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

No. 1: Ochai Agbaji

Last season, the Toronto Raptors took a flier on second-year wing Ochai Agbaji. He had an up-and-down start to his career in Utah, but as a companion to Kelly Olynyk in a trade he was worth a late first-round pick to the Raptors to see whether they could resurrect his career.

The early returns were absolutely terrible. Ochai Agbaji couldn't hit the water shooting from a boat, hitting just 21.7 percent of his 3-pointers and shooting a barely-better 43.2 percent on 2-point shots. He had 30 turnovers and just 36 assists and was not particularly impactful as a defender. It was extremely fair to wonder whether the Raptors would move on this summer or even decline his fourth-year team option for 2025-26.

If rookie Ja'Kobe Walter wasn't hurt to start Training Camp, Agbaji may not have received the chance he needed; if RJ Barrett hadn't been hurt, Agbaji certainly wouldn't have received the heavy minutes he was given to start the year, including a spot in the starting lineup.

Yet the third-year player did receive those things, and he took full advantage. He has played 27.8 minutes per game in four appearances and averaged 12.3 points on 45.5 percent shooting from deep. He continues to crash the boards on both offense and defense, and his 1.5 steals per game have been key to the Raptors' defensive effort.

RJ Barrett is back, and Bruce Brown Jr. eventually will be as well, but Ochai Agbaji has earned a full-time spot in the rotation as the backup small forward. He unlocks a variety of lineup combinations, and if his shooting can continue, he looks like the kind of player who deserves a role on this team through this season and beyond.