Jamal Shead, Collin Murray-Boyles among young players helping Raptors keep up
They were part of a young trio that combined to play more than 32 minutes in Monday's win against Orlando.
TORONTO — If RJ Barrett’s absence cemented anything for the Toronto Raptors, it’s that they lack a plan B. So often during that stint, if Brandon Ingram was off his game, the Raptors couldn’t find nearly enough offence to stay in touch with even some of the league’s worst teams.
It is easy to criticize Scottie Barnes in those moments because he is the Raptors’ best player while, at the same time, not being an efficient scorer. If only he were a different kind of player, the Raptors could absorb an injury to a key scorer such as Barrett.
That’s beside the point, though, as Barnes does so much else for the Raptors. In that sense, what Barrett’s absence also revealed is how hard it is to figure out which of the Raptors’ younger players is going to step up on any given night. Too often, coach Darko Rajaković was searching for any kind of spark. Often, the opposition had pulled away before Rajaković could land on a solution.
Credit the Orlando Magic’s ever-reliably horrendous shooting, aided by the Raptors’ defence, for giving Rajaković more time on Monday in a 107-106 Toronto win. Also, credit Raptors sophomores Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles for being determined enough with their effort to earn more time to hit shots. In a season of fits and starts from Toronto’s young players, the fourth quarter against the Magic was a moment for optimism for the Raptors’ supporting cast.
CAREER-HIGH 19 PTS FOR JAMAL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/676oj8FcwG
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 30, 2025
“Those guys, they’re built of special cloth. They’re built of resiliency,” Rajaković said of his young players. “They’re really putting in a lot of work. It doesn’t matter if we win, we lose. It doesn’t matter if we’re up, we’re down. It does not really matter what kind of mood we’re in.
“They keep going forward. I love how fearless they are. I love how together they play. That’s something very important for young guys to learn early in their careers: You’ve got to bring energy every night.”
Alas, it’s also important that you hit shots. Shead, who led the Raptors with 19 points, has been a staple for the Raptors this year, but his shooting has come down after a hot start. Walter and Murray-Boyles have been among a group of four or five reserves whose minutes fluctuate depending on what the Raptors need.
Frequently during Barrett’s absence — he missed Monday’s game on a back-to-back, and the previous 15 before Sunday’s game against Golden State because of a sprained knee — the Raptors needed a scoring punch off the bench. They pretty much never got it.
While Walter could become a 3-and-D wing in the future, the other two are clearly defence-first prospects. That can make it hard to fit in when your team needs offence. Gradey Dick, drafted for his shooting, has struggled to translate his pre-NBA scoring to the pros. (He scored 15 in the first half against the Magic, helping the Raptors hang around despite awful shooting from basically everyone else.)