Toronto Raptors: Top 5 performances from a sub-par week four

5. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Opponent: Portland Trailblazers

Stat line: 16 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 75% field goal

As if the injury bug wasn’t bad enough, the Raptors suffered another blow against Portland as OG Anunoby was set to miss the game against the Trail Blazers due to a poke in the eye he suffered against the Clippers the game before. There was a big opportunity up for grabs as Anunoby’s minutes needed to be distributed amongst the team. The opportunity was seized by Hollis-Jefferson.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was the second man off the bench and immediately provided a spark in the first quarter, grabbing two quick offensive rebounds. Although he was being used quite sparingly in the first half, he continued to provide a big spark in second-chance opportunities and hustle plays. He ended the half with seven points, five rebounds, and a block.

Nick Nurse was clearly impressed with what he had seen from Hollis-Jefferson as he decided to start him in the second half, hoping to see a repeat performance.  Surely enough, he did not disappoint. He played nearly the entire third quarter,  grabbing another three offensive rebounds and helping the Raptors build their lead further heading into the fourth.

With the score nodded up at 89 each with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, Nick Nurse looking for one last spark subbed in Hollis-Jefferson. He did just that as he scored seven points in that frame and grabbed another two offensive rebounds pushing his offensive rebound total to a whopping seven.

That late fourth quarter run allowed the Raptors to secure a comfortable win as Hollis-Jefferson proved that he is worth a spot in the rotation for the foreseeable future.