The Toronto Raptors continue pre-season action with a matchup against the Washington Wizards at 3:00 p.m. EST on Sportsnet.
Here are three storylines to pay attention to during the game.
A potential starting five debut?
It’s been 248 days since the Raptors traded for Brandon Ingram and fans have yet to see him take the court with the complete starting five. Centre Jakob Poeltl was already dealing with sore back stiffness and now may also be battling a cold, according to Sportsnet’s Michael Grange on Saturday.
With only three games remaining until the regular season opener, time is running out for the Raptors’ main unit if they want to get meaningful practice reps. The Raptors start the season on the road for the first time since 2011. Toronto also plays 10 of its first 15 games on the road.
The Raptors’ bench went through their signature extended scoring drought in the back end of the first quarter against the Boston Celtics on Friday. It’s imperative that the starter finally live up to the vision the front office has for them.
Mob mentality 2.0
Should the Raptors sit either the entirety or a majority of their starting lineup, expect to see the latest development surrounding the internal competition over key roster positions and playing time.
One of the carousels includes Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick, and Ja’Kobe Walter. Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic has been intentional about distributing playing time among the trio, ensuring that each player has an opportunity to showcase their talents. One of these three will see a drastic change in the consistent playing time they received last year.
Here are their numbers through the first half of the pre-season:
Agbaji: 18.6 MIN, 7.3 PTS, 2 REB, 0.3 AST, 1.3 STL, 0.6 TOV, 52.9 FG%, 40% 3P%
Dick: 18.6 MIN, 13.7 PTS, 3.7 REB, 1.0 AST, 0.6 STL, 1.6 TOV, 58.6 FG%, 45.4 3P%
Walter: 19.3 MIN, 7.0 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST, 0.6 STL, 1.0 TOV, 40.0 FG%, 30.0 3P%
With rookie Collin Murray-Boyles nursing an elbow ailment that limited him to seven minutes against the Celtics, the Raptors will again lean on the end-of-the-depth-chart options against the Wizards.
There’s a fascinating tug-of-war happening between Jamal Shead and rookie Chucky Hepburn. If Brandon Ingram and the rest of the starters are the Raptors’ engine, then Shead and Hepburn represent the lug nuts on the roster. It’s less about the statistics between the two and more about how the offence looks when the ball is in their hands. We know what they bring to the table on the defensive end.
Welcoming the Wizards to 2025-26
The Wizards make their late pre-season debut as the only team in the league with three scheduled exhibition games. By comparison, most teams (17) are set to play four pre-season matchups. Seven teams will play a total of five games. There is a unique group of teams that will play in six games, which includes the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Raptors.
This should be a fun duel even if the Raptors opt to sit their starters again. Washington has a plethora of intriguing and young options on their roster that could represent an entertaining foil to the Raptors’ bench.
Two players that fit that billing are guard Tre Johnson and Canadian wing Kyshawn George.
Johnson was selected with the sixth pick in this year’s NBA Draft and was a popular option for Raptors fans in case he had slipped. It’ll be interesting to see how the 19-year-old handles the scrappy Raptors defence, especially late during a potentially close contest.
For George, it’ll be another opportunity to play in front of Canadian fans after suiting up for the country in the FIBA AmeriCup. A George breakout season could happen this year, and this would mark the beginning of that journey.
Another player to keep an eye on is former first-rounder Cam Whitmore. The athletic wing, along with guard CJ McCollum, was acquired by the Wizards in a three-way trade that sent Jordan Poole to the New Orleans Pelicans and salary relief to the Houston Rockets.
