Raptors Rookies Showing Up in New Orleans

 Wow the Pelicans are terrible with all these injuries.  That game was not worth watching unless you're a die hard Raptors fan itching to see some wins, which is me. The Pelicans got some hope back today with the return of Dejounte Murray, little did they know he would also play terribly. Before I get into it I just need to point out, you don't need to shoot every single time Dejounte you're allowed to pass! As a Dejounte Murray holder on my fantasy team, that one was straight up concerning. That being said, despite playing a banged up Pelicans team the Raptors dominated and the performance was headlined by multiple rookies who I thought deserve some love today. 

Ja'Kobe Walter

In a surprise move this early in the season, Ja'Kobe Walter got the start last night with Gradey Dick still sidelined with a calf contusion. Walter was nothing short of awesome in this one showing the fanbase why the front office was so high on him. Walter finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists while impacting the game in multiple ways. To start, 11 rebounds as a 180lbs rookie guard is really cool to see. It's clear Ja'Kobe has a nose for the ball and his energy is constant. Ja'Kobe did a good job of getting into his spots, similar to Gradey, curling around screens to get open shots or making smart cuts towards the basket. The most intriguing thing about his game is you can see clear 3 level scorer potential. Ja'Kobe looks smooth and quick with the ball in his hands, he needs to tighten up his handle to improve his on ball game further, but it looks like he can get downhill with the best of them. Although he only shot 2/10 from 3 with some pretty bad misses, Ja'Kobe does have a track record of being a good shooter and I expect with more reps, strength and conditioning, those shots will start falling. Even his playmaking looked better than anyone could've expected last night capping off the game with a sweet alley-oop pass to Bruno Fernando for his 5th assist. Ja'Kobe has that quality where even if his shot isn't falling, he'll find a way to impact the game in a positive way. Despite being smaller in stature, Ja'Kobe hasn't shied away from physicality and really looks like he belongs out there. This is a player that was born in 2004, there's a ton of time to develop and improve upon his current skillset, but the early returns are showing the Raptors drafted a DAWG in Ja'Kobe Walter. 

Jamison Battle

The only reason I didn't start with Battle is because we've gotten to see so little of Walter so I thought he deserved his flowers. Jamison Battle was probably the best player on the floor yesterday and that is no exaggeration. It has been a long time since the Raptors have had an undrafted win and the early returns are looking like Jamison Battle is that guy. A pure sharpshooter, there's nobody else on the team I would want taking a wide open 3 even with Gradey Dick and Immanuel Quickley healthy. After last night's game Battle is up to 43% on his 3 pointers and is showing why he's been consistently in the rotation for Darko Rajakovic. Battle started off last night by hitting 2 threes right away off the bench to boost the Raptors after a slow offensive start to the game. After that, Battle was feeling it. He started taking off the dribble threes and nailing them, making plays off the dribble when the Pels closed out hard and even showing his playmaking chops. Aside from the shooting, the most impressive part of Battle's game to me so far has been his IQ. Although he's not the quickest player, he frequently gets himself into the right spots and even shows some ability to change speeds and make defenses uncomfortable with the ball in his hands. On defense, Battle still struggles keeping up with his speed, but his IQ really does shine through here as well. Battle gets his hands into passing lanes and uses his size and strength really well on the defensive end. Although you can beat him with athleticism, you'll have a hard time finding Battle out of position which is immensely important. I should mention, Battle finished last night with a career high 24 points in just 22 minutes. On a team that has lacked shooting since pretty much the championship season, Battle is a breath of fresh air who at this point figures to be a part of the Raptors core going forward. 

Jamal Shead

I sent a Christmas wish list to my family last week and right at the top of it was a Jamal Shead Raptor's jersey. I get hyped every time Jamal checks into the game because I know the energy and effort is going to increase across the board for the Raptors. Shead had an underrated one last night, this one like every game he's played, Jamal comes in and hustles his ass off. The only things holding Shead back so far is he gets a rookie whistle, which is difficult when you're an ultra aggressive defender, and he sometimes suffers from over aggression, which puts him out of position at times. One of my favorite sayings I've heard is you'd rather have to say woah than giddy-up, Shead is certainly not someone you'll have to say giddy-up to. After starting the season throwing some questionable passes, Shead has done a better job lately taking care of the ball and being a floor general. The biggest question mark about Shead coming into the season was his jumper, quietly now Shead has hit 2 threes in back to back games. Tiny sample size for sure, but still encouraging. If Shead can respectably hit his open shots, the Raptors have their backup PG of the future and maybe even more than that. 

Jonathan Mogbo

That's right 4 rookies getting a shout out today! While Mogbo didn't have his best game in this one, he deserves some praise for how he's played all season long. Mogbo has found himself in the backup energy big role in most games and it's something he's done a very good job at. Although he's undersized as a 5, Mogbo's switchability has been on full display in every game he's been a part of. Not only that, Mogbo plays such a high IQ game for a rookie. In the first half of this one, Mogbo was switched onto CJ McCollum for a possession. Knowing CJ is a deadly shooter, Mogbo played up in his jersey and stuck with him until he passed it to Elfrid Payton on a handoff. Mogbo seamlessly switched onto Payton and this time instead of playing him tight, Mogbo recognized he was now guarding a poor shooter and backed off to defend the driving lanes. It's this kind of recognition that is so important for a switchable defender. Mogbo plays with high energy while also understanding the scouting report and is able to lock in and get a stop against anyone. Mogbo's rebounding has also been insanely impressive. In pretty much every game I've seen Mogbo fly in for a rebound that I was not expecting the Raptors to get. The only flaw so far in Mogbo's game is he struggles mightily with finishing at any of the 3 levels. I feel like Mogbo is the player scouts were saying Scottie Barnes was coming into the draft, athletic, smart, good handle and passing ability, but struggles to score the ball. In the last few games Mogbo has taken and made a few corner 3s, it'll be interesting to see if that skillset can develop to even a league average level. If it does, the Raptors don't just have an energy player, they have a starter for years to come. 

And that's that! Always fun to hop on here after a Raptors win. It's been a rough season so far if you aren't into the whole tanking thing, but I will continue to make an effort to watch every Raptors game and when they win you best believe I'll be on here hyped about it. Go Raptors!