It took Allen Graves one Summer League game to put Raptors draft critics on notice

The 2026 NBA Summer League festivities are officially underway. The Raptors opened up their campaign on Friday night against the Celtics, where despite a valiant effort, Toronto would come up just short against Boston in a 83-80 overtime defeat.

And for the Raptors' recent first-round selection, Allen Graves, this first glimpse into the 19-year-old's skills was quite the breakout.

Graves led Toronto in scoring for the affair, providing 22 points on an efficient 9-for-16 shooting from the field, and "letting the jimmy fly" too so to speak as he went 3-for-8 from three. Graves would also secure 13 rebounds in the game (a team-high and giving him a double-double), while the Louisiana native's defensive capabilities were on full display too with a total of five stocks (three steals and two blocks).

Allen Graves sets the tone for his Raptors journey with an impressive Summer League debut

This may just be Summer League and the level of competition is not quite an exact mirror of the NBA level, but the magnitude of such a showcase shouldn't be underestimated. It's all the more important when you consider some of the narratives surrounding the Allen Graves selection coming out of tthe 2026 NBA Draft.

Graves looked like the prototypical Raptors darling and even drew interest here on Raptors Rapture in the pre-draft process (and even after) for his upside as a quintessential player to match Toronto's winning formula. However, at 19, another top prospect was still on the board in Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr., who definitely gave off future star guard upside. Considering the Raptors' need for guard depth, it could've been a perfect opportunity to steal a prospect who many other teams ignored, but instead Toronto went with Graves.

Now, I'm not here to argue a Graves vs. Philon debate. Both players are highly skilled in their own ways and are poised to be impactful for their teams in the years ahead. However, strictly looking at what the Raptors got here in Allen Graves, even in just his first Summer League game — it stood as proof that Toronto definitely added yet another versatile, Swiss Army Knife-esque player to their ranks.

For a team that already has Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles, Kawhi Leonard (hopefully), and even someone like Kyle Anderson to some degree — it opens up quite the advantageous lineup game at the Raptors' disposal. Yes, the other glaring roster issues are still prevalent like questionable center depth or a lack of reliable three-point shooting. But the Raptors' fascination with dynamic two-way impact players is no secret to anyone at this point, and stockpiling on that archetype with Allen Graves should've been seen as a no-brainer.

That being said, this is just step one for the 19th pick. There's the rest of Summer League to go and a full rookie season ahead to form our final judgments. Questions will continue to be had over Graves' three-point shooting mechanics and his athleticism translating to the next level. Even so, a stat sheet-stuffing performance like this is still a memorable first impression, and it should put at least some of the draft critics' arguments to rest.

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