Raptors’ Mitchell, Shead making immediate impact

MONTREAL — The Toronto Raptors didn’t have their very own first-round choose within the NBA draft this previous June, which is a little bit disappointing if you end up coming off a 25-57 season. 

However they didn’t stand pat when it got here to expertise acquisition. Their most vital transfer on draft night time was a commerce the place they acquired Davion Mitchell and the rights to Jamal Shead, the forty fifth choose within the draft, from the Sacramento Kings. 

Mitchell was the extra confirmed commodity. The sturdy, lightning-quick guard was a lottery choose (ninth total) out of Baylor in 2021 and with the guard depth the Kings had and the wage cap crunch they had been going through, they weren’t ready to signal him to a major extension. 

The Raptors obtained him for the low, low worth of Jalen McDaniels. 

Mitchell’s match with the Raptors is apparent in that they’ve been a crew crying for high quality guard depth since Kyle Lowry left for Miami, breaking apart his tandem with Fred VanVleet. 

The payoff has been fast. Because the Raptors began their exhibition season on the Bell Centre in Montreal towards the Washington Wizards, start line guard Immanuel Quickley remained sidelined with a thumb sprain and Mitchell obtained the beginning. 

It will in all probability be an overstatement to credit score Mitchell with the whole lot that went proper in what ended up being a 125-98 win for Toronto, however extra importantly, was a blowout in each the primary and second quarters earlier than every crew went deeper into their bench and performed combos that received’t possible see the sunshine of day. 

I’ll point out that RJ Barrett one of the best participant on the ground for both crew and appeared virtually informal in placing up 17 factors on 10 pictures (3-of-4 from three) in simply over 14 minutes, and that second-year wing Gradey Dick appeared stronger and extra decisive as he put the ball on the ground and scored on a number of baskets whereas making some good passes too. 

The one down word was that Barrett left the sport simply earlier than halftime after which was dominated out for the remainder of the sport with a bruised proper shoulder. He’s anticipated to be re-evaluated in Toronto on Monday.

Generally, the Raptors performed arduous, and for one night time delivered on their pre-season mandate of improved defence as they held the Wizards to 42.1 per cent taking pictures and compelled 19 turnovers. The Raptors shot 54.8 per cent from the ground and 15-of-37 from three. 

However what stood out was how competent the Raptors appeared with Mitchell within the sport and working the purpose. The ball was pushed. Units had been arrived at rapidly. There was paint penetration, and the ball moved in and out crisply. 

There was no coincidence that by the beginning of the fourth quarter when every crew emptied its bench, Mitchell was plus-22 in his 20 minutes of ground time. A quantity that higher captures his influence than his tidy stat line of 4 factors and 5 assists, with no turnovers. 

“He did a very good job,” stated Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic after the sport. “I believed he did a very good job within the pick-and-roll, simply making some actually good reads, discovering the shooter, or discovering the massive within the pocket, and he had a great steadiness of attacking the rim as properly.  After they gave him some alternatives, he used his pace and obtained to the rim.”

Mitchell is undoubtedly in search of a chance to be an NBA starter — he’s simply beginning yr 4 and gamers of his pedigree don’t quit on these ambitions simply — but when he’s your backup, chances are high your crew is in good palms on the level guard spot. 

The query mark with Mitchell is that if he can shoot properly sufficient from the perimeter to make groups respect him from deep. If that occurs his pace and skill to penetrate play even higher. 

And that’s with out even noting his defence, which has been first-class since he entered the league. 

But it surely was Mitchell’s backup who virtually stole the present. 

With out their very own first-round choose to assist make up for final season’s catastrophe (the Raptors choose was transferred to San Antonio to finish the Jakob Poeltl commerce) Toronto is seeking to bolster expertise wherever they will discover it, and it was Shead who — for one night time of exhibition basketball towards a crew projected to be among the many league’s backside feeders — appeared like he could also be nearer to NBA prepared than might need been thought. 

Shead picked up precisely the place Mitchell left off when he checked in. He made a steal on the Wizards’ first possession, one in every of his three for the sport after which went on to make a private assertion when matched up towards Bub Carrington, the Wizards rookie level guard who was taken 14th total within the draft, 31 spots larger than Shead. 

Carrington obtained so annoyed with Shead’s strain that he appeared to swing throughout Shead’s face making an attempt to get open for an inbounds go at one finish — by some means no foul was known as — after which did choose up a foul when he merely threw Shead to the bottom when he couldn’t get open on the different finish. 

Shead by no means modified his expression, and by no means let up the strain both. Carrington completed 0-of-6 from the ground and coughed up three turnovers. 

“Me and him have a little bit little bit of a historical past, he obtained one of the best of me in a pre-draft exercise,” stated Shead. “So I needed to come out and make it as arduous as attainable … he’s going to be actually good, however I needed to give him a style of NBA-ready defence.”

Nobody is anxious about Shead’s skill to protect. He was defensive participant of the yr within the Massive 12 for the College of Houston and has already proven a capability to protect on and off the ball, a minimum of in Summer season League. 

However his offence was a pleasant shock. On his first contact, he labored a pleasant pick-and-roll motion with Raptors massive man Kelly Olynyk, held up his dribble and managed the defender on his hip earlier than discovering the Raptors massive man on the pop for an open three. He made a pleasant drive, drew the defence and located Olynyk on the pitch out for what would have been a buzzer-beating three on the finish of the primary quarter. On the finish of the second quarter, he drove and stored it, scoring on a twisting lay-up that drew whooping admiration from the Raptors bench. 

All of it added as much as 10 factors, 4 assists, three steals and only one turnover in Shead’s 17 minutes. 

Why did the offence come so simply?

“It’s a little bit bit completely different when Davion Mitchell isn’t guarding you, so I felt much more snug,” Shead stated. “… When Davion is guarding you, it’s actually arduous … however with him not in entrance of me, the whole lot sort of opened up.”

It’s one night time of exhibition basketball, however the Raptors confirmed in that atmosphere a minimum of, they’ve some solutions at level guard if Immanuel Quickley isn’t on the ground.

Extra from Sportsnet

Barrett exits Raptors’ pre-season win vs. Wizards with shoulder damage

Raptors beat Wizards in Montreal to open pre-season

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