Moving on from my positive observations of Jakob Poeltl in the Raptors’ October 10 preseason game against the Clippers, the next player I’d like to spotlight is Jamal Shead.
Shead got nearly 19 minutes of action against the Clips, serving in a role that’s likely secure for the regular season as Toronto’s lead backup guard. In that time, he contributed 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting, went 3-for-3 from the free-throw line, and added two assists, two steals, and one rebound. On the not-so-positive side, he missed all his attempts from deep, had four turnovers, got into a bit of foul trouble with five fouls, and finished with a -8 plus/minus.
That being said, I still want to give the stocky guard some grace.
Despite those missteps, I was pleasantly surprised by Shead’s apparent shift in the second half, where he turned up his aggression.
Jamal Shead’s assertive play could add another dimension to his role with the Raptors
Shead struggled to find his rhythm early in the game, going 0-for-3, including two missed threes and a missed pull-up jumper. But coming out of halftime, he kicked into a different gear, looking for ways to score off his own drives and initiative — and it worked. He went 4-for-5 in the third quarter, getting downhill on his first two makes (going right to work against rookie Keaton Wagler), using a screen to create space for the third, and attacking ex-Raptor Gradey Dick for a smooth pull-up jumper on the fourth.
We’ve grown to love Jamal Shead over his last two seasons in Toronto as a savvy playmaker, hustler, and resident defensive “dawg”. But his ability to impact the game on offense has been rather clunky up to this point. He has modest shooting chops in his arsenal, but his efficiency is still a work in progress: he’s been about a 32% three-point shooter in both his rookie and sophomore seasons.
His overall field-goal percentage also dipped, from 40.5% in year one to 36.7% in year two. This isn’t a secret; it’s been raised numerous times, both here on the site and elsewhere in the Raptors’ sphere. Shead is already held in high regard in his current role, even emerging this early in his career as one of the team’s most trusted leaders. The next logical step for him in the Raptors’ outlook may be to build an effective, attack-first mindset for himself — much like he showed in this preseason affair.
The clunky three-point shooting plays a big part in his efficiency taking a dip, but I wouldn’t say Shead is unwilling to hunt for more shots as a whole. In fact, we saw a couple of games from Jamal Shead in last year’s playoffs where cranking up the knob on offense was an early-series highlight. At the same time, you could’ve argued that he may have gotten a bit too trigger-happy, like it became apparent in Game 5.
I get that his size raises concerns about getting blocked or struggling to translate shots against bigger bodies, but I still think this kind of aggression can produce better results than trying to force that shooter archetype and falling into the trap. Not too many shots to become a problem — just the right offensive looks that will help stabilize his efficiency. The Raps are going to need Shead to become even more effective and show that he has another leap in him, just like the other Raptors youngsters viewed as key pillars moving forward.
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