I completely understand the overarching rationale behind the Toronto Raptors’ decision to acquire Trayce Jackson-Davis at this past trade deadline. In fact, one of our own here on Raptors Rapture, Daniel O’Connor, covered this in greater detail in his post-trade analysis.
Jackson-Davis, who came from the Warriors, had some solid playing time with the Dubs early in his career, but gradually fell out of the rotation as other favorable big man options began to surpass him. Still relatively young at 26, TJD was brought in as a low-cost, low-risk option for added big man depth, especially given Toronto’s ongoing Jakob Poeltl injury absence. With Poeltl sidelined, the Raptors had to explore other options — like the promising rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, key bench threat Sandro Mamukelashvili, or the versatile Scottie Barnes filling that spot.
After TJD had a strong debut with Toronto against Indiana on February 8, posting a 10 and 10 double-double, along with one steal and one block in just over 15 minutes — he’s largely been stuck on the Raptors’ sidelines since then. After the All-Star break late last month, I named TJD was one of my top candidates who needed to make the most of this upcoming campaign to prove himself. I didn't expect him to be a major part of the rotation, but if the Raptors encounter any new roster developments or storylines, TJD should be right there, ready to be considered as a viable option.
Well, here we are several games into the post-All-Star break, and there have been quite a few developments across the Raptors' roster.
For starters, third-year wing Gradey Dick has totally fallen out of the rotation after Ja'Kobe Walter snatched his chain with authority. Even Jamison Battle has been getting more shine lately. Meanwhile, Collin Murray-Boyles has been battling a persistent thumb injury, which has been a thorn in his side for most of the year. On the bright side, Jakob Poeltl has returned and looks like his old self again, much to the relief of Raptors fans.
But amidst all these storylines, there was a troubling concern I took from the Raptors' most recent game — one that made me start thinking about the value of using TJD more often in situations like this.
When opportunities arise, the Raptors must give Trayce Jackson-Davis the run he needs
Facing the Knicks, you know you're going up against a good amount of size, with guys like Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns waiting for you on the other side. Compared to that, Toronto was going into it without CMB, though they were fortunate to have Poeltl in the lineup and relied on Mamu as the primary backup big in his absence.
However, the loss to New York might have been one of the rare, weak-impact performances from the Raptors' "hidden gem," Sandro Mamukelashvili. He was a step behind on defense (not really his strength anyway) and didn’t make much of an impact on offense either, going just 1-for-6 from the floor.
Elsewhere, the other bench pieces like Walter, Shead, and Battle also failed to impress, which should have been the perfect opportunity to give TJD a fair shot. Yes, Jackson-Davis was brought in as a sort of insurance policy, but there were so many signs that Toronto could finally capitalize and see what he can do with extended minutes. When you're getting crushed on the boards (Knicks with 43 rebounds, Raptors only 28), that's your cue to just put TJD out there and see if he can help turn things around in any way.
Was Toronto's offense stagnating in the fourth a major talking point in the game's aftermath? Absolutely. But they definitely could’ve used some size and interior presence to match as well, and given their limited options, the Raps honestly have no excuse not to test out TJD. Garbage time just isn’t enough, and Toronto won’t gain anything meaningful from that limited run.