Raptors preseason debut takeaways: Absences mount while Jamal Shead impresses

MONTREAL — After watching the Toronto Raptors head to British Columbia for training camp on several occasions over the last four years, Montreal didn’t get the team’s best version when it finally got to host it for a week.

That isn’t a criticism of this year’s team, although sure, there have been spicier groups. No, those who attended Friday’s open practice at McGill University didn’t get to see Scottie Barnes, who missed the first four days of camp because of a personal matter, or Immanuel Quickley, who has a sprained thumb. The Raptors gave those two players about $400 million over the offseason.

The recognizable names dwindled at the Raptors’ preseason opener against the Washington Wizards on Sunday night, a 125-98 win. RJ Barrett, who was getting some valuable reps as the main initiator of the Raptors offence, suffered a right shoulder contusion on an illegal screen from Jonas Valančiūnas in the second quarter. Barrett tried to play through it but left the game shortly after the play.

He had 17 points and two assists in 14 minutes before exiting. Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said Barrett will be re-evaluated Monday, which is not the “It’s fine” the Raptors would have preferred.

Beyond the Montreal fans’ not getting to see one of the best Canadian basketball players in the world in their lone opportunity this year, this is an issue for the Raptors. Barnes and Quickley are expected back shortly, but Toronto also is without Bruce Brown (arthroscopic knee surgery) and first-round pick Ja’Kobe Walter (AC joint strain). With Barrett, those are five of the top 11 or so players in the rotation. This is an exceptionally young team that can use all the on-court minutes that are available, even if the players spent lots of time together over the summer.

The Raptors start the year playing 15 of their first 20 games against playoff teams from last season and go on a five-game trip in the third week of the season. There is time to get familiar with one another, but this is not an ideal start.

Here is what else stood out from the Raptors’ first unofficial game of the season.

Jamal Shead is your new favourite player

The first possession he was on the floor, Jamal Shead stole a pass. A few moments later, he got another steal. To end the first quarter, he drew an offensive foul on first-round pick Bub Carrington, smacking the floor with both hands in delight. Drawing a charge, Shead said, is his favourite defensive play to make.

It will be easy to adore Shead. The Raptors used their second of three second-round picks on Shead, the stout guard from Houston who was the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in his senior season. That aligns with the Raptors’ effort to get better at defending the ball this year. They immediately gave him a guaranteed contract.

Shead added a bit of offence, knowing how to cut when the ball went into Kelly Olynyk or Jakob Poeltl. He had a pair of impressive finishes — one going across his body with his right, another a lefty reverse. He also is worth watching on the bench for celebrations, doing a modified “electric slide” after a 3 from Jahmi’us Ramsey.

.@Thejshead getting it done on both ends 👏 pic.twitter.com/bhYyCBtbj3

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 7, 2024

The defence is the thing, though. He is tireless, as Bilal Coulibaly learned. Shead harassed the second-year Wizard in the paint, not letting him get a shot off, leading to a shot-clock violation. When he hounded Jordan Poole, Quickley yelled, “I see you two-three” from the bench. Shead wears 23.

From fellow two-way guard DJ Carton to Exhibit 10 signee Ramsey to offseason acquisition Davion Mitchell (also excellent in his Raptors debut), there are a lot of people in line for minutes behind Quickley. Rajaković and Chris Boucher mentioned how Mitchell and Shead can push each other as the team prioritizes on-ball defence. He finished with 10 points, four assists and three steals.

“When Davion is guarding you (in practice), it’s really hard,” Shead said of his offence. “I tried to slow down a little bit today, but with him not in front of me, everything kind of opened up.”

Mitchell will get the first shot at the backup minutes. But Shead might be hard to keep on the bench or in Mississauga if he keeps this up.

The Jonathan Mogbo Experiment might make the Pascal Siakam Experiment look quaint.

Siakam, whom the Raptors picked 27th in the 2016 NBA Draft, took 17 3s in two college seasons. After taking just seven 3s in his rookie season, he took 132 in 81 games in his sophomore season. He shot a poor percentage, but the reps helped. In his third season, he was right around the league average on 2.7 attempts per game, and the Raptors won a championship.

The Raptors took Mogbo with the first pick of the second round in June’s draft. He took just two 3s in his two NCAA seasons. In Friday’s scrimmage at McGill University, he took three. The first two missed the rim altogether. He found iron on the second.

Friday and Sunday, he started in place of Barnes.

“That’s a skill at this level he needs to develop,” Rajaković said before the game. “It’s very important for him that he’s taking those opportunities and getting better because he’s putting in a lot of work to improve his shot. It’s going to be a process, but I believe that he’s going to be able to get it right.”

Mogbo was not willing to let it fly in the game, and it was immediately apparent why he needs the shot. When he was playing with a non-shooting centre, Poeltl, the spacing was cramped. Mogbo often looked to get to the dunker’s spot, but the presence of real 7-footers negates the advantage he often had in college. He came off the bench and played next to Olynyk in the second half and it was a snugger fit.

Mogbo looks ready to grab and go in transition as well as crash the offensive glass. That is how Mogbo has a chance to earn some minutes while the shot comes along. Mogbo had 5 points and five assists.

Gradey Dick is dangerous off the bounce

Even when he struggled to start his rookie year, it was apparent there was more to Dick’s game than just a sweet jumper. He attacked closeouts very well, a necessary skill if you are going to attract attention on the weak side.

Dick scored four buckets in the first quarter, and they all came from those moments. Twice, Dick took hard dribbles to his right and pulled up and hit midrange jumpers. He also hit a floater in the lane and a tough, high-arching lefty layup off the glass coming off a screen from Poeltl. He showed some awareness in the open floor, too, hitting Mogbo for an alley-oop.

With the injuries to Brown and Walter, Dick should start on opening night. We will see how he holds up defensively against starters, but he can be trusted with the ball.

Le roi de Montreal (The king of Montreal)

Without Barnes and Quickley, there was no competition for most popular Raptor this week in Montreal. It was Boucher in a landslide.

He got a huge ovation at McGill on Friday, and an even louder one as he greeted the fans in French before the game. Boucher is beloved in the city, and deservedly so: His journey to the NBA, a championship ring, a rotation spot and two nice contracts has been incredibly unlikely.

Boucher is in the final season of his three-year deal. It would have been a nice opportunity to start him, but Rajaković wanted him in the role he is most likely to fill with the Raptors. Boucher was the first big off the bench and received another warm greeting.