2024-25 Preseason: Raptors vs. Wizards takeaways

Barrett, Dick, Shead provide plenty of cheer in Montreal

Pre-season has begun and we’ve had our first look at the Raptors! Toronto defeated Washington 125-98 in a strong defensive showing while the offence looked very smooth for the most part.

Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, Bruce Brown, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Garrett Temple didn’t play.

Caveats like pre-season intensity and the Wizards as an opponent are obviously necessary. Heck, the team went undefeated in pre-season last year. Here are takeaways from the first game while keeping those things in mind:

DICK SHOWS SIGNS OF REAL GROWTH

Gradey Dick, for me, was arguably the most intriguing player coming into pre-season. He learned so much during his time with the 905 last season and with the work he put in to strengthen his body during the off-season, not to mention the shooting guard position becoming wide open after the departure of Gary Trent Jr., how Dick would take to a starting role provides plenty of excitement.

During the game, Dick was better positionally on defence and his screen navigation seems to have improved as well. His primary assigment in the starting lineup was Bilal Coulibaly, who seems to have made some progress with his own game. People have talked about how the added strength will help Dick absorb hits on drives at the other end, but absorbing contact better on the defensive end will be a big bonus.

Offensively, he made a couple of really good mid-range pull-ups after getting chased off the three-point line, and showed off his well-roundedness with five assists and four rebounds. The 20-year-old did miss all four of his threes but you expect that to come around.

SHEAD PROVIDES THRILL A MINUTE

All aboard, Shead-heads, Jamal Shead may just be the one to take over the mantle of Raptors fan favourite — and in fitting fashion Jerome Williams aka the Junkyard Dog was in the building to witness it.

Shead is dog pound certified and absolutely gets after it on the defensive end of the floor. There’s a pop and burst to his athleticism that’s refreshing to see considering the Raptors’s struggles containing dribble penetration the last few years.

While he’s coming in with a strong reputation on the defensive side of the ball, what stood out was the fact that he did have some really good moments offensively. It was funny to hear him say post-game that the best thing about this game was not having to go up against Davion Mitchell when trying to run the offence.

Shead was able to create separation courtesy his dribble and speed. He had a couple of tough finishes at the basket — including one just before the first half buzzer — and that should bode well for his confidence.

BARRETT EFFICIENT

RJ Barrett’s efficiency since joining the Raptors was the story of his time in Toronto last season. His three-point shot looked assured in this game and his bully ball drives were there for him when he needed it.

His screen navigation on the defensive end wasn’t great but we also saw how being surrounded by strong defensive players can make his life easier. Barrett’s primary assignment in the starting lineup was Kyle Kuzma, who finished with two points on 1-for-7 shooting and didn’t look anywhere close to engaged. Kuzma’s one bucket came when Barrett lost him on an out of bounds play and skied for the alley-oop. That wasn’t Barrett’s fault, though. Barrett could’ve definitely used some help from Jonathan Mogbo, whose man Alex Sarr set a back screen to open the lane for Kuzma. Communicate, switch, take away the lob. Rookie mistake.

Barrett suffered a right shoulder contusion later in the first half on a screen by Valanciunas and didn’t play the rest of the way out of precaution. 17 points in 14 minutes on 7-of-10 shooting? That’ll do nicely. He did miss both of his free-throw attempts, though.

FUN MOMENTS FOR BOUCHER

Had to spare some time and space for a Chris Boucher homecoming and it was nice to see him get some run and do some notable things with it.

Boucher received a nice ovation from the fans when checking into the game — though I do agree with colleague William Lou that it would have been nice for him to get the start — and seems to have a better understanding of how he can potentially fit into this team.

Jonathan Mogbo got the start ahead of Boucher and I can see a scenario in which Mogbo gets Boucher’s minutes at the start of the season and until the 905 season begins on Nov. 9. He can use the film collected to work on stuff in Mississauga.

Boucher’s role on the defensive end now appears to be that of a safety and only helping protecting the rim as and when he anticipates danger. Offensively, there’ll be days where the shot falls and he goes 3-for-5 like he did in Montreal but you also what he gives you in terms of battling on the glass and gaining the team extra possessions. He collected four offensive boards in this one and finished with 13 points to go along with six boards and a swat.

DEFENCE SHOWS OUT IN FIRST HALF

The first look at the defence definitely left a good impression. Toronto forced 13 turnovers in the first 20 minutes and used the ball pressure head coach Darko Rajakovic talked about to really make the Wizards’ life difficult when trying to get into any sets.

This isn’t the helter-skelter, switch-everything style of Nick Nurse’s Vision 6’9”, and that comes down to having players like Davion Mitchell and Jamal Shead who can contain the dribble. We’ve already made mention of Shead, and so let’s focus on Mitchell a bit here.

Mitchell got the start with Immanuel Quickley resting due to a sprained thumb and ran the offence quite well. His defensive matchup was Jordan Poole and there was no let up in terms of looking to pick up full court and making sure Poole knew Mitchell was lurking if not breathing down his neck at all times. In what was a sight for sore eyes, Mitchell also drew a charge when helping off Poole on a Bilal Coulibaly drive.

Jakob Poeltl had his typically understated impact, owning the matchup with Jonas Valanciunas, grabbing seven boards in 20 minutes and regularly providing a strong level of deterence at the rim.

Mitchell provided a major boost to the starting lineup’s defence, and it’ll be interesting to see how much of a dropoff there is on that end when Quickley is back. Quickley-Dick-Barrett as a defensive trio is going to receive its fair share of tough tests.

QUICKFIRE

• Mogbo has a very long way to go offensively. He has a lot to grasp in terms of concepts, as any rookie would, but it’s not for a lack of effort or intensity. He did have five rebounds and five assists and clearly understands what it means to play within himself as he learns and grows.

• Kelly Olynyk had some nice minutes and it was especially nice to see him knock down a couple threes. He was considered unplayable by Jordi Fernandez during Canada’s run in the Olympics and I know some people were concerned about that.

• D.J. Carton has had nice minutes both in the open scrimmage as well as in this game.

• Ochai Agbaji had a bit of a difficult start but finished strong and had his best moments when alongside Olynyk. That duo has clear chemistry.

• Ulrich Chomche is the new two years away from being two years away, it seems. Unlike Bruno Caboclo, he starts his career with the 905 already in place and a clear structure for development.