The Toronto Raptors fell to the Detroit Pistons in their final preseason game on Friday night, but there was still plenty to take away from the third-stringers and hungry end-of-the-roster guys who suited up on October 16 in place of the core unit.
The focus here, though, is a player I’d already been impressed by in his modest minutes against New York earlier this week: Trayce Jackson-Davis. Against Detroit, TJD came up big and impressed in an unorthodox, but very impactful way.
On first watch, much of the attention was on the blitzing pair of Alijah Martin (who’ll get his due shine in another piece) and Malachi Smith. Nimari Burnett, Tyreke Key, Tyson Degenhart, and even Allen Graves — despite his shooting woes — also looked strong in their minutes. But when I saw TJD get the starting nod and a bigger opportunity, he was arguably the player I was most excited to watch. He had a relatively quiet first half (a conservative five points and one rebound), and by halftime, I was hoping to see the TJD breakout I’d been anticipating. And, man, did we get it — just not quite in the way I expected.
The second half was all Jackson-Davis, as he poured in 18 points on 3-for-3 shooting. But it was his stellar work at the free-throw line that kept the points coming: TJD went 12-for-13 (92.3%) in the second half and 15-for-16 overall on the night.
Now, let’s put this unexpected performance into a bit more perspective. TJD is a career 55.5% free-throw shooter, and in his limited time with the Raptors last season — just 17 appearances after being traded here at the deadline — he shot 40.9% from the line.
So, getting to the line at this volume isn't exactly his specialty, and nearly going flawless is quite the development — even if this was a preseason game and a unique opportunity given the circumstances. The confidence is there, the aggression is up, and it’s clear TJD has made a point of getting on the coaching staff’s radar this offseason after largely being a quiet face last season.
There’s still a ways to go before I can confidently say Jackson-Davis has a locked-in spot in next season’s rotation. But beyond Collin Murray-Boyles, who continues to flourish, Toronto has few bigs with that same tenacity and motor — and even fewer true centers.
TJD continued to prove he can inject some much-needed life into the Raptors’ frontcourt
The Raptors need to unlock more diversity, youth, and creativity in their frontcourt. It’s been raised before: a juicy trade (like a hypothetical move for Kel’el Ware), or say, bold lineup experiments could help get them there.
But Toronto also took another flier on TJD to bring him back for next season, and I think he put together quite an impressive audition: a much-needed dose of force and pace up front, plus some insurance if concerns about starting center Jakob Poeltl continue and there are rotation minutes to spare. Raptors culture has always rewarded those willing to improve, buy into the vision, and prove they can make an impact when their name is called.
As I said earlier, a bigger role isn’t a lock for Trayce Jackson-Davis just yet, but he deserves the chance to move up the pecking order with more regular-season looks. The Raptors’ glaring frontcourt weaknesses may leave them with little choice — and at least they’d be turning to a guy who’s shown he brings it.
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