MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Until this season, the Raptors 905 hadn’t had more than two players return for consecutive campaigns since 2018-19.
AJ Lawson, Tyreke Key and Qunicy Guerrier are all back in Mississauga, Ont. for a second season in 2025-26, along with head coach Drew Jones, and they’re looking to build on a 905 team that showed promise at times the previous season but ultimately fell flat down the stretch.
Last season the 905 were first in the Eastern Conference after posting an 11-4 record in January but faltered to a 2-17 finish as key players like Lawson, Jamison Battle and Jared Rhoden were promoted to standard and two-way deals and spent most of their time with the Raptors. Assignment eligible players like Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter and Jonathan Mogbo also played exclusively with the Raptors to finish 2024-25.
G League rosters are prone to volatility due to multiple factors – chief among them the whims of their affiliate squad and the potential for top players to be plucked by other NBA teams. But with the Toronto Raptors aiming for the playoffs this season, they’ll ideally require less reinforcements from the 905. After a couple down seasons in a row, a greater mix of continuity and consistency could put the junior Dinos in a better position to win too.
Keeping their top scorer and G League Next Up game representative from last season in Lawson and two rotation players in Key and Guerrier in the fold is a good start.
Key set a new career high with 29 points and Lawson scored 20 as the returnees led the 905 to a 124-92 rout of the College Park Skyhawks at Paramount Fine Food Centre on Sunday, moving to 2-0 on the season after steamrolling the Skyhawks by a combined plus-68 point differential on a back-to-back to start the season.
Head coach Drew Jones, also entering his second year, pointed to both the returning players and the team’s overall consistency through the summer when asked about what the increased continuity does for the 905.
“I mean, it’s big. Obviously, our guys like Chucky (Hepburn), Alijah (Martin), Olivier (Sarr), all those guys have been around all summer,” said Jones before Sunday’s win. “And our camp was a reflection of that. We hit the ground running. They’ve done an incredible job of leading.
“So, I think whenever you have, obviously guys that have been around this summer and also returning eyes like TK (Key) and Quincy it helps us tremendously.”
Key certainly looks comfortable in his role, cashing catch and shoot 3s, confidently driving closeouts and even occasionally serving as the bring-up ball handler in bench lineups.
After the 905 grabbed a second straight offensive rebound and kicked it out, the second-year pro got his defender with a pump fake and settled into a mid-range make from the short corner. A couple of possessions after he drove another closeout from the corner and got all the way to the hoop for a reverse layup. He also made three-of-four 3s, but that’s nothing new; Key proved himself while shooting 40% from deep last season. Instead, it was his ability to attack closeouts and finish heady cuts that fuelled his game-high scoring effort. The six-foot-two guard has 44 points through the 905’s first two games, tied for the team lead with Lawson.
“He’s always been a high-level defender,” said Jones of Key. “I think where we challenged him specifically this summer is to be a more aggressive and assertive offensive player.
“He’s got a lot of tools in that bag. We’d like him to expose that. So, he’s had an incredible summer offensively. He’s worked on his game. Now it’s just a matter of kind of empowering him to go out and do it.”
The 905’s other two returning players are also both Canadian hoopers; Lawson’s born in Toronto and raised in Brampton, Ont. and Guerrier hails from Montreal. Open tryout addition Jaden Bediako was born in Brampton.
And while Bediako has played only three garbage-time minutes to open the season and Guerrier is yet to play due to a toe injury, the 905 do appear to be making a concerted effort to recruit homegrown talent and establish bonds between both teammates and the community.
Three Canadian players hit the floor for the 905 last season as well (Lawson, Guerrier and Eugene Omoruyi), and seven players on the roster participated in Summer League.
“I think it’s big,” said Key after the game. “Obviously we all played Summer League together, and last year together so we already kind of had that chemistry going into this year. I think that’s big for us. Especially going into showcase and the rest of the season as well.
“We have a great group of guys, it’s just fun going out there and competing.”
So far the consistency is doing wonders – coach Jones said the backline of their defence is “very connected” right now, and it looks like it, working in tandem with their high-pressure approach at the point of attack to hold the Skyhawks under 100 points in back-to-back games.
“We talk about helping the helper, and you’ll see a squad that’s flying around, playing with multiple efforts and not giving up on plays,” said Jones.
If the 905 can stay together, both as a roster and in their connectivity on the floor, they have a shot at a special season.
If you didn’t already, check out Coty Wiles’ recap of Sunday’s game here.
