The Toronto Raptors have a clear issue heading into 2026-27: the shot-making just isn’t where it needs to be. Call it a weakness if you want to soften it, but either way, perimeter scoring remains a real concern for a team that finished with the fifth-fewest made threes in the league last season.
They did bring in a true superstar this offseason, pending, in Kawhi Leonard. What they didn’t do was solve the shooting shortage around him. That’s where Jamison Battle suddenly becomes one of the more interesting names on the roster.
Battle, 25, is entering his third NBA season and may be staring at the biggest opportunity of his career. Toronto’s top bench group seems set, with Collin Murray-Boyles, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Jamal Shead expected to be the first three reserves off the floor. That leaves the fourth bench spot - or the ninth-man role - wide open, and Battle’s ability to stretch the floor gives him a real edge over Kyle Anderson and rookie Allen Graves.
If Toronto is looking for a player who can come in and change the temperature of a game from deep, Battle has already shown he can do that.
He appeared in 62 games for the Raptors last season, though his role was limited to just 8.5 minutes per game. That small sample could make his 41.2 percent mark from three look a little too good to trust, but anyone who watched him closely saw the kind of burst he can bring when the minutes open up.
There was the sixth game of last season, when Toronto needed a lift against Cleveland in the second half and Battle delivered one in a big way. He played 15 minutes, went a perfect 7-of-7 from the field, scored 20 points, and knocked down all six of his three-point attempts in a 112-101 Raptors win. Then he nearly did it again in Game 3 of Toronto’s playoff series against the Cavaliers, flipping the game with another big second half and 14 points on perfect shooting.
That kind of heater is rare. Battle can look like he’s playing NBA Jam when he gets rolling, and that’s exactly why he matters.
If head coach Darko Rajakovic can get him into the 15-minute range on a regular basis, Battle could become the kind of bench weapon that changes Toronto’s spacing. He can hit catch-and-shoot threes, he can pull up off the dribble, and his stroke doesn’t seem to go cold when the volume rises. Letting him fire away at five threes a night could do a lot for the Raptors’ floor spacing.
There’s also the defensive piece. Battle isn’t being sold as an elite stopper or a high-flying athlete, but he isn’t a weak link either. At 6-foot-7, he has the size and length to handle off-ball assignments and battle players his own size.
For Toronto to be at its best next season, Battle’s shooting may wind up mattering more than anyone expected. If the Raptors are going to squeeze extra value out of their offense, he looks like one of the few players on the roster capable of providing it from deep.
In Other News...
Raptors Face A Brutal Kawhi Question As Trade Uncertainty Drags On
The Raptors are still waiting for clarity on a deal that would send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft picks to the Clippers for Kawhi Leonard, with the trade reported but then paused while the league sorted through questions tied to the Clippers. For Toronto, the uncertainty is the headline now, because the basketball side of the move is only part of the equation when a transaction of this size gets pulled into an NBA review.
The investigation reportedly did not turn up evidence of wrongdoing, but the league also said some of the media reporting around it was inaccurate, leaving both sides in a holding pattern. Until there is more certainty from the NBA, the Raptors are left to wait on whether this remains a blockbuster idea or turns back into one of those near-misses that hangs around long after the rumor mill has moved on. [Read more 🡒]