Jamal Shead's last three outings for the Raptors haven't been the most successful shooting performances, as he has only made three of his last 20 shot attempts, which is a lowly 15 percent field goal percentage. On the season as a whole, Shead's numbers are 5.6 points per game on 36.5 percent shooting, 34.5 percent from three, along with 5.3 assists, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in an average of 19.0 minutes played off the bench. If you're not a true Raptors devotee, Jamal Shead's efforts can easily fly under the radar in the grand scheme of NBA player discussions.
But as he showed in Toronto's most recent contest, a winning affair over Portland on December 2, the former Houston Cougar proved to be an integral part of the Raptors' push to victory. Shead set both a game-high and career-high with five steals, all in the first half. This ties for the most steals in a half by a bench player in franchise history, a record previously set by Raptors veteran CJ Miles on January 19, 2019. In fact, Shead's previous record of four steals came in Toronto's last game prior to the Blazers matchup, a losing effort against the New York Knicks on November 30.
Although Shead was just 1-for-8 from the floor in this same game, he still served as a huge momentum shifter for the Raps. A reporter asked during head coach Darko Rajakovic's post-game press conference on December 2, "Is this game tonight kind of the perfect example of how a player can positively impact a game without shooting the ball?" Rajakovic asked for clarification about who the reporter was referring to, and the reporter specified Jamal Shead. The Raptors' head coach would go on to say (YouTube link here):
Shooting might be a challenge, but Jamal Shead’s role in winning is clear
"He did shoot the ball (laughs). He just didn't make shots. No, big time, like, his energy in the first half, he really got us going in the first half. He had a slow start there. They caught fire, they were shooting the ball really well. And when Jamal [Shead] came in the game, it really gave us energy, and a couple of steals that he had, really spiked our offense as well. That's a great example, but I don't want to get him spoiled, so I want him to make shots next time (smiles). "Darko Rajakovic, Dec 2, 2025
While his career-high in steals stole the show, Shead’s exceptional court vision (a testament to his ability to be a rising leader for Toronto) continued to shine. He recorded five assists in this game against Portland, including an absurd clutch find to a cutting Brandon Ingram for a crucial basket late in the fourth quarter that helped Toronto secure the victory. Scottie Barnes remained a steadfast defensive presence, blocking the next Blazers possession to seal the win for the Raptors. But before all that, it was Shead's work to draw Deni Avdija into a key offensive foul, which Portland's coach Tiago Splitter tried to challenge but to no avail.
Shead's ability to pass the ball goes without question. In fact, he ranks second in the entire NBA in assists per 36 minutes with 10.1 assists, just behind Nuggets perennial MVP candidate Nikola Jokic, who sits in first place with 11.4 assists. But aside from being a talented playmaker, Shead is also a hard-nosed defender for this Raptors squad.
The shooting numbers might not be pretty, and you could say he's a bit of a black hole in that regard, but the little things Shead does are extraordinary for Toronto's winning ways that eclipse those weaknesses. Though as Rajakovic says, it's important that Shead eventually finds his shooting rhythm at some point also to balanced things out, but again, winning basketball is about more than just merely scoring buckets.