Welcome to a new weekly series where we go over 10 plays that stood out for the Toronto Raptors over the course of a week. The idea is to tell the story of the week in plays. Not just what looked the best, but also what made the most narrative impact.
Our first week starts with an extension, as we began with the Cleveland Cavaliers game, from Monday, November 24 and concluded with the New York Knicks game on Dec. 30 which was the last entry for the week. So, more than a week. Room for plenty of plays that mattered.
10. Ochai Agbaji with the follow-up
Starting off with our first-ever play in the top ten, Ochai Agbaji has really struggled to get his season going, but he had some good plays in this New York game. This was a simple follow into the paint, and with Jalen Brunson on him, there was no box out, which meant an easy tip-in for the former Jayhawk. A huge play for Agbaji as this game felt like one of his best in a long time, and it was all because of his willingness to crash the boards.
9. Immanuel Quickley to Ochai Agbaji
Again, Agbaji makes his way on the list, and so does Immanuel Quickley, as this play is for both of them. Quickley gets by a good defender in Josh Hart with a shifty crossover, and Agbaji has great timing with his cut into the paint as Miles Bridges is drawn in for help defence due to Quickley’s penetration. He times his jump well, hangs in the air, and waits patiently for his chance.
While Agbaji has started the season slowly, especially from deep, his play has come on since the injury to RJ Barrett. His cutting and 2-point finishing have been trending upwards. This tip-in, while an impressive display of timing and athleticism, won’t be Agbaji’s final entry on the list. That, too, will come from 2-point range.
8. Shead to Mamu
Our first entries for Jamal Shead and Sandro Mamukelashvili as they hook up on a nice pick and roll that leads to a beautiful alley-oop finish for Toronto’s backup big. This was a great pass as Shead dropped it just over Moussa Diabaté’s 7-3 wingspan.
Shead has been one of Toronto’s biggest surprises of the season, especially with his passing for teammates’ layups. He simply creates easy looks. Meanwhile, Mamukelashvili — Shead’s competitor for best Raptors’ bench player, and biggest surprise — has been an unbelievable driver and finisher for the Raptors. Here, the two bench stars combine to crack the top 10.
7. Notorious BI3 with fancy footwork
This play might not look like much, but I was a big fan of this move as Brandon Ingram shows some nice footwork, change of pace mid-play and a finish between three bright yellow and orange jerseys. A big play for the Raptors at the time, as the game was tight coming out of the half, and their offensive leader drawing three in the paint is always a good sign.
6. IQ deep 3 in MSG
It was a rough showing for the Toronto Raptors in Madison Square Garden, but for former New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley, it was a solid game where he led the team with 19 points. This deep three-ball from Stephen Curry range was the most impressive from his night. Huge three for IQ as he did his best to sway the game into a battle, as Toronto got close but kept getting counterpunched by New York and ultimately got blown out.
5. BI finishes through contact
This could’ve been a much higher play had it not been for some mind-boggling plays down the list. Although Ingram had a favourable matchup against Canadian guard Andrew Nembhard, he is still a good defender. He beats him off the dribble, fades, gets fouled and finishes off balance on one leg, a ridiculous bucket that looks like it’s straight out of a game of H.O.R.S.E. A huge bucket for BI as Toronto prior to this had a bigger double digit lead and the momentum was shifting to Indiana but a basket like that will easily sway it back in your favour.
4. BI dunks on the Pacers
Another Brandon Ingram entry, as this one comes off a baseline inbound from IQ. Isiah Jackson, the Pacers shot blocker, is out of position, and Andrew Nembhard backs out of the paint as he wants none of the smoke from BI3. This was significant as Toronto were on a win streak, playing a really beat-up Pacer team that they should be beating, but came out kinda flat. This basket helped get the game going for the Raptors.
3. Agbaji’s thunderous dunk
Another entry for Ochai Agbaji, as he felt like a human highlight reel, just like Brandon Ingram last week. This one came on American national broadcast as Toronto had the rare opportunity to flex their muscles to the American audience and didn’t take the chance for granted. Agbaji’s play starts on the defensive end as he successfully boxes out Larry Nance, beats him for an outlet pass and dunks over Tyrese Proctor with some Michael Jordan-like hangtime. A huge slam for Agbaji, as we’ve talked about his struggles, but the Raptors were struggling up until this point, too. A dunk like that gets everyone on the team going.
2. Jakob Poeltl denies old friend Siakam
1. Brandon Ingram game winner
This one comes as a two-for-one special in one video, as the play starts out on the defensive end for Toronto. Former Raptor Pascal Siakam has a favourable matchup against IQ as he backs him up into the paint with his strength, but is met by Toronto’s rim protector Jakob Poeltl, who comes to Quickley and Toronto’s rescue. For Yak, it was significant as he hadn’t had the great season he had last year, but this is a huge moment for him to potentially turn the corner.
The second part of the play comes from Ingram, as he has been all over this highlight reel for good reason. He receives the ball with around 9 seconds to go in a 95-95 tie game with the shot clock off. What does he decide to do? Isolate Pascal Siakam, pull up for a mid-range jumper in his face to keep Toronto undefeated in the NBA Cup and keep the win streak going. For Ingram, it was hopefully the first of many game winners in Toronto, as he has already been having an awesome season, and this was just the icing on the cake for a great nine-game winning streak that unfortunately came to an end.
That’s the end of week one for Raptors plays of the Week. We will be uploading every Wednesday for top plays, so be sure to be ready for the next one!
