The Toronto Raptors pulled off an exciting win Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, 121-107. Despite missing Scottie Barnes, Kawhi Leonard, and Immanuel Quickley, along with poor showings from Ja’Kobe Walter and RJ Barrett, they still got the win, and Alijah Martin deserves a ton of praise for it. The former Florida Gator and national champion finished with 27 points, four rebounds, and three stocks (steals plus blocks) while shooting 9-of-11 from the field. However, the biggest story was Martin shooting 6-of-7 from three-point land.
Coming into Friday’s game, Martin had made six total threes, and against the Bucks, when the Raptors were searching for answers, he answered the bell like the baller he is. Throughout his rookie season, Martin was an impactful piece in limited minutes, but lacked confidence in his offensive game as a whole, particularly his jump shot.
This was weird for people like me to see after watching him at Florida and during his runs with FAU, where Martin was the definition of fearless. Coming in as a second-round rookie, it makes sense why he may have second-guessed his abilities a fair bit, but those days now look like they’re well behind him. With Martin looking more mentally prepared for the moment on offense, Darko Rajakovic has no choice but to throw him into a real role Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Alijah Martin's college confidence is finally translating to the NBA
Like I said, I’m a Gator fan, so seeing Martin have a game like this in the same stretch where Walter Clayton Jr. is balling and Will Richard had a big game warms my heart. But what makes me happier is seeing Martin back to playing with the confidence he did when he wore the blue and orange or FAU’s red and blue.
If you go back and look at Martin's resume of clutch moments and big shots at the collegiate level, it’s a long list. There’s the big three he hit for FAU against Kansas State in the 2023 Elite Eight to shut the door, the jumper he hit against San Diego State that same year in the Final Four to put FAU up three with under one minute to go. He also hit two massive free throws in the 2025 National Title game to give Florida the lead late. Martin was always built for the moment. It was just a matter of time until it translated to the pro level, and that time is now.
The Raptors' second unit has been very lackluster, and many people, myself included, have started to question this group's depth, making Martin's performance so timely. Now, the expectation shouldn’t be that he’s going to be this insane scoring spark plug every single game. However, he is a steady ball handler, scrappy defender, big-time shot maker, and winning player who could help revive the Raptors' second unit.
It’s also worth mentioning that eye test-wise, the on-court chemistry between him and fellow multi-year college guard Jamal Shead is insane. With Shead expected to return to a second-unit role when Quick is healthy, having him and Martin wreak havoc off the bench together would be hell for opponents.
Just when it kind of felt like the sky was falling in Raptor land, Alijah Martin came up clutch. What can I say? He’s a Gator—that’s what they do.
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