"That leaves us with Walter, who still has a marginal lead in the race for the Raptors' ninth rotation spot and the bulk of the backup wing minutes. His sticky on-ball defence and quiet, repeatable shooting mechanics provide a solid floor, and if he's able to put together a strong run of play over the final third of the season, he could be an important player for these Raptors."
"Despite his small-sample success, Battle still appears to be on the outside looking in, considering his low minute totals, recent DNP-CDs, and Darko Rajaković calling him a "specialist." Gradey Dick ... well, Dick entered the league with the presumption attached that he'd be an above-average shooter at minimum. Here at Raptors Republic we thought he'd be more than just a shooter. Funny enough, some of the "more" is there, but the shooting isn't, and that's just a nonstarter."
"At the time of Walter's recent hip pointer injury, he was the obvious frontrunner in this competition for wing minutes off the bench. After a slow start, he'd averaged 20 minutes, 7.5 points and 39 percent from 3 over nearly two months after breaking out mid-November - all while being one of Toronto's best point-of-attack defenders. While it didn't come with a ton of flash, it's the baseline the Raptors need from this spot. It seemed like things might have been settled."
The Toronto Raptors entered the season with a crowded wing rotation including Ja'Kobe Walter, Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji and Jamison Battle competing for limited minutes. None of the wings has decisively claimed the role, and Agbaji was exchanged for a second-round pick. Battle has low minutes, DNP-CDs and is labeled a "specialist." Gradey Dick shows some additional skill but has failed to deliver the expected shooting. Ja'Kobe Walter holds a marginal lead for the ninth rotation spot with sticky on-ball defense, repeatable shooting mechanics and a recent stretch averaging 20 minutes, 7.5 points and 39% from three, though a hip pointer interrupted his momentum.
Read at Raptors Republic
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