Things are HEATING UP…

Things are HEATING UP…

Things are heating up right now between a few players out here on this Toronto Raptors rosters. We know this team is coming into this year with a very deep roster. A lot of guys that are expecting legitimate rotation minutes from Darko Rayakovich. And that has led guys like Grady Dick as well as Jacobe Walter to speak out to give their take on what’s happening with all the internal competition over the course of this training camp. And now with preeason starting tonight, that’s right, we have Raptors basketball back tonight. There are a few things we definitely have to look out for, especially given these quotes that Jacobe Walter and Grady Dick both have spoken out on the situation. So, we’re going to break down those quotes, what we can expect from this rotation structure for the Raptors entering this season, and why preseason is going to be a lot more interesting than it has been in recent years. So, lots of stuff to break down. I am very, very amped up for this uh, you know, return to the Toronto Raptors basketball. Let’s dive straight into it because there’s a lot of stuff we have to get into. And as a lot of people know, you know, you take a look at this Raptors roster in terms of depth, in terms of who we have out here on this team and there’s a ton of talent specifically on the wings. Of course, it looks like RJ Barrett and Scotty Barnes will be back to being in the starting unit, but there’s a lot of players that are going to be, you know, trying to get minutes on the wings. Grady Dick, Jacobe Walter, Oiabaji, you know, AJ Lawson, Jameson Battle, all dudes that have really established themselves in the NBA as guys that deserve rotation spots. Heck, even Elijah Martin has impressed some people in training camp. So, there’s a lot of guys that are going to be in serious contention on the wing for some of those minutes. And Jacobe Walter and Grady Dick were directly asked about all this stuff. As Jacobe Walter came out and said, “This is the first time in my life, no doubt, that I’ve had to battle for minutes. It’s definitely the first time I’d say where I haven’t been the main guy on a team, but you know, I love it. I like the competitiveness. I like the drive I have uh to have every single day. Went on to say that means every day I know for myself I got to hold myself to a higher standard just because I know that everyone else is holding themselves to a higher standard as well. So that just gives me an extra push, extra motivation, but I love it. And that’s exactly what you want to see in these situations where guys are being forced in a position where you have to earn your spot. It’s not being handed to you. It’s not like other Toronto Raptor seasons like last year where everyone was given a good batch of minutes. You know, Jacobe Walter given like 20 minutes a night because this team was tanking. We, you know, witnessed it for the past couple of seasons. We were riding the tank, trying to lose, trying to develop these squads. But that isn’t the case this year. this is not what we’re looking to do for this 2025 2026 season at least for the start. So Jacobe Walter is going to have to fight for that run. And while right now and in what we’ve seen from the lineups in training camp and all that basically that these lineups are looking like right now, Grady Dick is ahead in the pecking order than to Jacobe Walter, a guy that’s been an extra year in the NBA and he had a lot to say regarding the situation as well saying I mean as an athlete and especially at this level that we’re at right now I think that’s why we play the game honestly. I mean, yeah, it’s better to compete against other teams, but day in day out going against each other, it’s like just that kind of an addict addiction at this point. So, you know, Grady Dick is very much uh while he’s, you know, a goofy kind of guy out there off the court, he is very much locked in. We see the effort, the intensity that Grady Dick plays with night in night out. So, I like this approach that from Jacobe Walter, from Grady Dick, but things started to get uh pretty heated up in terms of these discussions and stuff like that from recent quotes as essentially, yo, Jacobe Walter said, I’m going to go out and bring energy whichever way I can bring energy, bring my tools, which are my defensive instincts, getting steals, getting deflection, just kind of being an all-around guy that’s going to dive on the floor, do whatever. And that’s always going to keep you on the court no matter what your given effort, you know, not trying to be one of those one-dimensional players. And Grady Dick doubled down on this saying it’s just really buying into your role. At the end of the day, I knew we had the pieces coming in with Brandon Ingram, an amazing player who’s going to be on the court first and knowing that they’ll go into different rotations and whatnot. So, if I’m called to be in a second in the rotation, called to be in first rotation, whatever it may be, I just got to buy into my role and I’m completely grateful to have the opportunity because at the end of the day, it’s basketball. I’ve played long enough to know what the team needs and guys they try to play outside their role. It kills your chemistry. So you gritty dick Jacobe Walter are saying the right things. And this is the quote that some people are running for. I left it to this part because it’s you know people are really leaning into this juicing into this but basically uh Grady Dick came out and said we are not friends on the court but it’s nothing personal and at the end of the day we want to help each other and we have each other’s back. we go out there and kill each other and then that builds us into a team that we need to be by the time we step off the court like we’re best friends. We’re getting lunch, we’re hanging out, we’re playing video games together and whatnot. So, you know, Grady Dick, he’s out for blood. We’re not friends. You’re trying to kill each other out there on the court. But of course, it’s just a battle on the court. And that’s what you need, right? You need the competitiveness to bring each other up rather than the competitiveness that brings each other down. And those quotes, everything that’s coming out from Grady Dick, those are all things that I’d look to as positives in the situation. And Jacobe Walter doubled down on this. You know, things are heating up with the competition battles. But he said, “I mean, we’re all basketball players. We all have our dreams ourselves, so I completely understand why people on the outside would think we’re always competing, but I think we’re all happy for each other as well. There’s no beef. We’re teammates. It’s all love regardless.” So, you know, while there’s a lot of competition, things are heating up out there in terms of trying to get minutes, trying to get rotation spots, and both of these guys are trying to be very, very competitive. you know, in terms of getting those rotation minutes, the backup shooting guard position, it’s uh, you know, they’re they’re still homies there. This isn’t a team where there’s a toxic culture being built. I mean, that was the one thing that was really focused on during the coaching search to bring in Darker Rayovich. They want to focus on bringing the vibes back because as amazing coach as Nick Nurse was and is, the vibes could get shaky when things weren’t running super smooth. So even when things were running smooth, I mean D Nick Dick N D N D N D N D N D N D N D N D N D N Durst really wasn’t having he didn’t have pay much mind in terms of the vibes and energy. He was trying to win games and try to do anything. Darko is trying to make that competitive mindset. Still trying to be a winner, of course. Does all the right things, says all the right things, but does it with a real major focus on keeping the the positive energy, a good vibe, you know, for this team, which I think is definitely the right approach. That stuff gets underrated a ton at times. But what does this mean for the Toronto Raptors? Because, of course, I flashed this graphic earlier. You know, this is the rotation that’s looking like right now from the training camp lineups and everything we’ve seen. Of course, things are going to adjust it. We’ll see who plays where. But a lot of people in this article, these quotes and stuff were really being brought out for like Michael Grange did a lot of this analysis, but you know, comparing Jacobe Walter and Grady Dick where I think the battle should be really not to add my pun, but the rotation battle should be added. you know, Javis Bell, Oi Baji, and AJ Lawson should be added to that mix because, you know, you can obviously slot Grey Dick out up there at the three, Jacobe Walter at the three if needed. You can do all that type of stuff if you these guys are just playing 22 too well to keep off the court. I mean, if we take a look at the stats last season, Jacobe Walter, you see his points per game the entire year. It’s not crazy, right? Nine points per game, three rebounds, all that stuff. 35% of the three-point line, you know, very comparable to Grady Dick in terms of overall efficiency and all that. But Great Dick was 14 points per game, 3.6 6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, but you also see the minute differential, right? Uh Jacobe Walter 21 minutes per night, Grady Dick 29. So that’s going to have an effect on total points and stuff. Overall, if you put it per minute basis, they’re given very similar production. While Jacobe Walter would be considered more of a natural defender, I think from the eye test in terms of things he was doing there, I think Grady Dick was more effective as a cutter last season, but there was uh they’re very very similar players in terms of impact and all that type of stuff. And they also had different up and down stretches over the course of the season because Jacobe Walter is a guy that if we take a look at his stats for the last 10 games of the season. Jacobe Walter, you know, he really put up some solid stats, right? 13 points. So 14 points per night, you know, four rebounds, three assists, 1.4 steals, brought a lot of energy defensively and, you know, that’s again with the elevated minutes per game, you see those points per go up. So that’s something to take a look at. 96% of the free throw line. Also a phenomenal stat there, which you love to see. And Grady Dick had an extremely hot start to the season, which is, you know, the opposite end where Grady Dick started off the year 18.5 points per night, 3.4 rebounds, two assists. He shot 35% on the three-point line and was scoring in a lot of different areas. So, these guys have both shown flashes of being absolutely elite. Of course, there’s other guys fighting for rotation spots. I mean, Jacobe Walter, uh, the Grady Dick is out there in the mix. You have Oiabachi. I thought his stats were pulled up, but he’s a guy that is less of a natural scorer than a Grady Dick and a Jacobe Walter, but has a bit more size. Is absolutely phenomenal on ball defender. A guy that’s going to be right in the mix for these spots as well. It’s Raptors. These are good problems to have for your team. So, we’ll see how things play out. We’ll see how things shake out for this Raptors group. Let me know who you guys think is going to get those rotation spots. And of course, you know, Raptors basketball’s back. Let’s be hyped. And uh there’s going to be a lot more content coming on Raptors Digest. So, make sure you guys hit that sub button. Anyways, upside and out.

The Toronto Raptors have quietly built one of the deepest teams in the NBA and with that comes a lot of internal competition. Ben Rogers breaks down the current battle between Gradey and Ja’Kobe Walter and how both of them are approaching the positional battle.

—

Raptors Digest is a YouTube Channel that covers all the latest news, trades, reports, and rumours regarding the Toronto Raptors. We provide comprehensive coverage on topics such as game highlights, player performances, and in-depth analysis of team strategies. Our channel features discussions on key players like Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick, Jamal Shead, Bruce Brown and Jakob Poeltl, as well as insights from Head Coach Darko Rajaković and General Manager Masai Ujiri. Stay tuned for all the exciting updates and engaging content on everything Raptors!

Have you ever wanted to break into sports media as a write or content creator? Apply to join the Digest Media team today here: https://digestmedia.ca/join-us/

Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnh_Q8aWS8PxQWGlodwlJaw/join

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/MeVay9egPx

Follow the Raptors Digest on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/raptorsdigest/

Follow the Raptors digest on Twitter at:
Tweets by RaptorsDigest

for_digest_redistribution

—

Unchanged

—

Toronto Raptors, Raptors, Raptors News,Toronto Raptors News, NBA Trade Rumors, NBA Free Agency, NBA Draft, NBA Finals Preview, Fantasy Basketball Advice, NBA Betting Odds, NBA Jersey Review, Player Performance Breakdown, Sports Analytics, NBA Highlights, NBA News Update, NBA Stats, NBA Roster Moves, NBA Predictions