Allen Graves has not lit up the box score, but the Raptors have reason to feel good about what they’ve seen anyway.
Over his first three NBA games, the 20-year-old rookie has averaged 6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.7 blocks in about 15 minutes per night. That line doesn’t scream stardom. It does, however, point to a player already finding ways to help Toronto without needing the ball in his hands.
The biggest sign is on the glass. Graves is pulling down 4.3 rebounds per game, and three of them have come on the offensive end.
He’s also bringing the kind of effort that shows up in the scraps: loose balls, contested possessions, and defense on either side of the floor. The Raptors don’t need him to be a featured scorer right now.
With Scottie Barnes, Kawhi Leonard, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley already in the mix, they need a rookie who can fill a role and make a positive impact in limited minutes. Graves has done that so far.
That early work has already landed him on Kevin O’Connor and Tim Haberstroh’s list of the most impressive rookies in the NBA.
“Obviously, he hasn’t had any big explosive performances so far,” O’Connor said. “He had a couple of blocks against Caleb Wilson. He had a Trae Young stop where he defended Trae Young on the perimeter on a switch and just contained his movement, stayed with him on the drive, blocked his shot…We haven’t seen the shot translate yet, but I feel like you’re seeing the winning impact.”
He added, “From a Toronto Raptors standpoint, that’s what you drafted him for as a rookie: to do those things, make a winning impact, and hopefully, eventually, start hitting some 3-pointers.”
Graves was listed alongside Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, Caleb Wilson, Aday Mara, Trevon Brazile, Yaxel Lendeborg, and Meleek Thomas. Thomas and Brazile were the only players on that list who were not drafted higher than Graves; both were second-round picks, going 35th and 34th, respectively.
Mara is the only player on the list who averaged fewer minutes through the first handful of games. That gives Graves some real company, and it says plenty that he’s standing out in that crowd while playing a limited role.
The shot from deep is the other part of this story, and it could be the piece that makes Graves even more valuable for Toronto.
That floor-spacing touch was part of what made him appealing in the first place, along with his reputation as a disruptive defender. At Santa Clara, he took just 2.6 3-pointers per game, but he hit 41.3% of them. The Raptors, meanwhile, badly need help from outside, especially from the frontcourt.
Graves has already shown he’s willing to fire away. He attempted two 3-pointers in 19 minutes against the Chicago Bulls and three more in 20 minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves, making one of them. If that percentage climbs as he gets more comfortable, it would matter a lot for a team that has been struggling badly from long range.
Toronto shot just 26.2% from three over its first three games, the second-lowest mark in the league behind the Bulls. Jamison Battle, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Immanuel Quickley are the only players who have found any consistent success from outside.
Walter has been the team’s best long-range shooter so far, hitting 40% of his threes on 6.7 attempts per game. He was one of the few bright spots against the Timberwolves, when he drilled five triples and finished with a team-high 22 points.
Battle has taken fewer shots than Walter but is 4-of-9 on the season. Quickley’s 0-for-6 night against the Washington Wizards dragged him down to 30.4%.
Those three were Toronto’s best perimeter shooters last season as well, so it’s no surprise to see them at the top of the early list. But it is a problem that they’re also the only Raptors making shots from behind the arc with any consistency.
Kawhi Leonard went 4-for-14 over his first two games back with the Raptors. RJ Barrett, who usually chips in from outside even if he’s not a dead-eye shooter, has made just one of his 11 attempts. Scottie Barnes is shooting 14.3%.
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Scottie Barnes Is Raising A Real Concern For The Raptors Offense
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Darko Rajakovic has said opposing coverages have played a role in that change, but the larger concern is whether Barnes can get back to being a consistent paint threat while still operating as a playmaker. He has already shown flashes in the opening stretch, then followed that with a rough shooting night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which only adds to the sense that Toronto is still trying to figure out how best to use its most important young piece. [Read more 🡒]