Raptors’ youth movement, ‘ethical tank’ back on in loss to Knicks

TORONTO — The Raptors could get used to things looking the way they did Tuesday. After Thursday, they may have no choice.

For the bulk of the end of a 121-115 loss to the New York Knicks at Scotiabank Arena, the Raptors leaned heavily on their youth. Scottie Barnes, their 23-year-old star, was flanked by sophomore Gradey Dick and a trio of the team’s rookies: Ja’Kobe Walter, earning the start; Jamal Shead, guarding cold-blooded Jalen Brunson in the game’s closing minutes; and Jonathan Mogbo, fresh from an extended assignment to the G League.

That lineup, with some stretches that included Kelly Olynyk, made the Knicks sweat on the second night of a back-to-back. Foot on the gas in transition, where the Knicks just could not be bothered to defend, Toronto used its youth, speed, and energy to make up for a lack of size and the absence of a few key regulars. A huge deficit in second-chance points in the first half was mostly neutralized later. Karl-Anthony Towns slowed down at least a little after a monster first half. Enough threes dropped to cut a 23-point lead to three at one point late.

“I’m really proud how we kept our composure during the whole game,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said. “I do think that our aggressiveness on the ball kept wearing down on them. In the fourth quarter, we kept them to 23 points. It really came down to the wire, big-time play by Brunson in front of our bench. I’m really proud of our team.”

Rajakovic’s decision to close so young came from a few places. Primarily, the team was thin – RJ Barrett is in league concussion protocol, Chris Boucher was out sick, and Jakob Poeltl left the game at halftime with a right hip pointer he’s been trying to play through for a few games. There are also long-term reasons to favour a youth movement, both in terms of development and short-term results. On this night, though, they were also just the team’s best options.

While the young group came up short in the end, the organization would surely take more nights that look like this from here. Set aside that this type of loss led to the adoption of the term “ethical tank” earlier in the year, but Toronto’s 2024-25 will be measured by the growth of its young players and the quality of its 2024 draft class. Closing with three rookies and five players under the age of 24 against a team which hopes to make, at worst, the Eastern Conference Finals is as fertile a learning opportunity there is; those players looking competitive and growing in those chances is one of the best ways for the team to grow that don’t involve ping-pong balls.

On this night, Shead was the standout. He had arguably the best night of a solid rookie season, scoring 16 points with nine assists in 23 minutes, minutes the Raptors won by 10. His speed has always been a major asset, but 50 games at the NBA level have allowed Shead to understand how his speed fits within the team’s concepts of pace.

“Especially from the start of the season,” Shead said. “They want me to play fast but not be out of control … Just pushing the pace, making a read out of that, and everything that comes with playing fast.”

Mogbo, meanwhile, was seeing rotation minutes for the first time in a few weeks and the second time in 2025. When he went to Raptors 905, the team was hoping he could find a way to play with more force, which isn’t necessarily the same as trying hard. The Raptors know what Mogbo can become defensively – he guarded the best G-League opponent nightly, whether it was an off-ball shooter an on-ball isolation scorer, or an interior threat – and want to see it more regularly, whereas on the offensive side they want quick decisions, getting downhill, and hey, why not a few dunks.

Things didn’t go perfectly out of the gate, with Mogbo struggling in his first few G-League appearances. Things progressed quickly, though, with Mogbo’s growth as a two-way force punctuating a very strong stretch of play for the entire 905 team.

“I just started to understand it more,” Mogbo said of his quick growth. “And then, you know, just playing, going out there, and No. 1 thing is just trying to play hard and just be a positive teammate. And I feel like that kind of grew last couple days, last couple weeks. So just trying to maintain that and translate it over to the NBA. Just go out there, play hard, you know,  just play with a passion for the game. And I feel like when I do that, everything else clicks.”

Assistant coach Jim Sann spent time with Mogbo on his assignment for even higher fidelity between the two clubs, and the early results – Mogbo guarding Towns so the Raptors could switch more pick-and-rolls and an emphatic transition dunk in the fourth – were encouraging.

“Really happy. You can see how aggressive he was on defence. He did a good job using his length,” Rajakovic said. “I thought he did a really good job, and all of that is thanks to the great experience he had with 905.”

Walter, too, has credited his 905 time for his improved play. Along with some offensive juice on and off the ball, Walter’s flashed an appetite for on-ball defence. More importantly, long-term, he’s shown the team real capacity for development, picking up concepts quickly and rarely repeating mistakes. He’s still a fairly raw rookie, but it doesn’t require squinting to see what Toronto likes in him.

Rajakovic also gave Orlando Robinson a brief look with Poeltl down; the team will have to make a decision on his future after the trade deadline, when they’ll need to sign him for the rest of the season or to a two-way contract (or let him go). Jamison Battle didn’t play, but he’s been excellent for the 905 and a great find for the NBA club in smaller minutes; if a roster spot is open after Thursday, he should be considered a strong favorite for a standard NBA contract.

These opportunities should continue for the team’s younger pieces. Boucher, Olynyk, and Bruce Brown are known to be available in trades. Davion Mitchell would have suitors. The asking price on Poeltl may be too high, but playing it very cautious with his injury is the biggest “tank” lever the Raptors have available to them. Regardless of who is and isn’t around come Friday, this should become a familiar story, if not an every-night result.

“I think that’s a testament to us,” Shead said of closing. “We didn’t shy away from it. I think we accepted the challenge and we looked forward to it. I think it was really fun, and we made it fun. We’re young but that’s how you learn.”

Here are a few other quick notes from Tuesday’s game.

• Barrett’s injury was a matter of some discussion. For those who missed it, he hit his head hard on the floor after being undercut Sunday, and the Raptors had to call a timeout to check on him. Barrett ultimately stayed in the game, then practised Monday, before ultimately entering concussion protocol. The optics of letting him stay in the game after such a hit are not great, though Rajakovic said Tuesday he was given the go-ahead by medical staff.

The Raptors believe they satisfied the league concussion protocol without removing Barrett from the game, as he did not “exhibit the signs or symptoms of a concussion” (Part 4-A of the league’s concussion policy). The Raptors then moved to the serial evaluation and monitoring portion of the protocol, with Barrett clearing two additional check-ins before self-reporting symptoms Monday night. He was sent to a doctor for further evaluation will now follow the full return-to-participation protocol, for which the timeline is based on his symptom progression.

• A small thing to watch as Immanuel Quickley continues to operate on a minutes restriction: He’s played all of his minutes alongside Barnes since his latest return, including all 21 in this one. The lack of familiarity and chemistry between the two has been noticeable at times, and tethering their substitutions together is a smart way to maximize their reps, even if it doesn’t provide perfect balance between the team’s units.

• Ochai Agbaji isn’t exactly old, so apologies for leaving him out of the youth movement narrative. He was also solid here, highlighted by a ludicrous left-handed block on a Deuce McBride dunk attempt. Agabji was excellent Sunday, too, and was a standout at the team’s Fan Day on Saturday, winning the three -point competition and being part of the overall winning team (with Barnes, Poeltl, and Boucher).

• Raptors 905 lost a close one to Indiana without Battle and Mogbo, but they remain in a fight for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Ulrich Chomche, despite a tough matchup with Jahlil Okafor (seriously), has shown really nice defensive progress, with a few low-usage, high-efficiency offensive nights. Keep an eye on Jared Rhoden on the post-deadline 10-day or two-way market. If not, some of us are more than ready for the first 905 playoff run in a few years.

• The trade deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.

In addition to actual basketball trades, teams continue to engage with the Raptors on renting out their space beneath the tax. The quality of player there can vary, with the asset price moving accordingly. As a hypothetical, non-reporting example, helping the Bucks get below the apron by taking on Pat Connaughton should return more pick equity than helping the 76ers out of the tax by taking on K.J. Martin, as Martin is a more useful player on a better deal.

Whether the Raptors go that route or use their flexibility in other ways is the biggest local question of the next few days. As a refresher, they are roughly $10 million beneath the tax, have a $12.8-million trade exception, and have a number of quality players on good deals of varying sizes. They’re an attractive trade partner.

The Raptors Show will be live 2-4 p.m. ET for deadline day.

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