I’m confident that, despite the overall perception of this draft class being less dynamic compared to previous years, the Raptors' scouts did an excellent job of bringing valuable young talent to their roster.
I recently highlighted the impressive performance of gritty, commanding rookie guard Jamal Shead. In his first year, he's making a strong impression and climbing the ranks in the Raptors' franchise history for the most assists by a rookie.
Just as Shead made a name for himself with an impressive feat, another second-round pick of the Raptors, Jonathan Mogbo, shone brightly with two dominant performances in a row.
Mogbo recorded his first career double-double against the Brooklyn Nets on April 6, followed by his first triple-double against the Charlotte Hornets on April 9. In fact, Mogbo cemented his name above all others in his class by being the first rookie from the 2024 Draft to achieve a triple-double.
That label of being an "outlier," which I gave Mogbo early in the year, has proven true even this late in the season. These displays have led many to believe he could be one of the biggest steals in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Interestingly, this season's other draft day steal story has come from another Raptors prospect in Ja'Kobe Walter. The good news keeps coming from the Raptors' rookie class, which is on the verge of historic levels. This time, Jamison Battle, their undrafted marksman, is in the spotlight.
Jamison Battle's stellar three-point ability is back in the limelight
Battle is already recognized as the top shooting prospect from the 2024 rookie class when it comes to three-point shooting. As for the Raptors' franchise history, Esfandiar Baraheni pointed out on X, referencing information from the Raptors PR team:
Cool stat from Raptors PR:
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) April 10, 2025
Jamison Battle now has the 3rd most 3PM made by a rookie in franchise history.
He’s 5 away from Andrea Bargnani. 2nd fastest rookie to get to 95+ made threes behind Damon Stoudamire.
An even more surprising statistic for the often overlooked 23-year-old Minnesota native is that he is already in the conversation for the top five all-time highest 3-point field goal percentages among undrafted rookies. This interesting fact was highlighted by an on-screen graphic during the Raptors' game against the Charlotte Hornets on April 9, as noted by the TSN broadcast.
At the top of that list is Anthony Morrow from the 2008-09 draft class, who averaged an impressive 46.7% from three-point range. In contrast, Battle's rookie percentage for the 2024-25 season sits at a solid 41.0%.
That puts him fourth all-time in rookie three-point shooting, although with two games left, there's still a chance for JB to improve or potentially lower that number—let's hope for getting that number further up though.
Battle is a solid asset for the Raptors to have in their arsenal. He's still young, his skills are greatly appreciated on a weak shooting Raptors team, and he seems to have a fantastic attitude overall. Whether he needs to step up in an enhanced role or play limited minutes as a reserve, I believe Battle's contributions are an essential component.
I'm glad to see he's etching his name in Raptors lore, despite just getting his professional journey off the ground. Maybe just having a first name that starts with the letter 'J' is a formula for success?