4 Who popped and 2 who flopped in Raptors' bounceback win over the 76ers

Bruno Fernando flopped

On a night when so many players were succeeding, backup center Bruno Fernando was largely a disaster. Keep in mind that Philadelphia was playing without Joel Embiid, leaving Andre Drummond to start and committees of forwards like KJ Martin, Guerschon Yabusele and perhaps Caleb Martin to fill in the rest of the minutes at the five. There is a reason that the Raptors dominated the glass and had what seemed like a million more blocked shots (actually 13 to 5).

Despite the easier task ahead of him, however, Fernando was entirely outmatched. The Raptors played him just eight minutes before pivoting to rookie Jonathan Mogbo at center. In those eight minutes, Fernando managed to rack up two fouls and three turnovers (to his credit, also six rebounds - there is a reason he is still in the league).

In one third-quarter sequence, Fernando sets a screen for Jamal Shead and then rolls right into him, nearly causing a turnover. Then on the other end he just stands there and lets Guerschon Yabusele catch the ball uncontested in the paint, then taps him as he goes up for the And-1. Fernando was -9 in his eight minutes and his grip on any sort of a rotation spot is disappearing like smoke.

Jonathan Mogbo popped

It's confession time. Based on how Jonathan Mogbo looked in Summer League and preseason, I did not expect him to be ready to contribute for quite some time. The rookie second-rounder proceeded to shut me up by stepping up for 24 key minutes on Friday night, doing everything from bringing the ball up to playing smallball center in dominant lineup combinations.

Mogbo was +21 in his 24 minutes and was everywhere on the court. He had a whopping five offensive rebounds as he followed shots and tipped out rebounds. He had five assists as he hit teammates in transition (including Scottie Barnes on an exciting sequence) and whipped passes out to the perimeter. He added two steals and three blocks, the most active player on the court. He only shot 3-for-8 from the field but made up for it by going 6-for-7 from the free-throw line for 12 points in total.

The 3-point shooting is an issue for the team as a whole, but if Mogbo can help in literally every other area, he will force himself into the regular rotation even when everyone is healthy.

Jamal Shead flopped

Jamal Shead is playing for a rotation role himself once everyone returns. Will he be guaranteed minutes once Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Bruce Brown Jr. are all back?

If you only look at his defense you would scream "yes" because he is incredible on that end of the court. He locked up Tyrese Maxey for long stretches of the game and his help defense is strong as well.

Unfortunately for Shead, his offensive game was something of a disaster on Friday night. He played 25 minutes, stepping up as Davion Mitchell battled foul trouble (he would foul out in just 19 minutes) and used up a lot of possessions. He shot 11 times, tied with Scottie Barnes for the most on the team, but hit just four of those shots. He also managed to accrue a whopping seven turnovers, including a few bone-headed ones that let the 76ers keep hope alive late in the game.

Shead had his moment, with one of his five assists coming right after a final-minute turnover when he ran the court like The Flash and hit Poeltl with a pocket pass right at the rim for a game-sealing dunk. But overall, Shead had a rough offensive game, and that could be enough to push him to the fringes of the rotation when everyone else is suiting up.

Still, this was an exciting performance, and it speaks to hope for this team once Quickley and Barrett return in the next few games. On to Minnesota on Saturday night!