Jamal Shead recorded 20 points and 11 assists for Toronto after several Raptors players missed time, including Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley.
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Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said Jamal Shead is finding his role as the team’s early-season availability issues create a larger opportunity for the backup point guard.
The Raptors entered the week with multiple absences. Superstar Kawhi Leonard had played only twice and was not expected back for at least a week after treatment for swelling in his left knee. Scottie Barnes and starting point guard Immanuel Quickley missed back-to-back games, while defensive stalwart Collin Murray-Boyles sat out Monday’s 118-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
After that defeat, Shead said the situation is also an opening for players ready to contribute. “A lot of guys wait for those opportunities and are just ready to play,” he said, adding that when key pieces are out, “it’s just next man up.”
Shead delivered a second consecutive double-double, finishing with 20 points and 11 assists against Memphis. In that game, his production led a starting group that included RJ Barrett, Kyle Anderson, Jakob Poeltl and Ja'Kobe Walter, with Toronto using a sixth different starting lineup through the first 10 games.
Toronto later confirmed that Barnes would miss Wednesday’s game. Quickley, Murray-Boyles and centre Trayce Jackson-Davis were listed as questionable, with Jackson-Davis out with illness. The team was also dealing with uncertainty around how long Barnes’ left groin strain and Quickley’s right hamstring tightness/soreness might keep them out.
Shead’s scoring has been limited earlier in the season, averaging six points per game on 36.7 per cent field-goal shooting entering Monday’s contest, but he improved his scoring pace against the Grizzlies and is now at a 7.4 points-per-game trajectory. Rajakovic said Shead is getting better “as the games go by,” noting that he has “really shining” moments when his minutes and role expand.
Poeltl said the pick-and-roll opportunities created by Shead’s “fast downhill style” help open the defence and lead to quick finishes. He described the coordination between them as constant, saying they talk and watch film both on and off the court. Shead said the pair keep communication going about where Poeltl will be and how plays should develop as he takes off.
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