Raptors drop fourth straight but gain valuable experience against Lakers’ stars

TORONTO — Ja’Kobe Walter has met LeBron James earlier than. 

The 20-year-old from Dallas, Texas, performed youth basketball for a time with Bronny James, the son of the NBA’s all-time scoring chief, on a workforce known as the Gulf Coast Blue Chips. Walter was in fifth grade.

“Rising up, I’ve been round him all my life, we’re the identical age,” mentioned Walter of James’ son “We now have an excellent relationship. After we see one another, we’ll say, ‘What’s up?’ however on the court docket, there’s no pals.”

And as for assembly LeBron?

“He’s only a regular Dad, actually,” mentioned Walter. 

He’s not a traditional Dad anymore. When the Raptors took Walter nineteenth total within the 2024 draft, LeBron James — and Bronny James, taken fifty fifth in the identical draft — grew to become each his co-workers and opponents. They’re now his companions within the leisure product that’s the NBA and rivals on the ground, not less than in idea. 

Your first NBA recreation is all the time memorable, however having it come towards an NBA icon and his son — who you performed with rising up — makes it particularly so. 

“It’s like a fairytale state of affairs,” Walter mentioned in regards to the prospect of beginning his NBA profession towards the Los Angeles Lakers and James, who stays probably the most well-known athlete within the sport and past as he rolls by way of his twenty second season, exhibiting no indicators of slowing in any vital means as he approaches his fortieth birthday.

“I’ve been watching (LeBron) all my life. However I’m going to be ready to do what my workforce wants me to do and do no matter I can do to get a win.”

Walter did his greatest in his first recreation again after lacking all of coaching camp and the beginning of the season thus far with a shoulder damage, however there was no win available Friday evening for the Raptors.

James and the Lakers made their annual go to to Toronto and left with a 131-125 victory that was a blowout for many of three quarters earlier than the Raptors clawed again sufficient to make it not less than somewhat attention-grabbing down the stretch. In any other case, the elder James’ prophesy as he arrived at Scotiabank Area sporting a ghost masks from the horror movie Scream, the heading on his put up to his 159 million Instagram followers studying ‘Reside from LeBronto,’ got here true with out a lot drama. 

Who is aware of if this would be the final recreation James performs at Scotiabank Area at his age and at this stage, however these items can’t be taken without any consideration.

The legend performed the half, ending with 27 factors and 10 assists in 36 minutes. He was helped by Anthony Davis, who the Raptors had no reply for on his method to 38 factors, 12 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

Toronto made it attention-grabbing thanks to 2 extra spectacular video games from Gradey Dick and RJ Barrett. Dick hit a brand new profession excessive for the third time in 4 begins as he continues to indicate indicators of a breakout second season. The 20-year-old scored 31 factors (13-of-26 from the ground, 5-of-11 from three) and grabbed seven rebounds in 32 minutes, whereas Barrett had a career-high 12 assists to go together with 33 factors and 5 rebounds in 32 minutes. 

“I’m simply attempting to play the fitting means, man, attempting to win these video games,” mentioned Barrett, who has had 23 assists in three video games since getting back from a shoulder damage that saved him out for practically the entire pre-season and the primary three video games of the common season.

It was the Raptors’ fourth straight loss as they fell to 1-5 to start out the season with extra challenges forward of them. Nonetheless, for Walter and the Raptors’ core of rookies, who’ve been logging heavy minutes whereas ready for some regulars to return from damage, it was probably an unforgettable recreation: their first time going through LeBron.

“I imply he’s anyone I’ve watched my entire whole life,” mentioned Raptors first-year guard Jamal Shead, who discovered himself on the ground with James with 2:28 left within the first quarter. “I used to be born in 2002, and he was drafted in 2003, so just about the whole lot that I’ve seen about basketball and the NBA is LeBron. In order that was fairly cool, being up with him. I want we bought the dub, however it’s fairly cool matching up with a legend and a participant of his calibre.”

Jonathan Mogbo was matched up immediately towards James greater than any of the opposite Raptors rookies, which is smart, given the Raptors’ different first-year gamers are smaller guards and wings.

“I did a reasonably good job, however I slipped up on one possession, the place I jumped first. You need to be the second jumper,” mentioned Mogbo, referring to a possession early within the fourth quarter the place he guarded James nicely in isolation however fouled the Lakers star after he pump-faked.

“He is aware of the sport, however there’s no excuse. You’ve bought to remain down and compete. On the finish of the day, you’re competing. As a child, you develop up, you see him enjoying and the whole lot, so being within the recreation is completely different. However it’s important to keep humble, keep centered, and it’s important to compete. I really feel we did a fantastic job, and I did a fantastic job of that.”

It took the Raptors some time to get on monitor.

The early going went as may need been anticipated. James was anchoring the Lakers’ bench unit towards a Raptors group that featured Barrett and three and — at one level — 4 rookies. The Lakers had been already up by 20 when James checked in with 2:28 left within the interval and completed the quarter main by 24 when James hit his third triple of the interval simply earlier than the horn.

However the Raptors didn’t keep starstruck for lengthy. They started their lengthy climb again into the sport by holding their very own towards James and the Lakers’ bench early within the second quarter.

Walter bought his first NBA bucket when fellow rookie Mogbo faked a dribble handoff to him after which discovered him when Walter rubbed his defender off on Mogbo’s display screen, with Walter scoring on the lay-up. A second later, the rookie from Baylor sprinted the ground and blocked Lakers ahead Rui Hachimura in transition, resulting in a Barrett basket on the different finish. It was a troublesome taking pictures evening for Walter — he completed 1-of-8 from the ground and 0-of-3 from deep — however he bought to the road twice, made all of his free throws and dove on a unfastened ball beneath the Lakers’ basket and shovelled it to Ochai Agbaji for the straightforward rating and his first NBA help.

Mogbo had his second attempting to lock up James in isolation. Shead had a spotlight when he picked the pocket of Davis — the Lakers’ different hall-of-fame sure star — and took it the opposite means for a tippy-toe dunk. 

“He’s the best participant of all time,” mentioned Walter. “It hit me in warm-ups. I seemed over, and I used to be like, ‘That’s LeBron’, however when had been on the court docket, he was simply an opponent to me.”

Rajakovic made a degree of getting his rookies minutes towards the Lakers’ stars. How else are they going to be taught? 

“They should have these experiences to play towards these guys,” mentioned Rajakovic of his rookie’s trial by fireplace. “The primary quarter, they seemed somewhat bit starstruck however we had been capable of get up from that and play an excellent recreation from that time.”

Walter did get an opportunity to meet up with Bronny James — who solely performed the ultimate seven seconds of the sport — however didn’t trade any greetings along with his well-known Dad. 

“I don’t suppose he remembered me,” mentioned Walter. “I used to be tremendous younger (once they met beforehand).” 

On this, Walter was incorrect. “Ja’Kobe Walter? Yeah, he’s the identical class as Bronny,” mentioned James after the sport. “I knew that for positive. I watched him at Baylor, and I watch all ranges of basketball, so I do know a variety of these youngsters,”

However now LeBron James is aware of the Raptors rookies not as youngsters however as opponents and vice versa. For the Raptors’ rookies, it’s one other step in turning into NBA gamers, moderately than gamers who made it to the NBA.

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