There was a time not long ago that the Toronto Raptors were the gold standard of player development in the NBA.
From 2015-17, the organization brought in and built up the likes of Delon Wright, Norman Powell, Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby — all players who are still in the NBA and making varying degrees of impact on their respective squads.
It became clear to many around the league that the Raptors had a knack for finding diamonds in the rough — leaning on their foundational pillars of talent scouting and player development to turn late-round prospects and undrafted flyers into rotational stalwarts. It made the Raptors’ championship run in 2019 extra fitting, since they crafted a title-clinching roster without a single lottery pick — the first team in NBA history to do so.
But it’s been over five years since Toronto’s parade and nearly a decade since the team has replicated that kind of success in the draft. The only additions of consequence for the Raptors since 2017 have been Scottie Barnes (No. 4 in 2021) and Gradey Dick (No. 13 in 2023) — I say that with all due respect to Dewan Hernandez, Jalen Harris, Malachi Flynn, David Johnson, Dalano Banton and Christian Koloko.
Yet, in the midst of a hapless 2024-25 season, the Raptors at least appear to have course-corrected on that front as the 2024 rookie class of Ja’Kobe Walter (No. 19), Jonathan Mogbo (No. 31), Jamal Shead (No. 45) and Jamison Battle (undrafted) feels like a return to form from a scouting and player development standpoint.
The quartet led the way in the Raptors’ 120-109 win over a Brooklyn Nets team tanking to the finish line on Sunday.
Mogbo finished with a game-high 17 points on eight-of-nine shooting as he notched his first NBA career double-double with 11 rebounds (and seven assists). The 23-year-old continues to look sharp since returning from a nasal fracture-induced absence and putting on a mask. Mogbo’s averaged 9.2 points per game in 10 appearances since, and in his last five he’s found a groove close to the basket, converting at a 69-per-cent clip in the restricted area — much higher than his 59-per-cent mark on the season.
Shead also continued to look the part of a lead guard as he dished out a career-high 12 assists and finished with a monster plus-31 rating. The Houston Cougars’ alumnus has totalled over 300 assists in his first NBA season, the second-most by any Raptors rookie behind only Damon Stoudamire.
Battle did his damage early with 12 first-half points as he finished five-of-eight shooting in less than 20 minutes of action, while Walter added on both ends with eight points, five rebounds, two steals and a block in his 18 minutes.
The Raptors were never really threatened by the Nets as they led by as many as 23 points before walking away with a double-digit victory that snapped a three-game skid and virtually locked themselves into the seventh-best odds in the draft lottery (more on that later).
When Brooklyn did make things interesting, cutting its deficit down to single digits early in the fourth quarter, the not-so-veteran contingent or Toronto’s roster remained poised and rattled off a 9-0 run to secure the win and take the season series 3-1.
It was the type of effort typically seen by a much more experienced group, led by players who’ve been there and done that in the NBA, and know how to take a punch and swing back. But that wasn’t an option for the Raptors on Sunday as Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl all got the day off, leaving RJ Barrett as No. 1 on the Nets scouting report — and he finished with a modest 13 points on four-of-16 shooting while making just five of his 11 free throws — as he dealt with the extra defensive attention.
Instead, the youngsters stepped up —a positive sign for the Raptors front office, which wants to see the organization return to its roots from a development standpoint.
Sunday’s game will likely be a forgotten win in a largely forgettable season. But if there’s one thing to hold on to, it’s that of the eight players who scored in double-digits for Toronto, six were either non-lottery rookies or undrafted guys. The hope is that this rookie class can be the lasting memory from a campaign filled with very few highlights.
So, for all the focus on where and who the Raptors draft in a couple of months, it’s worth acknowledging that their first-year players have done their jobs in at least looking the part.
Thanks to a plethora of early season injuries and end-of-year emphasis on development (or lottery odds) over wins, the younger guys have been allowed to play together at the NBA level much more than anticipated. The Raptors are second in the league this season for rookie minutes and scoring and also first on both counts through April.
Toronto’s rookies have also been all over the first-year leaderboards for their individual successes. Walter sits 15th with 8.6 points per game, Battle is sixth with a 41-per-cent three-point conversion rate, Mogbo is ninth with 1.7 offensive rebounds and Shead is third with 4.1 assists.
It’s no bench mob 2.0 yet — the 2017 second unit ranked fifth in the league for scoring while this year’s roster is 12th — but the “quadruple Js” are doing some good things.
Here are some more takeaways from the game.
Odds update: After beating the Nets, the Raptors are now 29-50, and their magic number in the reverse standings is 1.
Toronto is 3.5 games behind Brooklyn and if they win one more game or the Nets lose one, the Raptors can finish no better than the seventh-best odds. All the while, San Antonio is four games behind in the eighth spot and with one more Raptors loss or a Spurs win, Toronto can’t finish worse than seventh.
With the seventh-best odds, the Raptors would have a 32-per-cent chance of landing a top-four pick and a 7.5-per-cent chance of jumping to No. 1.
Shoutout Swider: After his first 10-day contract had expired, it wasn’t a certainty that Cole Swider was going to be re-signed for the remainder of the year.
The 25-year-old boasts decent size at six-foot-nine with an advertised shooting ability of over 40 per cent from beyond the arc while in the G League, but that hadn’t exactly translated through any of his first three NBA stints — Swider’s shooting 29.7 per cent from deep for his career — and he wasn’t lighting it up with the Raptors either. Through nine games with Toronto, the undrafted forward shot 31 per cent from deep while averaging 5.7 points in 16 minutes a night.
Yet the Raptors still had faith in Swider’s ability to find his shooting stroke as they opted to sign him for the remainder of the season to get an extended look. And that show of support appears to be panning out as he’s found that form of late.
Swider’s shooting 37.5 per cent from distance through his last four games and has hit four triples in back-to-back outings. He scored 12 points against the Nets while going four-of-six from beyond the arc. Two of Swider’s deep hits came in the fourth on back-to-back possessions as he gave the Raptors some much-needed breathing room.
