3 Players who deserve to stay in the rotation once Raptors get healthy

No. 2: Jamal Shead

Of the Raptors' five rookies on the roster this season, it's not particularly a surprise that Jamal Shead appears to be the most NBA-ready. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year is 22 years old as a rookie and has appeared to translate all of those defensive skills to the NBA.

Shead is everywhere on defense. He is a sublime one-on-one defender, perhaps not quite as glove-like as backcourt partner Davion Mitchell but certainly a menace on opposing ball-handlers. Where he excels in a way that Mitchell does not is as a team defender, leaping into passing lanes and stunting onto opposing players. He is even a competent weakside shot-blocker and, were he to become a full-time rotation player, is likely to rank among the league leaders in blocked shots for a guard.

The question mark for Shead was always going to be his offense, and whether he could be competent enough on that end ot justify rotation minutes. His shot is nothing to write home about, as he has hit just three of his 10 attempts from deep this season, but he is a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line and his motion doesn't appear broken. It's not unreasonable to think he could improve his accuracy over a larger sample size.

Where Shead has excelled offensively is in transition, pushing the pace when he has the ball and when he doesn't. He is also very comfortable with the ball in his hands and is averaging 4.8 assists per game despite playing just 20.3 minutes per game. Not only does he lead the rookie class in assists, but of players averaging fewer than 25 minutes per game he ranks second in assists behind just Ben Simmons.

Shead is an impact defender and a steady playmaker who jiuices the Raptors' pace when he is on the court; they need to find a spot in the rotation for that sort of player even when Immanuel Quickley returns.