Raptors newcomers Davion Mitchell, Jamal Shead bringing defence and guard depth back to team

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Defence was the name of the game for the Toronto Raptors in Sunday’s pre-season kickoff and expect more of the same moving forward.

Toronto was one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA last season under then rookie head coach Darko Rajakovic and the coach and team boss Masai Ujiri both made it clear that was unacceptable and defence will be a major priority in 2024-25.

The team has gone back to an approach more similar to the pressure and disrupt methods favoured by Rajakovic’s predecessor Nick Nurse. Rajakovic won’t have OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam, two of the NBA’s best defenders and one who can be pretty effective as well, at his disposal, but he has said disrupting the initial point of attack is a big part of this year’s plans. Two new additions look like they’ll help in that regard. Davion Mitchell, who earned the nickname “off-night” because of the way some opponents would have poor games when guarded by him, is a tremendous defender, and looked solid in his Raptors debut Sunday against Washington. Mitchell started in place of Immanuel Quickley, but should be the first guard off the bench for the Raptors this year. His three-point shot came and went during this three seasons in Sacramento after he was selected ninth overall in the 2021 draft, but Mitchell’s defence rarely wavers.

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Interestingly enough, the Raptors brought in a similar type of player in Jamal Shead, who looked tremendous in his first Raptors game. Shead immediately forced a steal against the Kings, drew an offensive foul call when he got a Kings attacker tangled up with him, later collected another steal and sprinted the other way for a layup. It was impressive, even if it came against what will be one of the NBA’s worst teams this season and one playing without point guard Malcolm Brogdon. Shead finished with 10 points, four assists and three steals in 17 minutes. What made the performance even more impressive was the fact that Shead had hurt his hip enough earlier in the week that he was unable to participate in the open practice the Raptors held in Montreal on Friday. Two days later he was one of the best player on the court in his first taste of NBA action.

Now, Shead is even less proven than Mitchell as an outside shooter, but he’s lightning quick and as dogged as it gets as a defender. The rookie is four years younger than Mitchell, even though he played four years of college ball at Houston to three for Mitchell at fellow Texas school Baylor. Both have NCAA defensive player of the year awards under their belt, though Mitchell rode that and a starring role on an NCAA championship team to being a top 10 pick, while Shead went 45th overall in his draft.

The NBA loosened the whistles as last season went on because the offensive explosion had become a bit over the top, and it’s expected games will be more physical this season too. That will suit Mitchell and Shead just fine.

Part of the reason the Raptors fell off so much after winning the title and then earning the league’s second-best record the following season before COVID postponed the season was the loss of its once enviable guard depth. Whereas once there was Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, VanVleet, Norman Powell, Delon Wright and then Danny Green and even Terence Davis before his off-court issues, eventually it was VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. as the only viable guards on the roster. Last year it was just Dennis Schroder and Trent Jr. until trades brought in Quickley and RJ Barrett.

But after many years, the arrivals of Mitchell and Shead mean point guard is now a position of strength even when Quickley is being rested. And with Barrett, Gradey Dick and rookie Ja’Kobe Walter all options at shooting guard, along with veteran Bruce Brown as long as he remains a Raptor, there’s no question Toronto is well stocked at guard for the first time in years.

@WolstatSun