#raptors-905

#raptors-905

I was fortunate enough to be in attendance representing Raptors Rapture and FanSided, and man, I can honestly say that this morning of hoops is up there for one of the loudest crowds I've ever been a part of. Of course, when you jam-pack an arena full of some, 15,000-plus kiddos and their respective chaperones from across the GTA, you can bet they'll be able to raise the decibel levels inside the Bank, no problem.

It took no longer than one possession for the G League's best defence to make its mark, as the 905 forced a shot clock violation on their opening defensive possession. That would be a theme throughout the first quarter, as the pair of teams combined for six turnovers in the first six minutes of the game, which wasn't a surprise given these two teams sit top three in the minors in steals and defensive rating.

I think what separates a lot of players from this level to the NBA level is, can you do it consistently? Everyone knows what your identity is. It's the players that can do it every single night, who are the ones that get opportunities. I'm excited for our group. I still think we haven't scratched the surface for how well we can be defensively. But this was another awesome step for us.

The team said goodbye to big man Lacey James and first-round G League Draft choice JP Pegues, while Jared Rhoden opted to sign with EuroLeague squad Paris. The latter played in 26 games for Mississauga's squad last year, including 17 starts, and averaged 19.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 50.7 per cent from the field, 39.3 per cent from distance (5.4 attempts), and 64.8 per cent from the line.

The 25-year-old Hoggard spent Summer League with the New Orleans Pelicans, following five years in college. Hoggard played four years under Tom Izzo at Michigan State before transferring to Vanderbilt for his final collegiate season. In his four years at Michigan State, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound guard averaged 8.6 points, 4.6 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.9 steals while shooting 41.0 per cent from the field, 30.3 per cent from distance, and 74.7 per cent from the charity stripe.

Ulrich Chomche. He has a unique name; he's a unique player and he's taken a unique path to the NBA, being both the youngest player selected in the 2024 NBA Draft at age 18 and the first player selected out of the Basketball Africa League. Even though he missed about one third of his first professional season with apartialMCL tear in his right knee, Chomche showed tantilizing flashes throughout his time with the Raptors 905 last season.

McCaw might be one of the oddest NBA players to record a three-peat, being part of the Golden State Warriors' championship squads in 2017 and 2018, and striking gold once again in 2019 as a late addition to the Toronto Raptors after a failed stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers that same year. The ex-UNLV product was not a standout contributor to the Raptors' title campaign, but he was okay in limited minutes, averaging 44% field goal shooting

On Aug 22, the Raptors 905 traded their 2026 first-round NBA G League draft pick to the College Park Skyhawks in exchange for Joiner's rights. A potential waiving of Joiner could also occur, similar to Guerrier and Key's situations in recent days. The purpose of this move would be to give Joiner a roughly $80,000 bonus to join the Raptors 905, presumably.

The tip-off tournament portion of the schedule - a 14 game segment to start the season where teams are placed into four regions and complete exclusively against each other - will conclude Dec. 16 against the Westchester Knicks. After, the team with the best winning percentage in each region, along with the next four teams with the best winning percentage regardless of region, will compete for the tournament championship at the G League winter showcase.