At present, it may seem like the Toronto Raptors have largely nailed down their rotation and player pecking order moving forward. This comes after addressing their desire to avoid the luxury tax at the trade deadline and shedding Ochai Agbaji’s salary. While Agbaji wasn’t getting much playing time and didn’t impact the game as significantly as he did last year, his absence can still be offset by the Raptors finding solid defense off the bench and ideally more passable offensive production.
I recently wrote about Ja'Kobe Walter, who has strong potential to be both that defensive spark and a player whose smooth jump shot shows room for growth as a consistent weapon. But he’s still a sophomore, and it would be unfair to expect a major breakthrough from him just yet. So I want to shift focus to other potential roster members who can help share the load and maybe give the Raptors a much-needed edge in the rotation.
Enter Jamison Battle.
Last season, which was his rookie campaign, Battle got significant playing time, appearing in 59 games and starting 10 of them. He posted solid numbers in his introductory sample, averaging 7.1 points. His three-point shooting was particularly impressive, knocking down 1.8 of 4.4 attempts per game, for a 40.5 percent clip. That mark actually led all rookies from the 2024 class.
Throughout last season and directly heading into the 2025-26 campaign, I kept thinking Jamison Battle’s role with the Raptors would shrink. With new faces arriving and other key developing pieces stepping into bigger roles, it just seemed like his playing time would be limited. And sure enough, that’s largely been the case this year. There have been a few memorable moments where he’s stepped in and made the most of his minutes, but those instances are few and far between.
His minutes are scarce, averaging about eight per game this season, compared to nearly 18 minutes in his rookie year.
A few games ago, Brandon Ingram delivered an offensive masterclass for Toronto as they beat the Bulls. He was interviewed after the game on the Sportsnet broadcast (YouTube link here), where he emphasized how important it is for the Raptors to prepare for the high-stakes playoff season ahead. Later in the interview, Ingram was asked about the Raptors' emerging young players like Ja'Kobe Walter and Collin Murray-Boyles, who have been trending a positive developmental pieces for Toronto.
Brandon Ingram recognizes Jamison Battle as the Raptors' "best shooter"
When asked about Walter, whom I recently highlighted as having a great breakout, Ingram said this: "Ja'Kobe, I always tell him to keep shooting the basketball. He's probably our best shooter on the team, besides Jamison Battle."
While Ingram was using his platform to praise Walter in the interview, he subtly shouted out the under-the-radar Jamison Battle by highlighting that he's the Raptors' best shooter. Although his current minutes allocation doesn't quite showcase that ability, if Battle can get enough time on the court and get that three-point shot going, there's definitely substance to what Brandon Ingram said.
And that's what the Raptors need to figure out moving forward. Battle was a DNP in the matchup against the Bulls, and in the following game against Milwaukee on February 22, he played just about nine minutes. That’s a step in the right direction, but it’s still far from an ideal showcase for Battle to be effective. I know Darko Rajakovic likes to keep a tight ship, and while he tends to rely on Gradey Dick — though I’m not sure how much longer that will last given his poor play — it’s time to shift the focus to Battle in those minutes.
Give him about 12 to 15 minutes at different points, maybe even more if several guys are sidelined, in this final stretch of regular season basketball so that the moniker can truly ring true. If it doesn't work, at least the Raptors can say they gave it a shot.