Last night’s game vs the Thunder was definitely an upgrade (summer league wise) compared to this time last year. Toronto was suffocating on defence, allowing on 10 first quarter points (on 3-20 shooting) and forcing 10 first half turnovers. Ball movement was also a point of emphasis. 25 of the Raptors 36 field goals were assisted. Toronto ended the game on a 20-5 run to win by 25.
Not mentioning everyone who played (I’ll save ones I didn’t for future games), but some thoughts:
18 pts (6-17 FG), 10 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl
Oddly enough, Gradey is one of the vets for a summer league roster that features 11 rookies. Jama Mahlalela mentioned postgame that the team is trying to evaluate Dick’s all around game. He stuffed the stat sheet and was aggressive with his own shot in a variety of ways, which is what you want to see in summer league regardless of the fact he missed all four of this threes.
Jamal Shead (7 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast in 19 min)
Shead probably had the most impressive outing of this group, especially on defence. Jama described Shead’s style by saying “you can’t speed him up,” which is something normally said on the offensive end. Basically Mahlalela meant Shead can stay with his man without using too much energy which allows him to play with force. He had also had a steal on help defence for a transition layup. Shead added another layup that he took from beyond half court to beat the first half buzzer.
Ja’Kobe Walter (5 pts, 2-8 FG, 2 reb in 21 min)
Walter’s defence was also praised by Mahlalela post game. He shot 0-for-5 from three but many of his attempts were makeable.
Jonathan Mogbo (2 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast in 16 min)
Mogbo did a great job moving the ball, including on plays where he didn’t get the assist. A lot of quick decision reads from him, knowing what to do on the catch. A perfect exampled occured in the second quarter, when Mogbo found Gradey in the corner that resulted in a pretty reverse layup.
Ulrich Chomche (0 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast in 16 min)
Chomche can defintely move for a big.
He was active on the boards and nearly put down what would have been a hell of an alley-oop in the second quarter. He is raw, but displayed the intrigue behind being drafted 57th overall.
13 pts (3-7 3pt), 8 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk
The undrafted rookie out of Utah was a standout. He had a couple of impressive blocks, which he says has always been a part of his game. Carlson’s new wrinkle is his range, shooting 37 percent from three on nearly five attempts per contest in his final collegiate season. He made three in this game, which was a team high. However his most impressive play may have been leaping in for a offensive rebound late in the 4th, which kickstarted beautiful ball movement and ended in a DJ Carton three.
7 pts (3-7 FG), 6 reb
This is a big summer for Ochai, who is entering his third NBA season. His defence is the reason he can get playing time, but will the offence keep him on the court? Agbaji’s lack of shooting ability almost made it four on five sometimes when he was on the court last season. He connected on only 21.7 percent of his threes as a Raptor after the trade from Utah, but made the only one he took last night. Developing consistency behind the arc is crucial for what could be a position battle.
13 pts (5-6 FG), 3 reb, 5 ast
Carton suffered a season ending ankle injury when he was supposed to get decent minutes as Toronto nosedived last season. He now has a shot to create an opportunity for himself. Carton was excellent in his 16 minutes, possibly making Agbaji’s situation even more shaky. He also had another ankle scare but seemed fine afterwards.
Sunday vs Nuggets (9:30pm ET)
Wednesday vs Jazz (5pm ET)
Friday vs Heat (9pm ET)
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