One goal for each Raptors rookie to finish the season (2025)

When one door closes, another opens. Opportunities in the NBA often come about like this, and that’s no exception for this season’s Toronto Raptors.

Part of the calculus in trading Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, and Davion Mitchell is to open up opportunities for the crop of young players on this Toronto Raptors team to finish the 2024-2025 season.

Bobby Webster said as much when explaining the Raptors’ thought process at the trade deadline. Prior to the All-Star break, we already see that plan in action.

Ja’Kobe Walter has played 20+ minutes in eight of his last 10 games. Ulrich Chomche played for more than 10 minutes for the first time in his career versus the Philadelphia 76ers. Jonathan Mogbo has been thrust into the starting lineup because of an injury to Jakob Poeltl, but even when the Austrian big man returns, he stands to be the Raptors’ go-to back-up off the bench. The same goes for Jamal Shead, who has made the most of his minutes and should only get a longer leash to experiment to end the season. Armed with a standard NBA contract, sharpshooter Jamison Battle will also get to stretch his legs.

But as the Raptors lean more into development to finish the season, what developmental wins can we expect from each rookie in the final 30 games?

Let’s sort it out.

Ja’Kobe Walter

Developmental Win: Consistent Stroke

Walter has continuously improved his 3-point shot throughout the season. On the year, he’s shooting just 31 percent from behind the arc, with most of his shots being off the catch. Since January 1st, through 18 games, Walter has been knocking down 36 percent of his threes. Similar to Gradey Dick’s rookie season, Walter seems to have found his rhythm as a shooter, and the goal for the rest of the year would be to continue fine-tuning his stroke. Something to watch for is his pull-up shooting. He hasn’t taken many (just 10 attempts in his last 10 games), but he’s hitting over 44 percent of them and is shooting 50 percent on pull-up twos on 34 attempts so far this season. The results have been inconsistent, but he’s shown flashes of creating off-the-bounce, and the developmental win would be to find a consistent jumper on all levels for the rookie wing.

Jamal Shead

Developmental Win: Winning On Defense

Jamal Shead has been surprisingly good on offense. The 3-point shooting has been less of an issue than expected. He’s knocking down 35 percent of his looks and has been excellent at pushing the pace for the Raptors. He’s put together some impactful offensive performances recently, including a game where he spurred a comeback versus the New York Knicks with 16 points and nine assists, most of which were in the second half. But while his reputation in college was that of a lockdown defender in Houston, it hasn’t been the case at the NBA level. The Raptors give up nearly 9 points per 100 possessions more with Shead on the floor on defense, which is the worst mark on the entire team. While some of that is due to the lineups he’s a part of, mainly consisting of second-unit players, his size and over-aggression hurt him. Shead has a 4.4-percent foul rate, which is in the 7th percentile at his position, and is near the bottom of the rotation in terms of deflections. He’s had moments where he’s shown flashes of his potential on that end, but it’s hard for a rookie guard at his size to win on that end. Finding his way defensively to finish the season would be a big developmental win for the Raptors.

Jonathan Mogbo

Developmental Win: Dominant Interior Finishing

Mogbo has already found a way to win defensively. His size, speed, and agility make him a fearsome 1-on-1 and elite pick-and-roll defender. He allows just 0.64 points per possession guarding the ballhandler in pick-and-rolls, which makes the Raptors’ scheme insanely versatile with a player who can switch as comfortably as he can at his position. The offense is a work in progress, though. Mogbo is shooting 34 percent from 3, which is a positive for a player who took just two 3s in his final two seasons in College. But the real progress needs to be seen on the inside. Mogbo is shooting 48 percent on twos and 60 percent at the basket, ranking in the 14th percentile for players at his position. He’s taken over 130 shots within 10 feet of the basket and is shooting 52 percent on them. That’s suboptimal for a rim-running athlete like him. And it has to become better. He’ll get the reps necessary to finish this season.

Jamison Battle

Developmental Win: Movement Shooting

Jamison Battle is a superb shooter. He is the best shooter in his rookie class, knocking down 42 percent of his 3s on over three attempts a night. But he’s more than that. He’s already made strides defensively, has a propensity to make the right plays offensively, and, put simply, plays the right way. He has the most to gain out of all the rookies from the extra opportunity to finish the season because there seems to be more than meets the eye in his game. One specific area Battle can improve on is movement shooting. Because of Battle’s unorthodox form, he typically needs to be set in his stance to knock down his shot. He’s hitting 42 percent of his shots when it comes off zero dribbles. One rhythm dribble? 50 percent on 12 shots. He’s shooting 44 percent on 3s off spot-ups or in transition but 29 percent on 3s coming off screens, which typically involves some sort of movement on his part. This is something he actively works on in practice. You can see him before 905 games and in practice working on shooting in movement, and it will eventually be a part of his game, but it’d be nice to see him incorporate that to finish the year.

Ulrich Chomche:

Developmental Win: Have Moments At The NBA Level + Being healthy

Ulrich Chomche sustained a knee injury in the last G-League game after colliding with one of his teammates in the paint. He was ruled out for the rest of the game, and there hasn’t been any update yet. So, first and foremost, being healthy to finish the season would be priority number one. If he can play, the goal would be to translate his outstanding play in the G League to the NBA level. Chomche has been superb defensively with the 905 and is third in the league in blocks per game. His activity, combined with his length on that end, helps him recover to spaces that are usually impossible for players not named Victor Wembanyama or Zach Edey. He’s still the youngest player in the NBA and will be given ample opportunity to fine-tune the offensive side of the game, but if he can flash his defensive repertoire in the NBA, it would be a massive boost of confidence for the Raptors’ plans for him.

Making Strides

Ultimately, the Raptors have put these rookies in a position to make the most of the season’s final stretch. What these players do with that opportunity will not make or break their future with the Raptors, but it should provide more assurance and confidence in their own progress throughout their careers.

Zooming out and thinking of the bigger picture, if all five rookies make strides in these specific categories to end the year? That’s a massive developmental win for the Raptors moving forward. If two or three of them progress while others stagnate, that’s okay! And if none of these players progress with the added opportunity, then the Raptors will have even more information moving forward on how they want to build.

Welcome to the season of development, and this next stretch will be its climax.

Enjoy it!