2 Who Popped and 4 Who Flopped in Raptors Summer League loss to Jazz

Ja'Kobe Walter Flopped

The Raptors' first-round pick has not covered himself in glory during Las Vegas Summer League. He has had a few moments here and there, but overall his shooting has been wildly inaccurate and he hasn't shown the on-ball chops to break down his man either. Toronto wants him to settle in as a catch-and-shoot threat, and Walter wants to show he can be an on-ball shot creator; he did neither well thus far in Las Vegas.

It was more of the same against the Jazz. Walter shot 2-for-10 from the field and 0-for-6 from 3-point range, and seemed to have lacked the confidence that it would go in. To his credit he did attack enough to draw six free-throws, but he didn't log a single assist; he was more bailed out by the calls than consistently creating an advantage in the paint. His defense was as inconsistent as you would expect from a teenaged rookie.

It was a bad game for Walter, the third-in-a-row for the rookie. If he was going to make a case to be the starting shooting guard in the fall, his time is running out.

D.J. Carton and Jamal Shead flopped

We will combine these two guards to discuss a problem that the Toronto Raptors have had with their backcourt players in Las Vegas, with the exception of Javon Freeman-Liberty, who will be mentioned momentarily. The Raptors have invested this offseason in hard-nosed defensive guards who can defend the point of attack and are active in passing lanes.

Jamal Shead was drafted in the second round and Carton is retained on a two-way contract. Shead is trying to earn the backup point guard role, while Carton wants to prove himself worthy of being the first guard called up in case of injury, over Garrett Temple or Freeman-Liberty. Both played excellent defense against the Jazz, harrying the Jazz guards to a combined 6-of-16 night and 12 total points from Isaiah Collier, Max Abmas, Jason Preston and Taevion Kinsey. Shead had four steals and Carton had a highlight reel block at the rim.

To differentiate themselves they needed to prove they could shoot and score on the offensive end, and that part of their game was lacking yet again vs the Jazz. Shead shot 3-for-9 and 0-for-3 from deep, and his two assists were dwarfed by his seven turnovers. Carton went 1-for-4 from the floor and didn't even attempt a 3-pointer. Neither is going to earn a larger role if they cannot hit shots.