Allen Graves’s numbers don’t jump off the page. He averaged 6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.7 blocks over his first three NBA games. But, for a 20-year-old rookie who only averaged around 15 minutes per game, those are still great numbers.
Graves has shown early that he can impact winning. Three of his 4.3 rebounds per game are offensive boards, and he’s clearly willing to do the dirty work on either end of the floor. The Raptors already have Scottie Barnes, Kawhi Leonard, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley. They don’t need their rookie to be a high-level scorer right now. They need him to play a role and have a positive impact, even in limited minutes. Graves is doing exactly that.
His effort earned him a spot on Kevin O’Connor and Tim Haberstroh’s list of most impressive rookies in the NBA so far.
“Obviously, he hasn’t had any big explosive performances so far,” O’Connor said. “He had a couple of blocks against Caleb Wilson. He had a Trae Young stop where he defended Trae Young on the perimeter on a switch and just contained his movement, stayed with him on the drive, blocked his shot…We haven’t seen the shot translate yet, but I feel like you’re seeing the winning impact.”
He added, “From a Toronto Raptors standpoint, that’s what you drafted him for as a rookie: to do those things, make a winning impact, and hopefully, eventually, start hitting some 3-pointers.”
The other rookies on the list were Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, Caleb Wilson, Aday Mara, Trevon Brazile, Yaxel Lendeborg, and Meleek Thomas. Thomas and Brazile are the only players on that list who weren’t drafted higher than Graves—they were second-round picks at numbers 35 and 34, respectively—and Mara is the only one who averaged fewer minutes over the first handful of games. The fact that Graves can stand out among higher-touted prospects in limited minutes is a very good sign for the Raptors.
The 3-point shot would be a nice addition
What made Graves such an enticing prospect for the Raptors—aside from his reputation as a disruptive defender—was his ability to space the floor. He took only 2.6 3-pointers per game at Santa Clara, but he made 41.3% of them, and the Raptors sorely lack 3-point shooting, especially in the frontcourt.
Graves hasn’t been shy about letting 3-pointers fly. He took two in 19 minutes on the floor against the Chicago Bulls and three in his 20-minute stint against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He made one of them.
If his 3-point percentage increases as he gets more comfortable in the NBA, it will go a long way for the Raptors. They shot just 26.2% from three over the first three games—the second-lowest mark in the league right now behind the Bulls—and Jamison Battle, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Immanuel Quickley are the only players who have had any kind of success from behind the arc.
Walter is shooting 40% from deep for the season on 6.7 attempts per game. His shooting was one of the very few bright spots against the Timberwolves, as he sank five 3-pointers on his way to a team-high 22 points. Battle isn’t getting up as many shots as Walter, but he is 4-of-9 for the season so far. For Quickley, a 0-for-6 performance against the Washington Wizards really dragged down his percentage to just 30.4%.
The three were the best 3-point shooters on the roster last season as well, so it’s no surprise to see them lead the team in 3-point percentage. However, it is concerning that they are the only players who have been able to knock down shots from behind the arc reliably.
Kawhi Leonard shot 4-for-14 in his first two games back with the Raptors. RJ Barrett is by no means a great 3-point shooter, but he usually knocks down outside shots every once in a while. He made just one of his 11 attempts so far. Scottie Barnes is shooting 14.3%.
The Raptors really need players other than Walter, Battle, and Quickley to find their rhythm from three, especially with Kawhi Leonard sidelined.
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