The Toronto Raptors have stumbled into a 5-5 start, and while that’s hardly a disaster, there’s still a clear opening for Darko Rajakovic to tweak the rotation. One move stands out: Alijah Martin deserves more run.
Toronto’s offense has been good enough to sit inside the NBA’s top 10 through 10 games, but the long-range shooting has not been as steady. That’s where Martin starts to make a real case for himself. In a limited role, he’s already giving the Raptors something they need, and the numbers suggest there’s more there if he gets more minutes.
Martin’s jump from year one to year two has been sharp. He’s averaging 5.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 53.3 percent from 3-point range. For a player still early in his second season, that kind of efficiency is hard to ignore.
He backed that up in Friday’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks, where he tied RJ Barrett for the team lead with 27 points but did it with far less waste. Martin went 9-for-11 from the field and 6-for-7 from deep, adding four rebounds, two steals and a block in what was easily his best night so far.
The appeal isn’t only on offense, either. Martin has shown he can hold his own on the perimeter despite standing 6-foot-2. He has a defensive rating of 114.7, has picked off four steals in the first 10 games, and DataBallr says he’s contested 20 shot attempts as the closest defender per 100 possessions, which puts him in the 95th percentile this season.
He’s also in the 94th percentile in contests at the rim per 100 possessions, with 6.0 in those stretches. That kind of activity has already helped Toronto’s bench, and it’s easy to see why a bigger role could make sense now instead of waiting for later in the season.
In Other News...
Former Raptor Gary Trent Jr. Is Suddenly At Center Of NBA Scrutiny
Gary Trent Jr. has found himself back in the spotlight for reasons that go well beyond his play on the floor. The former Raptors wing, now with the Milwaukee Bucks, is reportedly at the center of an NBA investigation into whether his four-year contract was used in a way that could amount to salary cap circumvention, a development that has put the deal under a microscope across the league.
For Toronto fans who watched Trent during his time with the Raptors, the scrutiny adds another strange chapter to a career that has already taken an unusual turn. The reported questions around the contract have only grown louder because of his declining performance and the way the deal progressed, and if the league determines something improper happened, the Bucks could be looking at serious penalties, including draft pick forfeitures and suspensions. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors May Have Found A Cheap Frontcourt Upgrade Worth Watching
Kyle Filipowski has started to look like the kind of frontcourt swing piece the Raptors tend to keep an eye on when theyre hunting for value. The Jazz big man has seen his playing time climb lately, and the appeal is obvious for Toronto: a young, affordable player with enough skill to potentially fit into a roster that is still sorting out its long-term shape up front.
For the Raptors, the attraction goes beyond just adding another body to the rotation. Filipowskis contract status makes him a realistic name to monitor, and his blend of size and versatility gives Toronto a possible cheap upgrade without having to chase a splashier move. The question now is whether Utah would actually entertain the kind of trade package Toronto could put together, and how far the Raptors would be willing to go to make the deal happen. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Weigh A Blockbuster Frontcourt Move As Kawhi Plans Return
Kawhi Leonard has finished treatment for the left knee swelling that had kept him on the shelf and is now beginning the return-to-play process with the Raptors, a welcome development for a team that has been waiting to see what its full frontcourt picture might look like. His progress comes at a time when Toronto is also being linked to a much larger roster idea, one that would reshape the middle of the lineup rather than simply tweak it.
Domantas Sabonis has emerged as a name to watch after recently changing agents, and the Raptors have expressed interest in the Sacramento Kings big man as they look for ways to strengthen the roster. No deal has been announced, but the possibility alone gives Toronto a lot to sort through, especially with Leonard working his way back and the front office weighing whether to stay patient or chase a bigger swing. [Read more 🡒]