The Toronto Raptors trailed by as many as 34 points in the first half of their 115-111 loss to the Boston Celtics in a preseason game Sunday night.
No big deal, right? The Celtics habitually obliterated their opponents on their way to a title last year. Well, Boston was on a back-to-back set and played none of its starters. Kind of disconcerting.
Never make too much of the preseason, especially when a team is missing so many key players. The Raptors aren’t in a place where they can rest their starters just for fun, but they continue to play without two starters (Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett), two rotation reserves (Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown) and two deeper bench players on guaranteed contracts (Garrett Temple and Ja’Kobe Walter) who would be getting minutes ahead of some end-of-roster players if they were healthy. Still, a loss to the Washington Wizards on Friday and a brutal first half against the Celtics were bad enough that the Raptors should have some urgency to get to a sharper place in their final two preseason games.
With that in mind, there have been some nice stories, as well as some particular concerns. Let’s check in.
Stock up
Chris Boucher: If the Raptors were healthy, it would be fair to wonder whether Boucher would receive the same treatment as last year under Darko Rajaković. Specifically, Boucher would be the 11th man in a 10-man rotation.
After three games, Boucher has arguably been the Raptor playing his role the best. Though the injuries to the Raptors are mostly down the positional spectrum, Boucher is one of the few Raptors who has provided positive play in the preseason. He was excellent in both games against Washington, totalling 35 points and 13 rebounds, seven of them offensive, in just 36 minutes. He started out hot from deep, which has not been a consistent skill for Boucher. We’ll see whether that continues.
BOUCH3R 👌 pic.twitter.com/BxHJWTh3Ai
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 12, 2024
More importantly, he’s been extremely active and has played in control. He has been quick to get up his shot, but the other hustle aspects haven’t suffered.
“I literally treat him the same way I’m treating rookies,” Rajaković said during training camp. “I’m honest with him. I’m telling him when he’s making mistakes and I’m praising him when he does a good job. We have a really good relationship and he’s allowing me to coach him, which I really appreciate.”
Ochai Agbaji: The third-year pro will almost certainly get the starting nod on opening night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. With Barrett and Brown out, there is no other choice to make. *Cue muted applause.*
After a bad Las Vegas Summer League performance, though, Agbaji has looked more at home in the preseason. His numbers haven’t jumped off the stat sheet, but he has been the Raptors’ best wing defender by a mile (low bar) and has been comfortable running the floor. He at least tries to cut off the ball to make the most of Jakob Poeltl’s passing. He had five assists against the Celtics.
BACK ➡️ BACK BUCKETS FOR OCHAI pic.twitter.com/pIYCMwq75l
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 7, 2024
Agbaji has the potential to be a legitimate rotation player in the NBA. That is the mindset with which the Raptors traded for him, moving a late first-round pick, at the deadline last year. He will have his opportunity this season.
Davion Mitchell: With Quickley out of the lineup because of a thumb injury, Mitchell started in his place and has been solid. Mitchell isn’t going to light it up offensively but can set the tone defensively and be responsible with the ball.
The latter has been most evident. With the Raptors’ lacking in spacing and throwing the ball away regularly, Mitchell has been a safe pair of hands. In 53 minutes, Mitchell has posted 14 assists and no turnovers.
If Barnes and Quickley are healthy, they will have the ball most of the time. Knowing Mitchell can take care of things in a pinch is a bonus.
Stock down
Young big men: None of the Raptors’ three rookie bigs, Jonathan Mogbo, Branden Carlson or Ulrich Chomche, is ready for regular NBA minutes. For Chomche, that is absolutely fine — he’s on a two-year, two-way contract. The Raptors are playing the long game with him, and the fouls and blown defensive assignments are the very start of a long experiment.
It’s a little more problematic for the other two, who could have real opportunities to make an impact this year. Carlson has been largely relegated to fourth quarters, with a mix of players on two-way contracts and non-guaranteed contracts. Even in those settings, Carlson has been pushed around, no surprise given his 220-pound frame at 7 feet tall.
Mogbo has shown flashes, especially as a playmaker. He had 8 points, 10 rebounds and four assists against the Celtics. There is a player there. He makes tough passes in small windows.
He just cannot shoot from range, which limits when he can play. If Olynyk isn’t on the floor, it’s tough to imagine Mogbo on it. There will not be enough space for Barnes and the Raptors’ other playmakers to operate. It is probably best if he spends time with Raptors 905 and is given the green light to shoot a lot and handle the ball — Mississauga’s version of Barnes, to an extent.
Gradey Dick: Forget about the offence. Dick has shown a little bit of off-the-bounce creativity, and in a setting with more NBA-quality players, he is going to get better looks in the offence than he has managed so far. Even still, he hit half of the Raptors’ 10 3s on Sunday.
👌 @gradey_dick 👌 pic.twitter.com/VnPKlUhrJV
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 14, 2024
More of a concern: The fake version of the Celtics repeatedly sent screeners and drivers at Dick on Sunday night, and he did not come with enough force to navigate them. This was the Celtics’ third-string lineup, more or less, and Dick was out of position repeatedly.
He’s going to be starting for the Raptors, going up against some dangerous guards and wings. He is going to see more intricate offences than he saw against the Celtics. Based on the preseason, it is going to be a problem.
Spacing: The Raptors, obviously, need Dick on the floor. Along with Quickley, he is their best shooter, and the Raptors don’t have much of it on the roster.
Walter, a rookie — also injured — is part of the long-term plan to surround Barnes with more shooters. A lot of the Raptors’ other prospects will need big-time shooting reforms.
We’ve already talked about Mogbo and Agbaji’s limitations. Jamal Shead, the second-round pick who projects to be the Raptors’ third-string point guard, went 5-for-17 over the last two games, and teams are going to dare him to shoot. Barnes has been rusty from deep to start, and Mitchell is a hesitant shooter.
Again, at full health, the Raptors should be a run-of-the-mill poor shooting team instead of a historically bad one. It’s easy to see how things could get ugly.
(Photo of Chris Boucher and Lonnie Walker IV: Bob DeChiara / Imagn Images)
