Hero: The Raptors' second-round picks
As Toronto Raptors' head coach Darko Rajakovic said on the broadcast, the organization is excited about their incoming draft class. First-round pick Ja'Kobe Walter had a mixed-bag of a game, scoring 12 points (the most among the starters) but shooting just 3-for-8 from the field and adding two turnovers to go with his three assists.
The trio of second-round picks were very impressive, stepping up in major moments to help the Raptors pull off the victory. NBA Academy center Ulrich Chomche has been surprisingly solid in his first two games of Summer League; he is still raw, but he was very active on Sunday, playing 16 minutes and scoring seven points while finishing +6.
Jonathan Mogbo was much less active on the glass in this game, which is his calling card, but he was a crucial defender during the Raptors' 13-0 run to take the lead in the third quarter, and the Euro-step drive into the paint for the go-ahead basket was extremely unexpected. He finished +10 on the night, second-best on the team.
The best of the three was Jamal Shead, who once again started and was a steady hand for a starting lineup that struggled in this game. He logged five assists, the most on the team, and went 2-for-2 on his 3-pointers, including a confident pull-up 3 late in the game. He scored just nine points but his on-ball defense was as stellar as always and it helped to slow the Nuggets' enough for the Raptors' slow offense to pull ahead.