Recently, in light of the Raptors being attached to several trade scenarios and navigating their asset list up and down the totem pole, I came to the conclusion that perhaps Collin Murray-Boyles stands out among the rest as Toronto's most promising and noteworthy young player, surpassing his competition by a mile.
And while I think it would take a truly blow-away trade for the Raptors to let go of CMB, I also believe that to some extent, albeit to a lesser degree, Toronto remains very much intrigued by the potential of last year's first-round selection, Ja'Kobe Walter.
JaKobe Walter is still a major piece for the Raptors' future
While Walter isn't getting as much run as he did in his rookie campaign, with his minutes down to 17.4 per game from 21.2, I've been keeping a close eye on his contributions for the Raptors. Even though the minutes are reduced, he is still expected to play a very critical role for Toronto, either stepping in to play alongside the starters after RJ Barrett missed a chunk of time or being part of the energetic bench unit alongside Jamal Shead and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Scottie Barnes stole the show in the Raptors' winning effort over Golden State on December 28, but the young gun Walter had himself quite the night too that flew a little under the radar with all the prevailing storylines. RJ Barrett also made his return in that game, where the "Maple Mamba" would give his teammate a shoutout post-game, saying (YouTube link here): "... 'Ko [Ja'Kobe], that's my young guy, you know, that's my young guy. So, always talking to him, always breathing confidence to him, and it shows up on a night like tonight."
Walter led Toronto's reserves with 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including 4-for-7 from deep, two rebounds, three assists, and one steal, in 33 minutes played. This marked the seventh time this season that the ex-Baylor product topped the bench unit in scoring. Building on a solid showing against the Wizards on Boxing Day, where he scored 15 points in a losing effort, it was also the third career instance where Walter has recorded 15 or more points in consecutive games.
With Walter, as opposed to say another young Raptors player like Gradey Dick, I see a ton of potential in Walter as a defensive connector for Toronto. He has good, active hands, which the Raptors value a ton. He can thrive in rough-and-tough play, which is very commendable for a young NBA player to embrace, and is one of Toronto's more reliable point-of-attack and perimeter defenders. It shows in Walter's stats as well, since he is currently averaging 1.0 steals per game in the 2025-26 season.
Much like I discussed with CMB, I believe it is very valid to argue that if Ja'Kobe Walter can continue to be a two-way standout for Toronto, it wouldn't make a lot of sense to get rid of him and abandon his surging development path. Sure, other players who went past Walter in the 2024 NBA Draft might appear to have higher ceilings, like Kyshawn George (who recently gave the Raps some trouble), but Walter's impact, much like another notable Raptors name, Jamal Shead, goes well beyond the box score.
Don't discount Ja'Kobe Walter's value at all; it could just be continuing to rise.