The Toronto Raptors ultimately fell short in their upset bid against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but their postseason run still gave fans plenty to feel good about.
Toronto pushed a more talented Cavaliers team to seven games, proved its rebuild is over, and watched several young pieces grow under playoff pressure.
One of those biggest bright spots to emerge was Jamal Shead.
Jamal Shead is proving he needs to be in Toronto’s long-term plans
Shead was a huge part of the Raptors pushing Cleveland to seven games. With Immanuel Quickley sidelined, Shead was forced into a bigger role.
He did an admirable job, averaging 9.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while spending considerable time guarding Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. He had an inefficient Game 7, but an injury-depleted Raptors team needed offense from somewhere. Shead was essentially forced into taking shots he has not fully developed yet.
All in all, Shead was a defensive pest throughout the series, provided excellent secondary playmaking next to Scottie Barnes, and gave Toronto just enough scoring punch to be considered a threat.
With the poise and leadership Shead plays with, it is easy to forget he is a 23-year-old guard who just finished his second NBA season. His year was uneven overall. He mixed responsible playmaking and tough defense with woeful shooting efficiency.
Still, he consistently found ways to make the Raptors better, leading rotation players in net rating throughout the regular season. It was not always pretty, but Shead knows how to make winning basketball plays.
Shead’s next steps
Jamal Shead’s playmaking, tough defense, and leadership are probably already enough to give him a long NBA career. However, if he wants a more consistent role on a playoff team, he needs to develop his ability to score the ball.
In Game 1, Shead hit a career-high five three-pointers. It was a huge boost to a mostly stagnant Raptors offense. However, there was a reason he was able to knock down those shots: Cleveland was not guarding him.
Shead shot 32.1 percent from deep in the regular season. The Cavaliers were right to try to make Shead beat them from range. He made them pay in Game 1, but he could not keep it up throughout the series, knocking down 33.3 percent of his three-pointers in the playoffs.
If Jamal Shead can turn into a reliable three-point shooter, everything else he already does should allow him to become a high-level starter in this league. His defense, playmaking, poise, and leadership are already NBA-caliber. Now, the next step is becoming dangerous enough offensively that defenses can no longer ignore him.
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