Raptors’ Jamal Shead developing as player, leader as injuries pile up

TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors’ latest run of accidents has created loads of alternatives for gamers on the roster who’ve been determined for extra. 

Too many overlapping elements — particularly among the many group of children on the bench — has been a mini-drama all season. 

The hope was that somebody among the many common rostered crew of Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Ja’Kobe Walter and Jamison Battle would separate themselves and pressure Darko Rajakovic’s hand when it got here to carving out larger swaths of minutes for them. However by way of half the season, none of them actually have. That created much more of a logjam additional down the lineup because the pair of wings the Raptors have on two-way contracts — A.J. Lawson and Alijah Martin — have been caught, hardly ever getting NBA minutes in reward for a slew of dominant showings with the Raptors 905, the membership’s powerhouse G-League staff. 

Separate from the fray all season has been Jamal Shead. 

Working in his favour has been the Raptors’ relative lack of depth at level guard after starter Immanuel Quickley. From the outset of coaching camp, it’s been understood that Shead — a pleasant improvement story final season because the forty fifth choose within the 2024 draft — would play the minutes Quickley couldn’t. 

Whether or not he was absolutely prepared for 15 or 20 minutes an evening of level guard obligation on a staff with playoff aspirations was an unknown. 

A half season later, and people questions have way back been answered. Shead has established himself as one of many higher backup level guards within the NBA. Heading into Friday evening’s recreation in opposition to the Los Angeles Clippers, Shead led the NBA in assists by gamers coming off the bench with 203 and — impressively for a second-year level guard — had executed so whereas sustaining a tidy 4.21:1 help to turnover ratio, fifth amongst certified gamers. He’s a staunch defender too, with a knack for drawing fouls and forcing turnovers. 

He didn’t add to his league-leading bench totals in opposition to the Clippers as a result of, for the fourth-straight recreation, he was beginning at level guard — for the second consecutive recreation rather than Quickley, who has missed two video games with again spasms. 

Lacking RJ Barrett (ankle), Ja’Kobe Walter (hip), Jamison Battle (ankle) and Jakob Poeltl (again), together with Quickley the final two video games opened up loads of minutes for these hungry for them. 

However it’s been Shead who has arguably executed probably the most with the chance.

He couldn’t do sufficient to assist the Raptors recover from the hump in opposition to the Clippers, who have been lacking Kawhi Leonard however received 121-117 in additional time anyway. It was an particularly unlucky stumble as a result of the Raptors — with massive due to Shead’s all-around effort — have been main by eight with 3:35 to play. 

It was one other level guard — one with significantly extra pedigree than Shead or Quickley — who modified the tide of the sport as James Harden scored 16 of his game-high 31 factors within the ultimate 8 minutes and 35 seconds of the sport. He additionally had 10 assists. 

It was a classic efficiency from the 36-year-old in his seventeenth season. Not often can some extent guard look good capturing 2-of-15 from three, however Harden pulled it off.  

In the meantime, the Raptors’ offence, which had hummed alongside fairly properly for the primary 44 minutes or so of the sport, hit the ditch like a pick-up truck with out snow tires on a winter freeway. 

The Raptors didn’t rating within the final 3:35 of regulation and didn’t come all that shut, actually. And within the additional time interval, they managed simply three discipline targets on 9 makes an attempt — all by Scottie Barnes (24 factors, seven rebounds, six assists) — and couldn’t convert any of their 5 appears to be like from three. 

“We simply missed photographs,” stated Shead. “We have been nonetheless sharing the ball rather well. Even on the rim, we missed some bunnies right here and there. I believe our focus simply shifted from how we have been enjoying the primary three quarters, and we bought a bit lackadaisical after we wanted to amp it up a bit bit.” 

You could possibly argue that they missed Quickley, who might be the Raptors’ most confirmed three-point menace though he’s struggled at instances currently. With out him on the ground, the ball discovered shooters whom the Clippers have been snug having it. The Raptors missed their final seven three-point appears to be like of the sport, with Shead going 0-for-2. 

However till that second, Shead appeared like the reply. And if the query is: ‘Ought to he play extra?’ The reply is barely getting clearer by the day. 

The Raptors have been enjoying Shead and Quickley collectively increasingly more this season, significantly on the finish of the video games, however with the string of accidents the Raptors have been coping with, they’ve began video games collectively, too. 

Shead’s efficiency on Friday was a robust argument that he must be on the ground as a lot as potential, as he completed with 15 factors and a career-best 13 assists, creating one alternative after one other together with his full-speed assaults to the paint, spray sample passing and decided, opportunistic defence. 

Shead led the Raptors to a 32-24 lead within the first quarter and a 61-52 lead at half by placing himself on triple-double watch as he logged 13 factors, eight assists and 4 rebounds in his first 17 minutes. 

However it was a sequence within the third quarter that underscored the worth he can present past the field rating. 

Third-year wing Gradey Dick has been having a troublesome yr, together with his season-long three-point capturing hunch (even whereas placing up 21 factors and 11 rebounds for his first double-double within the Raptors’ win over Indiana on Wednesday, although he was 1-of-5 from three, dropping him to 29.7 per cent for the season) threatening to overwhelm any of the optimistic progress he had made in different areas of his recreation. 

Dick had missed his first two threes in opposition to the Clippers when Shead pushed the ball in opposition to a scrambled defence and appeared like he was about to put it in because the 4 Clippers crowded him within the paint. As a substitute, Shead whipped the ball throughout his physique to a wide-open Dick exterior the three-point line, teeing up a batting observe quick ball that Dick stepped into confidently and knocked down. As Shead was working again up the ground, he pumped his fist in celebration like he had knocked the shot down, moderately than making the important thing go. 

On the following play, Dick was wide-open within the nook and knocked that one down, too. And on the play after that, Shead poked the ball away from Jordan Miller, and Dick dove full out to get better it earlier than underhanding a superbly positioned three-quarter courtroom go that may have led to an arena-rocking dunk by Agbaji had Kobe Sanders not fouled the athletic Raptors wing. 

Dick ended up ending the third quarter with eight factors on 5 photographs on his strategy to 15 factors and 7 rebounds for the sport, giving him consecutive optimistic outings in a season the place they’ve been few and much between. 

Shead’s go for his first three was a giant a part of getting him going.

“He’s superb, he needs everybody to succeed,” stated Dick. “And he has our backs. He has my again and I’ve his. And I really feel like when you will have some extent guard like that, it’s tremendous motivational … and I really feel like what folks don’t discuss sufficient is simply the selflessness. He needs everybody to win. I had simply missed a shot proper there and he’s one of many first guys to come back up and say, ‘Keep proper there. The best way they’re enjoying their defence, you’re going to be open for one more one’, and that was one of many subsequent performs.” 

To Shead, it’s enterprise as normal. It’s merely the way in which he performs basketball. It’s why it’s not unusual for him to have video games the place he has extra assists that discipline objective makes an attempt — he had two extra assists than photographs Friday. It’s why on the identical play the place he hit Collin Murray-Boyles for a dunk and his twelfth help, which tied his profession excessive, Shead sprinted again and knocked away a Harden go to pressure a turnover. 

All a part of the job, like getting a struggling teammate going. 

“I like the truth that Gradey is enjoying a bit higher,” stated Shead about Dick. “He’s been assured, he’s been trusting his work and he’s getting after it on the defensive finish. He’s discovering new methods [to contribute]; he’s screening, he’s rolling, he’s discovering new methods to impression successful. That’s gone a great distance for him and I’m actually excited for him.” 

The Raptors’ loss dropped them to 25-18 for the season, however the progress of Shead as a catalyst who can play as a starter, back-up or alongside Quickley is one thing to be enthusiastic about, too.