The Toronto Raptors have had a tough go over this recent stretch without both Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard, sporting a 1-4 record over the last five games and now sitting at 5-7 for the season.
This sample without the Raptors' star players felt like a great time for Darko Rajakovic to spice things up with his rotations or even starting lineups, but he’s stayed put for the most part. The one spot in particular that felt like it made sense to shake up is Ja’Kobe Walter’s starting spot on the wing, as he’s struggled with streaky shooting and finding a consistent impact defensively to start this campaign. Whether your personal pick was Jamison Battle, like mine, Jamal Shead, or even something spicier with Allen Graves or Alijah Martin, the time to test something new has never been better.
During this stretch of games, we’ve seen that Jamison Battle is truly the one player on this team the coaching staff can count on for consistent production. Yes, defensively you’re going to eat some punches with him out there at times. But the gravity and consistency he provides as a floor spacer and his growth as an off-ball cutter would be a nice offensive boost for Toronto’s first unit.
The Raptors need a change, and starting Jamison Battle is the answer
With the 15-game mark approaching, we’re getting to a point where lineup data and on/off numbers are starting to feel less ridiculous. When you look at Battle and Walter, the Raptors have a +4.7 net rating with Battle on the court and Walter off, compared to a -2.7 net rating with Walter on and Battle off, according to Databallr. Yes, still super early in the season, so take these numbers with a slight grain of salt, but also the argument to play Battle over Walter is even more concrete from an eye test standpoint.
Every time he checks into the game, you can just see how much the floor opens up for the rest of the team because of his gravity as a knockdown shooter. His presence as someone simply sitting in the corner is taking the attention of one of the five defenders on the court because he has such a quick trigger and elite stroke from deep. With an offense that has been heavy on RJ Barrett as a pick-and-roll ball handler, having someone he can rely on to kick out to and drill an easy three is invaluable. So instead of waiting until the six-minute mark of the first quarter to see that, why not start games with it as an easy look and source of offensive production?
Then you factor in that Battle has started to become more of a cutter from the corner when the defense is guarding him super tight off the ball, and it’s another area he can help punish opposing defenses.
I’ve made it clear how high I am on Ja’Kobe Walter as a player and long-term fit at the starting two-guard spot, but he’s in a bad spot right now, and a role change may not just be best for him, but for the team. It doesn’t need to be a permanent change, but some type of shakeup is needed for this team, and starting Battle feels like the best option.
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