bit of a work in progress, as his perimeter shooting and handles need some work, but when he does, he could make a run as one of the best prospects of this draft. However, Edgecombe’s stock might take a hit if his Draft Combine measurements don’t work in his favour.

Tier 2​

Dylan Harper, Combo Guard, 6’6” - Rutgers (19.3)​

The consensus #2 pick of this draft, Dylan Harper, is a crafty scorer and finisher. He leverages his strength, body control, handles, and footwork to go through his defender and traffic and finish around the rim. Harper’s court vision, solid decision-making, and feel for the game allow him to make excellent decisions when creating for himself or for his teammates. His perimeter shooting was inconsistent at best during his stay at Rutgers, but his shot doesn’t look broken. Suppose there’s one thing to nitpick about Harper. In that case, it’s his average level of explosiveness (both accelerating and finishing) that gets him in trouble at times.

Tier 1​

Cooper Flagg, SF/PF, 6’9” - Duke (18.5)​

I rolled the NBA draft simulator like 30 times to see how many times the Toronto Raptors could get Cooper Flagg, because why not?https://t.co/PT58yqq6xq

— chelsea leite (@chelsealeite) April 21, 2025​

The undisputed, reigning, defending #1 overall pick, Cooper Flagg is the most versatile player on this draft on both ends of the floor. He offers high-level defensive versatility, capable of guarding up to five positions. Offensively, he’s a three-level scorer with an excellent feel for the game. On top of that, it’s rare for a blue-chip player to play with a relentless effort, trying to impact the game not just with big plays but willing to do the small things, including hustle plays.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/30/24419736/raptors-draft-prospects-masai-cooper-flagg-dylan-harper

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s next international head coach has been revealed

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Sportsnet’s Michael Grange broke news on a new coaching hire Wednesday afternoon.

Big Canada Basketball news broke Wednesday afternoon as Sportsnet’s Michael Grange revealed a big hire for the international team.

Per Grange’s sources, Canada Basketball has hired Gord Herbert to coach the Senior Men’s team through the 2028 Olympics. Herbert currently coaches Bayern Munich in the Euroleague and led Germany to a Men’s World Cup gold medal in 2023.

Gord Herbert is new head coach for @CanBball men’s team through the 2028 Olympics, per sources. Herbert, a Canadian, is head coach for EuroLeague club Bayern Munich & previously led Germany to @FIBA World Cup gold in 2023, and @EuroBasket gold in ‘22. Story up soon @Sportsnet.

— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) April 30, 2025​

If his name being Gord Herbert didn’t give it away, he’s Canadian. I think Gord Herbert is the most Canadian name in existence. This aligns with Canada Basketball’s apparent focus on hiring Canadian talent in order to continue to foster a strong Canadian identity within the federation.

Grange reported on Herbert’s spot atop the shortlist for this position in recent months. Now, he reports Canada Basketball is expected to make the official announcement as soon as Thursday.

His German gold-medal-winning team included NBA talent like former Toronto Raptor Dennis Schröder, and his new Canada team will have even more NBA talent. Players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Lu Dort and more are all expected to make returns to the National Team in this next cycle, per Grange.

Herbert apparently “checks all the boxes” for Team Canada GM Rowan Barrett, and the team will be pushing for a medal at the LA Olympics. Those priorities included a coach that has experience in winning medals in international basketball, which Herbert does of course. He also played for Team Canada at the 1984 Olympic Games.

While the men’s side has more time to acclimate to a new head coach, while also bringing back a lot of their core for the next World Cup/Olympic cycle, time is ticking for the women’s team. They will presumably head into training camp in June before playing in the Women’s AmeriCup, then head right into the qualification cycle for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Germany.

The women’s team is also going through a lot of change, unlike the Men’s roster. With veteran players on their way out and a new generation of fresh and exciting talent coming in, surely the hope with this hire is that it will be a long-term relationship. Per Grange’s reporting, Canada Basketball has a “preferred candidate” and is waiting for the negotiations to be finalized before revealing who that is. The candidate is said to have NCAA, WNBA and international basketball experience.

Despite all these changes, the Canada Basketball programs are still connected in their purpose: to bring Canada home some hardware. Both men’s and women’s programs have podium aspirations, and the talent coming up to achieve those. Aaliyah Edwards commented at her Washington Mystics Media Day that the Canadian Women’s team keeps connected pretty much weekly as they await their next tournament.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/30...mpics-gord-herbert-gilgeous-alexander-barrett

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Canada Basketball hires ex-Team USA Olympic coach to lead women’s team

Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Canada Basketball’s next Women’s Head Coach retired from the NCAA only to be picked up by Canada weeks later.

After the news of Gord Herbert’s hiring as Canada Basketball’s next Men’s Head Coach, the federation announced their new Women’s team coach on Monday. Taking up the position will be Nell Fortner, who is coming out of a checks notes month-ish long retirement to lead this team.

It’s a fantastic hire for Canada for several reasons. First, Fortner has coaching experience at every level — she most recently coached in the NCAA for Georgia Tech, leading them to several weeks ranked in the top-25 this past season. She also coached in the NCAA at Auburn and Purdue in the past. She has WNBA experience as the Head Coach and General Manager of the Indiana Fever from 1999-2003. She also coached Team USA women’s basketball team at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, leading them to Gold.

The experience is one thing, but her exact experience fits into the needs of the current Canada Basketball women’s team so well. Canada’s young stars are currently in the NCAA — Syla Swords at Michigan, Toby Fournier at Duke, Avery Howell at USC and now at Washington. Delaney Gibb just won Big-12 Freshman of the Year at BYU, and Jasmine Bascoe had a great postseason at Villanova. Agot Makeer recently committed to South Carolina to play under Dawn Staley, and Savvy Swords has one more year left of high school. These players will all likely be in the Canada Basketball system for years to come, and having a coach that understands how to develop them NOW is spectacular for the next phase of this program’s progression. Coaches will tell you there are big differences between coaching at the collegiate level as opposed to the professional level. It’s why some of the biggest names in college basketball — Dawn Staley, Dan Hurley, and Kim Mulkey — have all publicly declined taking NBA/WNBA jobs.

Knowing how to coach college players differently will be extremely helpful for Fortner in these next few years. Yet her current biggest stars play in the WNBA — Bridget Carleton, Kia Nurse, Aaliyah Edwards, and Laeticia Amihere — experience Fortner also checks off. Those early years in the WNBA were formative in developing the culture of franchises, and Fortner’s experience with the Fever will help her bring out the best in her current WNBA stars.

The piece of the puzzle here that is intriguing is the Team USA Basketball experience. Team USA is a well-oiled machine. They know how to pump out gold-medal winning teams like no other basketball federation worldwide. Hiring someone who has experience with that system is fantastic for Canada. Fortner has won a gold medal at the Olympics, she knows what it takes, and she knows how to feels to finally reach that point. Who better to lead Canada to the podium than someone who knows the view from the top? According to Canada Basketball, Fortner “the winningest coach in USA Basketball women’s history, with a staggering 101-14 record, including gold medals at the 1998 FIBA World Championship and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Nell to Canada Basketball,” said Steve Baur, General Manager and Vice-President, Women’s High Performance. “She’s a proven leader with deep experience at the highest levels of the sport, and someone whose values and vision strongly align with the standards our program has committed to for the future.”

The hiring process for Fortner seems interesting, too — she had just announced her retirement from Georgia Tech women’s basketball about a month ago. According to a tweet from Sportnet’s Michael Grange, Canada Basketball cold-called her shortly after to gauge interest in their open position, and she was interested.

She hit all the boxes in this search for Canada Basketball, a list of experience that was public in reporting about the search. They wanted someone with WNBA and NCAA experience, along with international experience — but also a track record of winning results. That’s Nell Fortner.

“I’m honoured to join Canada Basketball and help lead this next chapter for the Senior Women’s National Team,” said Fortner. “I’ve followed the rise of this program for years and have great respect for the culture the organization and players are building. This is a special group with the talent, toughness and togetherness and they have the ability to achieve something great – I’m excited to get to work.”

Canada’s basketball athletes also had a say in the hiring process — they met with team leadership last fall to make sure everyone was on the same page about the future of the program. They outlined qualities they wanted in their next head coach. Baur said it set a “clear tone” for next steps.

On the athletes’ side, 25 Canadians have committed to the program through the 2026 World Cup, willing to do whatever it takes to help build the team up. Since qualifying tournaments happen all year round, having a deep roster of athletes to dive into when others are unavailable due to WNBA commitments or the NCAA season will help build culture. Canada Basketball announced the pool of 25 players that will be a part of this next chapter.

“We were clear about what this program needs to reach the next level — and that started with setting our own standards for commitment and accountability,” said two-time Olympian and Senior Women’s National Team athlete, Bridget Carleton. “This isn’t just about how we show up, but how we push toward something bigger.”

Canada’s Senior Women’s National Team will compete this summer at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup. The top six teams will qualify for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament, which takes place next March. The team will also hold a training camp this November in Victoria, B.C., as it continues preparations for the next stage of FIBA World Cup qualification.

Here is the current Canadian player pool:

• Kayla Alexander – Milton, Ont.
• Jasmine Bascoe – Milton, Ont.
• Niyah Becker – Winnipeg, Man.
• Bridget Carleton – Chatham, Ont.
• Shay Colley – Brampton, Ont.
• Shy Day-Wilson – Toronto, Ont.
• Quinn Dornstauder – Regina, Sask.
• Yvonne Ejim – Calgary, Alta.
• Aaliyah Edwards – Kingston, Ont.
• Delaney Gibb – Raymond, Alta.
• Taliyah Henderson – Vail, Arizona
• Sami Hill – Toronto, Ont.
• Avery Howell – Boise, Idaho
• Phillipina Kyei – Calgary, Alta.
• Latasha Lattimore – Toronto, Ont.
• Agot Makeer – Thunder Bay, Ont.
• Kia Nurse – Hamilton, Ont.
• Shaina Pellington – Pickering, Ont.
• Emily Potter – Winnipeg, Man.
• Merissah Russell – Ottawa, Ont.
• Savvy Swords – Sudbury, Ont.
• Syla Swords – Sudbury, Ont.
• Sarah Te-Biasu – Montreal, Que.
• Tara Wallack – Surrey, B.C.
• Keishana Washington – Pickering, Ont.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/5/5/24424384/canada-basketball-nell-fortner-olympics-team-usa-ncaa