With the 45th pick, the Raptors select Jamal Shead

[NinjaBro]

Not only is Shead currently 1st in points among his draft class, but he's also 1st in assists.

Incredible, he's been great!

"We need to trade Siakam for AJ Griffin before it's too late!" - PhilBlackson

[Boardbreaker]

I understand where the Lowry and Fred comparisons are coming from but he looks like a much more explosive athlete than either of them ever were.

[djsunyc]

It's only been 3 games but Mitchell's on ball defense has impressed me more overall than Shead's, that little extra length, strength is an advantage. But Shead's hustle and energy is hard to beat. Who wins the backup job (if there is a winner) probably comes down to who can hit more shots consistently and who doesn't turnover the ball.

i think davion is the backup with shead getting some cursory backup minutes until davion is traded.

[Scase]

https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_2024.html

Shead leads the rookie class in total points so far. Not a great start for the 2024 class.

It's important to note that he has the 3rd highest played minutes at 63 total, with #2 and #1 at 64 and 65 respectively. Also Shead with the 2nd highest FGA of the 3, Risacher is looking pretty mid, and Edey is looking pretty damn good.

For better or worse, our rooks are getting a lot of opportunities, nice to see him converting them.

“Edey is looking pretty damn good”… based on what? FG%? I’d argue it’s been a pretty rough start. Boban-esque.

Raw counting stats tbh, he's gone into an established team where the rookie C is not going to see a lot of action and he's doing well. Now keep in mind this is in comparison to the draft class, not every rookie ever.

[Psubs]

It's only been 3 games but Mitchell's on ball defense has impressed me more overall than Shead's, that little extra length, strength is an advantage. But Shead's hustle and energy is hard to beat. Who wins the backup job (if there is a winner) probably comes down to who can hit more shots consistently and who doesn't turnover the ball.

i think davion is the backup with shead getting some cursory backup minutes until davion is traded.

Davion with the choke. Shead would've hit both FTs.

[MEDIC]

It's only been 3 games but Mitchell's on ball defense has impressed me more overall than Shead's, that little extra length, strength is an advantage. But Shead's hustle and energy is hard to beat. Who wins the backup job (if there is a winner) probably comes down to who can hit more shots consistently and who doesn't turnover the ball.

I find.Shead more entertaining to watch on both ends. He is more aggressive and more athletic. I think he is better at getting into the paint & being a magnet.......creating easy shots for others. His aggressiveness on defense is hilarious (that head butt on Russ was funny........Westbrook's face after was like WTF)

Mitchell is growing on me though. He is a little more steady than Shead right now, but he also has more experience..

I like the idea of throwing them both out there for equal minutes for the rest of the season & giving 4th quarter minutes to the guy who is having the best game.

There isn't a ton of separation between the two right now & they both provide value. Let them battle it out.

[Scase]

It's only been 3 games but Mitchell's on ball defense has impressed me more overall than Shead's, that little extra length, strength is an advantage. But Shead's hustle and energy is hard to beat. Who wins the backup job (if there is a winner) probably comes down to who can hit more shots consistently and who doesn't turnover the ball.

I find.Shead more entertaining to watch on both ends. He is more aggressive and more athletic. I think he is better at getting into the paint & being a magnet.......creating easy shots for others. His aggressiveness on defense is hilarious (that head butt on Russ was funny........Westbrook's face after was like WTF)

Mitchell is growing on me though. He is a little more steady than Shead right now, but he also has more experience..

I like the idea of throwing them both out there for equal minutes for the rest of the season & giving 4th quarter minutes to the guy who is having the best game.

There isn't a ton of separation between the two right now & they both provide value. Let them battle it out.

The hope is that Shead can make Mitchell expendable, but Mitchell can show enough that he might have value to other teams and we move him at the deadline.

[Psubs]

It's only been 3 games but Mitchell's on ball defense has impressed me more overall than Shead's, that little extra length, strength is an advantage. But Shead's hustle and energy is hard to beat. Who wins the backup job (if there is a winner) probably comes down to who can hit more shots consistently and who doesn't turnover the ball.

I find.Shead more entertaining to watch on both ends. He is more aggressive and more athletic. I think he is better at getting into the paint & being a magnet.......creating easy shots for others. His aggressiveness on defense is hilarious (that head butt on Russ was funny........Westbrook's face after was like WTF)

Mitchell is growing on me though. He is a little more steady than Shead right now, but he also has more experience..

I like the idea of throwing them both out there for equal minutes for the rest of the season & giving 4th quarter minutes to the guy who is having the best game.

There isn't a ton of separation between the two right now & they both provide value. Let them battle it out.

The hope is that Shead can make Mitchell expendable, but Mitchell can show enough that he might have value to other teams and we move him at the deadline.

Shead and Mobgo have already made Davion and Boucher expendable in my eyes. I don't want either playing with the 905. Both are also shooting over 90% FTs.

[Thaddy]

Shead and Mobgo have already made Davion and Boucher expendable in my eyes. I don't want either playing with the 905. Both are also shooting over 90% FTs.

We'd be better off building their value and trying to sell them to a contender for more picks, probably 2nds. If players like Patrick Beverly have had contenders selling 2nds for him I'm sure Davion will. Boucher is a tough case but he's been playing well and I could see us selling him for next to nothing.

It would be better for Shead and Mogbo to go to the GLeague the same way our other rookies have. It lets them try to expand their game and gain comfort with the NBA rules, 3pt line, and pace. In the 2nd half of the season we likely won't have Boucher, Mitchell and/or Brown on our roster which will naturally open up roles for them.

The schedule sort of works to our advantage. We have a tough schedule to start the season and we can afford to be competitive. This will elevate the value of our vets. If we trade them in late December or the beginning of January, similar to Siakam and OG, we are looking at replacing them with less productive players which would take us to the end of the season.

There is some off chance that Barnes, Barrett, IQ, and our rookies produce right away. But I would place that risk on the low end. If Barrett starts to actually take off and become an all star I would consider trading him while his value is high. Barrett doesn't play a winning brand of basketball. The defense isn't there and he can't create his own offense, yet he's too small to be the ideal forward. At the draft next year if there's an opportunity to directly trade him for a top 10 pick I would strongly consider it.

[Scase]

I find.Shead more entertaining to watch on both ends. He is more aggressive and more athletic. I think he is better at getting into the paint & being a magnet.......creating easy shots for others. His aggressiveness on defense is hilarious (that head butt on Russ was funny........Westbrook's face after was like WTF)

Mitchell is growing on me though. He is a little more steady than Shead right now, but he also has more experience..

I like the idea of throwing them both out there for equal minutes for the rest of the season & giving 4th quarter minutes to the guy who is having the best game.

There isn't a ton of separation between the two right now & they both provide value. Let them battle it out.

The hope is that Shead can make Mitchell expendable, but Mitchell can show enough that he might have value to other teams and we move him at the deadline.

Shead and Mobgo have already made Davion and Boucher expendable in my eyes. I don't want either playing with the 905. Both are also shooting over 90% FTs.

In theory I agree, and if the actual goal is development, I'm 100% on board. As for Boucher he isn't exactly lighting up the court, so he's making himself expendable lol. Davion I think we still need to play him some more to get the word out on him being serviceable and pawning him off elsewhere for some assets. Boucher I think will just be an expiring contract without much care to his performance.

[onions17]

It's only been 3 games but Mitchell's on ball defense has impressed me more overall than Shead's, that little extra length, strength is an advantage. But Shead's hustle and energy is hard to beat. Who wins the backup job (if there is a winner) probably comes down to who can hit more shots consistently and who doesn't turnover the ball.

I find.Shead more entertaining to watch on both ends. He is more aggressive and more athletic. I think he is better at getting into the paint & being a magnet.......creating easy shots for others. His aggressiveness on defense is hilarious (that head butt on Russ was funny........Westbrook's face after was like WTF)

Mitchell is growing on me though. He is a little more steady than Shead right now, but he also has more experience..

I like the idea of throwing them both out there for equal minutes for the rest of the season & giving 4th quarter minutes to the guy who is having the best game.

There isn't a ton of separation between the two right now & they both provide value. Let them battle it out.

The hope is that Shead can make Mitchell expendable, but Mitchell can show enough that he might have value to other teams and we move him at the deadline.

Isn't it funny how both Mitchell and Shead were acquired from the Kings for Jalen McDaniels?

[RoteSchroder]

It's important to note that he has the 3rd highest played minutes at 63 total, with #2 and #1 at 64 and 65 respectively. Also Shead with the 2nd highest FGA of the 3, Risacher is looking pretty mid, and Edey is looking pretty damn good.

For better or worse, our rooks are getting a lot of opportunities, nice to see him converting them.

“Edey is looking pretty damn good”… based on what? FG%? I’d argue it’s been a pretty rough start. Boban-esque.

Raw counting stats tbh, he's gone into an established team where the rookie C is not going to see a lot of action and he's doing well. Now keep in mind this is in comparison to the draft class, not every rookie ever.

They should bring him off the bench so that he can feed on back-up C's

Based on the footage I've seen so far though, it seems like he can be a headache for opposing teams if in the right position and is quite physical, which may also have him picking up 1-2 extra fouls. Memphis also doesn't necessarily look for him that often, feels like they're just using him as a screener

On another note, Filipowski just had an ok statistical game

[Thaddy]

Since the draft class was so weak I could see Shead being in the running for ROTY. He should be in the rotation with us having Mitchell and him off the bench together. Mogbo, Shead, and Mitchell would give us one of the better bench defenses in the league. Olynyk and Dick would probably be enough offensive punch to get them by.

Poeltl / Olynyk
Barnes / Mogbo
Barrett / Dick
Dick / Agbaji
Quickely / Shead

We would have to bench some notable bench pieces like Mitchell, Brown, and Boucher. They are older vets who shouldn't be getting minutes anyway.

[DreamTeam09]

The way how you guys operate with players is really like 2k mode lol. If Shead is making Davion expendable, that literally means if we draft another PG next yr and 3 games in he looks good does that make Shead expendable too. When does the cycle end, it's literally picking favs as some believe Davion isn't good as is(which would be wrong) or he can't improve because of age lol smh. We have both players both are playing well, davions next deal will be somewhere above the baE and below the MLE

[Tripod]

I find.Shead more entertaining to watch on both ends. He is more aggressive and more athletic. I think he is better at getting into the paint & being a magnet.......creating easy shots for others. His aggressiveness on defense is hilarious (that head butt on Russ was funny........Westbrook's face after was like WTF)

Mitchell is growing on me though. He is a little more steady than Shead right now, but he also has more experience..

I like the idea of throwing them both out there for equal minutes for the rest of the season & giving 4th quarter minutes to the guy who is having the best game.

There isn't a ton of separation between the two right now & they both provide value. Let them battle it out.

The hope is that Shead can make Mitchell expendable, but Mitchell can show enough that he might have value to other teams and we move him at the deadline.

Isn't it funny how both Mitchell and Shead were acquired from the Kings for Jalen McDaniels?

Even funnier that we STLL have Portland's pick to come from that trade.

[Psubs]

The way how you guys operate with players is really like 2k mode lol. If Shead is making Davion expendable, that literally means if we draft another PG next yr and 3 games in he looks good does that make Shead expendable too. When does the cycle end, it's literally picking favs as some believe Davion isn't good as is(which would be wrong) or he can't improve because of age lol smh. We have both players both are playing well, davions next deal will be somewhere above the baE and below the MLE

It's upgrading the bench and would have to consolidate some assets to continue to upgrade as a market that doesn't attract big free agents. Eventually you keep the FVV and trade the Delon Wright.

[Psubs]

The hope is that Shead can make Mitchell expendable, but Mitchell can show enough that he might have value to other teams and we move him at the deadline.

Isn't it funny how both Mitchell and Shead were acquired from the Kings for Jalen McDaniels?

Even funnier that we STLL have Portland's pick to come from that trade.

We need more of these like the Vasquez trade.

That's why I think we should not have picked up Bruce Brown's option as it's over $20 million and already have Davion and Boucher expiring. Even last year, New Orleans wanted to get under the tax so they piggybacked the trade to salary dump Kira Lewis $5 million with a late 1st pick. Need to keep doing these trades.

[bluerap23]

It's only been 3 games but Mitchell's on ball defense has impressed me more overall than Shead's, that little extra length, strength is an advantage. But Shead's hustle and energy is hard to beat. Who wins the backup job (if there is a winner) probably comes down to who can hit more shots consistently and who doesn't turnover the ball.

I find.Shead more entertaining to watch on both ends. He is more aggressive and more athletic. I think he is better at getting into the paint & being a magnet.......creating easy shots for others. His aggressiveness on defense is hilarious (that head butt on Russ was funny........Westbrook's face after was like WTF)

Mitchell is growing on me though. He is a little more steady than Shead right now, but he also has more experience..

I like the idea of throwing them both out there for equal minutes for the rest of the season & giving 4th quarter minutes to the guy who is having the best game.

There isn't a ton of separation between the two right now & they both provide value. Let them battle it out.

The hope is that Shead can make Mitchell expendable, but Mitchell can show enough that he might have value to other teams and we move him at the deadline.

Agree. Mitchell is nice, Shead is nicer. Don't need both long-term. Mitchell should be traded at deadline for draft pick.

[bluerap23]

Isn't it funny how both Mitchell and Shead were acquired from the Kings for Jalen McDaniels?

Even funnier that we STLL have Portland's pick to come from that trade.

We need more of these like the Vasquez trade.

That's why I think we should not have picked up Bruce Brown's option as it's over $20 million and already have Davion and Boucher expiring. Even last year, New Orleans wanted to get under the tax so they piggybacked the trade to salary dump Kira Lewis $5 million with a late 1st pick. Need to keep doing these trades.

The ONLY reason we picked up the BB option is to trade him. They simply gambled that they can get a better asset at this deadline than last. They were likely offered a late 1st last year (for a weaker draft) and will likely get a late 1st this year (in a stronger draft). Money wasn't going to be used on anything else...

[Scase]

“Edey is looking pretty damn good”… based on what? FG%? I’d argue it’s been a pretty rough start. Boban-esque.

Raw counting stats tbh, he's gone into an established team where the rookie C is not going to see a lot of action and he's doing well. Now keep in mind this is in comparison to the draft class, not every rookie ever.

They should bring him off the bench so that he can feed on back-up C's

Based on the footage I've seen so far though, it seems like he can be a headache for opposing teams if in the right position and is quite physical, which may also have him picking up 1-2 extra fouls. Memphis also doesn't necessarily look for him that often, feels like they're just using him as a screener

On another note, Filipowski just had an ok statistical game

This is the thing, MEM is looking to compete and not to develop a rookie, it's why I always thought they'd be a great partner for Jak. They get someone who can help them right away, and we get someone to grow with the core.

The way how you guys operate with players is really like 2k mode lol. If Shead is making Davion expendable, that literally means if we draft another PG next yr and 3 games in he looks good does that make Shead expendable too. When does the cycle end, it's literally picking favs as some believe Davion isn't good as is(which would be wrong) or he can't improve because of age lol smh. We have both players both are playing well, davions next deal will be somewhere above the baE and below the MLE

Because there is a salary cap that exists, 5 positions on the court, 1 ball, and only 48 minutes a game. Having 2 backup PGs that function relatively identically, doesn't help fill out our massive glaring holes elsewhere. The entire job of a GM is to move assets and fix gaps in a roster, you don't do that by hanging onto backup level PGs like Gollum with the ring.