"While taking a loss is never fun, the Raptors' defeat against the Celtics on January 9 had several redeeming qualities. In light of the unfortunate injuries to Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl (who is still working his way back to peak form), and an ill-timed ankle injury for RJ Barrett against Boston too, Toronto's crop of young players and reserves stepped up to make their mark."
"Walter received the starting nod against Boston, playing just over 31 minutes. He made the most of the opportunity with a new season-high 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting, and going 5-for-9 from three (which is another new high for the 2025-26 campaign). He also recorded six rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. In games like this, where the odds are largely stacked against Toronto anyway, it's always encouraging to see an uptick from the next man up"
"At shootaround, BI [Brandon Ingram] told me I got to take more threes. ... He said he was watching me shoot and things [sic] I've been passing up a lot of shots. So, I had that mindset coming in. Having a vet tell you that, you have to listen, if he sees something, and the shots were just falling today."
Several Toronto players stepped up during the January 9 loss to the Celtics amid key injuries to Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, and RJ Barrett. Jonathan Mogbo and Gradey Dick logged meaningful minutes while two-way rookie Alijah Martin delivered a standout performance. Bench contributors Jamal Shead and Sandro Mamukelashvili produced their usual strong play. Sophomore Ja'Kobe Walter started, played just over 31 minutes, and produced a season-high 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including 5-for-9 from three, plus six rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. Brandon Ingram advised Walter at shootaround to take more threes, and Walter followed that guidance.
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