If you haven't had the chance to read them yet, I've provided grades for the 2024-25 Toronto Raptors season, covering both the starting core four and the rookie class.
While I may have initially considered only those two groups of talents, the Raptors had a few additional players in the mix who didn’t necessarily fit those labels. With that in mind, I present the final installment of my "Grading the 2024-25 Toronto Raptors Season" series, where I'll cover three other notable talents from this season.
Let's get right to it, shall we?
Ochai Agbaji
I have a strong tendency to root for players of Ochai Agbaji's caliber. While I initially saw him as a win-now asset coming out of the 2022 NBA Draft, his less-than-stellar performances with the Utah Jazz and the Raptors last season didn’t exactly demonstrate that he was anything special, or even passable, to kick off his pro journey.
Going into the 2024-25 season, I didn't have much reason to believe that Agbaji could turn things around—aside from some workout clips showcasing his practice on his jump shot. Little did I know just how committed he was to improving and becoming a productive member of this Raptors squad.
Agbaji quickly emerged as one of the healthiest players on the Raptors during a stretch when nearly the entire roster was plagued by injuries (he would eventually end that impressive streak too). And wow, did he make an impact with a historic surge in production. This wasn’t just a minor improvement in shooting percentages; Agbaji managed to skyrocket his measly 21.7% three-point percentage to an absurd 40% in the following year.
On the year, Agbaji's averages for the 2024-25 season are as follows: 10.4 points on an extremely efficient 49.8% from the field, the previously mentioned 39.9% from three, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and nearly a steal (0.9) per game. He played in 64 games, starting 45 of them, with an average playing time of 27.2 minutes per night.
Much like my motivation to reward veteran starter Jakob Poeltl with an excellent grade for his sudden meteoric rise, I believe it’s only fair to apply that same mindset to Agbaji. We went from viewing him as a lost cause to recognizing him as a secret weapon that Toronto will need to make important decisions about moving forward.
Grade: A+
Chris Boucher
We move from a player who used this season to prove he's not a hopeless prospect to a driven veteran eager to demonstrate that he still has plenty left in the tank, even though the coaching staff chose to bench him for the second half of Raptors action.
Enter Chris Boucher.
I won’t lie; I was surprised by how much the Raptors relied on Boucher during the early part of the 2024-25 campaign. Given his fall from the rotation last year, it seemed like the Raptors’ brass had little faith in his ability to remain a productive contributor.
However, they completely flipped the script, with Boucher becoming a consistent spark off the bench during a hot stretch. This culminated in an impressive January where he seemed unstoppable.
For the year, Boucher's averages for the 2024-25 season are as follows: 10 points on 49.2% field goal shooting, 36.3% from three, and 4.5 rebounds per game. He played in a total of 50 games for Toronto (the same as the year prior), averaging 17.2 minutes off the bench per appearance.
While I may have reservations about the Raptors' decision to keep him off the court after the trade deadline, it's impossible to overlook the highlights of Boucher's 2024-25 campaign. His resurgence was impressive, even if it came to an abrupt halt. Ultimately, whatever the Raptors decide regarding Boucher's future is their choice. As a Raptors fan, I will always appreciate the energy and hustle he brought to the team, and I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.
Grade: B+
Gradey Dick
Speaking of early-season Raptors narratives, let's turn to Gradey Dick, the sophomore guard who burst onto the scene with an elevated scoring performance. He quickly became a noteworthy contender in the initial conversations for the Most Improved Player award.
When players like Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley were inactive, I previously noted in the starters grade piece how RJ Barrett took on much of the offensive load. However, his primary support on that front most nights came from Dick.
In the Raptors' early stretch between October and November, Dick would post three games of scoring 30 points or more, and he was quickly looking like a blossoming star waiting to be unleashed.
Dick concluded the 2024-25 season with these statistical averages: 14.4 points on 41% field goal shooting, 35% from three, along with 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and nearly a steal per game (0.9). He played in a total of 54 games, starting in each one, and averaged 29.4 minutes of playing time.
As quickly as he soared to start his second year, Dick's fall back to Earth came just as fast. He began by shooting lights-out, but as the months went on, his efficiency took a dip. Ultimately, he finished with efficiency stats just slightly worse than his rookie campaign. An even more troubling detail to emerge was Dick's lackluster pairing with Scottie Barnes, revealing that the two Raptors youngsters struggled to find chemistry on the court.
Things looked promising for Dick, and he would have arguably been one of the Raptors' most discussed players at season's end if he could have sustained that pace throughout the year. However, I'll be honest, I lost track of him post-All-Star break, and it didn't help that he missed nearly all of March and April.
His scoring may have increased, but I would argue that this was largely due to his usage rate going up early in the season. I'm not sure if this was the most desirable outcome for Gradey Dick.
Grade: B