Man, oh man, what an absolute obliteration by the Toronto Raptors in their October 13 preseason contest against the New York Knicks. It was a triumphant return to Scotiabank Arena and our first look at Kawhi Leonard back in Raptors threads (a sharpshooting comeback, at that), capped off by a colossal 148–98 victory. The win moved Toronto’s preseason record to 2–1, with two games left before next week’s season opener.
There were plenty of storylines to follow, but one may have slipped under the radar: the brief, explosive showing from one of the Raptors’ less-prominent players. His performance put him on the radar of fans — and, certainly, the coaching staff. That player is Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Trayce Jackson-Davis shines in dominant Raptors preseason win over Knicks
TJD saw roughly 10 minutes of action and made the most of his 2026 preseason debut. He went 4-for-4 from the field for nine points, along with three rebounds, one steal, and two blocks.
I was in the crowd for this game, and despite the Raptors steamrolling the Knicks and cruising relatively easily, TJD’s late-game highlights sent the arena back into another frenzy. A dish from Malachi Smith set him up for an emphatic running slam over Pacome Dadiet. On the very next possession, Jackson-Davis swatted a shot attempt by Jaden Akins, drawing a stunned reaction from the crowd and Raptors’ bench — especially Scottie Barnes, haha. Then, with less than 30 seconds left, TJD blocked Akins again to cap off a strong fourth-quarter stretch.
While the Raps faced off against a Knicks unit without its starters, you can’t deny how important these opportunities are for players further down the totem pole. Every minute and every moment counts. That’s especially true for Trayce Jackson-Davis here.
Though he was one of Toronto’s key trade-deadline acquisitions, he’s seen only sparse minutes since joining the team and hasn’t established himself as a regular in the lineup. Even so, the Raptors brought the ex-Warrior back for the upcoming season, and Darko Rajaković has said before they still have plans for the 26-year-old big man.
With Toronto’s frontcourt depth looking thin (and the team still figuring out how much to trust Jakob Poeltl and Kyle Anderson), Jackson-Davis could bring a fresh dose of energy and shake things up.
TJD could force the Raptors to take a hard look at the frontcourt pecking order
And having said that, TJD’s explosive showing puts some pressure on Jak and SloMo. Their archetypes don’t really match the plug-in burst of force Jackson-Davis brings, but they’ll still have to prove their roles are valuable to the Raptors’ plans — and that they deserve those reserved minutes, given how things look right now.
Despite a host of concerns over the past year (though there have been some positive signs lately), Poeltl appears to be a lock in the rotation. Anderson, meanwhile, looks like he could claim the tenth spot — or perhaps move up the pecking order in certain situations. I tabbed Anderson in another internal battle alongside rookie Allen Graves and Jamison Battle, but that group of guys fighting to prove themselves could get even shakier if TJD makes the most of these final two preseason games and leaves no doubt he deserves a fair shot this season.
The Raps already enjoy the youthful energy Collin Murray-Boyles brings in the frontcourt. TJD is no CMB, but he offers a similar element that sets him apart from vets like Poeltl and Anderson. I could see him getting more run against the Knicks and Pistons to see how he holds up against different lineups and matchups, guessing Coach Darko eases off the starters a bit more to preserve them for next week’s start — and get one final look at these hungry third-stringers like Trayce Jackson-Davis.
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