Raptors 905 Season Preview: A breakdown of the roster, coaches, and more

After going 17-33 during an injury-riddled 2023-2024 season and 40-60 overall in the last two years, a new Raptors 905 G League season is upon us.

First, there were open tryouts, then the G League draft, and finally, it all culminated at training camp, leading up to the Nov. 9 opener against the Delaware Blue Coats.

The team has assembled its 13-man roster to try to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. With the newfound talent on this squad, that might be the expectation, and the real challenge might come in the form of winning the championship like they did in 2017.

Raptors 905 roster:

Guards: D.J. Carton (two-way), Kennedy Chandler, Tyreke Key, Tylor Perry, Evan Gilyard III.

Wings/Forwards: Jamison Battle (two-way), Charlie Brown Jr., Kevin Obanor, Myles Burns, Quincy Guerrier.

Bigs: Ulrich Chomche (two-way), Branden Carlson, Dylan Disu

Eligible Assignment Players: Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick, Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo, Jamal Shead

Two-way players D.J. Carton, Ulrich Chomche, and Jamison Battle headline this 905 squad.

Carton, in particular, is primed to be the leader and go-to guy for this iteration of the 905. The 24-year-old seems to be the likely candidate to soak up the majority of the 18 or so Javon Freeman-Liberty shots that will now be missing.

The springy 6-foot-2 guard is entering his fourth year of play in the G after improving steadily over his first three seasons. This will likely be only the second year Carton is starting consistently, however, as he also started last year for the Iowa Wolves.

The former Ohio State Buckeye and Marquette Golden Eagle averaged 18.5 points, 5.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and shot nearly 40 percent (4.4 attempts) from three across 29 games last season.

Expect those three-point attempts to jump up to six or seven a game in a more prominent role in Mississauga while he uses his athleticism and quickness to get into guys at the point of attack on defence.

Rounding out the two-ways are rookies Chomche and Battle.

The 57th overall pick, Chomche, became the first player to ever be selected out of the NBA Academy Africa and will likely spend most of the year down with the 905.

Throughout Summer League and preseason, the 18-year-old showcased fluidity, motor, and passing instincts that have many fans, and surely Masai Ujiri and the rest of the Raptors brass intrigued.

He also showed a willingness to take outside jumpers with the NBA Academy Africa and even hit a shot from deep during the summer skirmish.

The undrafted Battle has been one of the biggest risers in the organization and will undoubtedly be the junior Raps’ best 3-point shooter.

After initially joining the Dinos on a Summer League deal, the 23-year-old earned an Exhibit 10 contract to compete in training camp, which he eventually turned into a two-way. Battle is currently in the Raptors’ rotation, and it’s easy to see why.

The sharpshooter averaged 15.3 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 43.3 percent from beyond the arc (ninth in the NCAA) on 6.0 attempts as a fifth-year senior at Ohio State last season. Battle also hit from the charity stripe at a remarkable rate, connecting on 92.6 percent of his attempts.

With the big squad thus far, Battle is putting up 6.4 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 36 percent (3.6 attempts) from distance in 14.9 minutes per game (seven games).

Expect him to hit a lot of catch-and-shoot looks and try to round out his game when it comes to his defence and on-ball creativity.

Only two guys will return from last year’s squad in forwards Kevin Obanor and Myles Burns.

Obanor returns after starting 19 games last season for the Mississauga squad. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound forward played a unique role for the 905 last season as an efficient post-scoring, tenacious rebounding four and sometimes even small ball five.

The 25-year-old averaged 13.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists across 45 contests last season. His shot diet mainly consisted of high-percentage looks under the basket or shots from three. On two-point field goals last season, Obanor shot 65.2 percent from the field, with a large chunk coming within five-to-10 feet of the basket.

From distance, however, the Houston, Tex. native was less efficient, hitting at a 31.9 percent clip on four attempts per game. The Texas Tech alum had the confidence to shoot the outside jumper, however, which is always a good thing. If he can get the shot ironed out to go along with his strength, touch, and toughness, an NBA call-up isn’t out of reach.

The 905’s 2023 first-round pick, Burns, is back in the fold and will provide depth at the wing/forward spot. The 24-year-old averaged 6.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 stocks across 37 games last season in Mississauga and was one of the better defenders on the team.

His athleticism jumps out at you like you’re in a horror movie, as he will soar up for rebounds while also gliding around the court effortlessly.

One thing to keep an eye on with the 6-foot-6, 210-pound wing is his shot. He cashed in at only 18.4 percent (7-for-38) from 3-point land last season, and an improvement in that part of his game surely wouldn’t upset the organization.

Joining the Raptors 905 as “affiliate players” are Branden Carlson, Dylan Disu, and Quincy Guerrier. For G League purposes, teams can designate up to four “affiliate players” to their minor league squad. These players are usually undrafted rookies because they have to be players whose G League rights aren’t owned by another team.

Carlson, Disu, and Guerrier fit that bill.

After being cut from his two-way deal, the seven-foot Carlson went unclaimed on waivers and opted to remain in the Raptors organization. The South Jordan, Utah native didn’t get to show much throughout the preseason after only averaging 5.3 minutes per game, but he was one of the Summer League Raptors’ best players.

The 25-year-old averaged 9.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game across the five contests and completed just over 33 percent (4.2 attempts) of his shots from deep. The former Utah Ute also shot the rubber off the ball in his final year of college as well, hitting at nearly 38 percent last season on 4.7 attempts.

A big man who can cash in from downtown on offence and protect the rim on defence is a valuable skill set to have in today’s NBA, and with the lack of big man depth in the G, Carlson could be one of the most impactful guys at the position in the league.

After being with the squad at Summer League, Disu is welcomed back into Toronto’s organization

The undrafted rookie out of Texas joins the team after having a career year last season for the Longhorns, seeing career highs in points (15.5), assists (1.5), steals (1.3), and 3-point percentage (45.1 percent).

The 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward/big is a bit of a tweener in the front court, playing as the main big in college, but is most likely too undersized to do so in the NBA.

The outside shot will be the biggest thing to monitor with the Pflugerville, Tex. native. Disu only shot 30.5 percent on 2.6 attempts per game throughout his first four years of college before hitting at a 45.1 percent clip (3.6 attempts) last season.

If the shot is real, that solves a lot of problems for his fit on the court.

Like Disu, Guerrier was with the Raptors for Summer League down in Las Vegas but only appeared in three games, averaging 4.7 points and rebounds. 

Before that, the Montreal, Que. native finished his collegiate career at Illinois last season after spending two years at both Syracuse and Oregon, starting in 123 games throughout his collegiate career.

Guerrier averaged 9.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from distance over his time in college. Last season, however, he averaged a career-high in 3-point percentage, hitting at a 37.4 percent clip on three attempts per game.

The 25-year-old plays with physicality, rebounds the ball like he means it, and with him standing at 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot wingspan, he has some intriguing tools on the defensive end. If Guerrier can continue to shoot the ball like he did at Illinois last season while also being able to guard multiple positions, he could stand out amongst his peers in Mississauga.

A late addition to camp, Charlie Brown Jr. is figured to be one of the best wings on not only the 905 but in the G League.

With Jared Rhoden being snagged on waivers and ultimately signed to a two-way contract by the Charlotte Hornets and Jahmi’us Ramsey opting to return to the Oklahoma City Blue (Oklahoma City Thunder affiliate), the 27-year-old provides a punch and depth on the 905’s wing that is needed.

The 6-foot-6 wing averaged 16.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting 35 percent from 3-point land (6.8 attempts per game) across 29 games with the Westchester Knicks last season.

The veteran potentially seems to be in line for a call-up to the parent squad should the opportunity arise after the 905 matched a franchise-high five call-ups last season (Javon Freeman-Liberty, Justise Winslow, Mouhamadou Gueye, Jontay Porter, Kobi Simmons).

Rounding out the roster are four guards who the 905 have acquired in four different ways: Tylor Perry (draft), Tyreke Key (tryout), Evan Gilyard III (trade), and Kennedy Chandler (free agency).

Perry re-joins the Dinos’ organization after being selected with the 15th overall pick in this year’s G League draft. The 23-year-old spent his summer with the Raps down in Vegas but didn’t see much playing time.

With Kansas State last year, the 5-foot-11, 182-pound guard averaged 15.3 points, 4.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals across 34 games. Perry also shot the heck out of the ball, hitting 35 percent from three on a whopping 8.2 attempts per game last year.

That was a down year from behind the arc for the former Wildcat, as in the previous two seasons with North Texas, he completed 41.3 percent of his shots from downtown on 6.6 attempts per game.

An under six-foot guard out of Kansas State who can shoot the ball seems to be the 905’s type after having Markquis Nowell a part of the program a year ago.

Key finds his way to Mississauga via tryout, battling his way onto the roster after playing for the Leuven Bears in Belgium last season. The recently turned 26-year-old returns to North American soil after averaging 19.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists last year in the BNXT League.

The 6-foot-2 guard’s calling card is his outside shooting ability, however. Key shot 36.8 percent in Belgium last season, 37.4 percent over four years at Indiana State (2017-2021), and hit 33.3 percent of his long bombs in his final year of college at Tennessee (2023).

Gilyard enters his second year of G League basketball after coming off the bench for the Windy City Bulls last season (Chicago Bulls affiliate).

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Chicago, Illinois native averaged 5.9 points, 2.3 assists, and nearly a steal in 14.6 minutes per game across 37 contests last year.

The 26-year-old’s rights were acquired in a trade from the Bulls in late September in exchange for the rights to Koby McEwen, as the guard will look to make some noise in the 905’s backcourt.

While Chandler’s rights also had to be traded for, he joined the 905 with a $75,000-thousand bonus after being signed and then waived by the Raptors after spending the Summer with the Portland Trail Blazers.

The 22-year-old spent all last season in the G League with the Long Island Nets, averaging 12.9 points, 5.2 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. He shot it well from distance, too, hitting at a 38 percent clip on over three attempts per game.

The six-foot, 171-pound guard last played in the NBA during his rookie year in the 2022-2023 season. He played in 36 games as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies and averaged 2.2 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 rebounds in nearly eight minutes per contest.

In college, as a member of the Tennessee Volunteers, the one-and-done freshman led the program in points (13.9) and assists (4.7) that season while also being one of the most accurate from deep (38.3 percent) on solid volume (3.8 attempts).

It will be interesting to see how the minutes shake out for these guards, though Chandler has the most NBA experience.

Talent is abundant on this 905 squad just on their base roster, and there’s even more talent if you include the eligible assignment players that will surely see time at Paramount Fine Foods Centre as well.

The Raptors’ triple “J” tandem of draft picks in Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo, and Jamal Shead should all still see run in Mississauga. With injuries biting Toronto early, all three have been forced into the rotation and have shown good things, but double-dipping prospects is nothing new to the Raps.

Throw one, two, or even all three of these players in the lineup with the base roster already mentioned, and the G League playoffs should be well within reach.

Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji are also eligible to be assigned to the G League, but that seems unlikely, given their NBA experience, the uptick in minutes and improved play in the big leagues.

Of course, new first-year head coach Drew Jones III will try to lead the team into the promised land in his debut year. The sixth head coach in franchise history, Jones gets his first professional head coaching opportunity after joining the Raptors organization last season on Darko Rajakovic’s staff.

Before the Raptors, the 37-year-old was an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons (2021-2023) and the Philadelphia 76ers (2019-2021) as a player development coach. Jones began his professional coaching career with the Oklahoma City Thunder and their G League affiliate the Oklahoma City Blue, spending nearly five years as a video analyst, player development coach and an assistant coach with the Blue.

Assistant coaches Justin Serresse, Arsalan Jamil, Matt Gray, Josh Henderson, and Brandon Leftwich fill out the rest of Jones’ staff.

This is a talent-abundant squad with a fresh coach that should surely be looking to do better than their 17-33 campaign last season. With tryouts, the draft, and training camp all wrapped up, all that’s left to do is play basketball. The action begins on Nov. 9 against the Delaware Blue Coats before the 905’s home opener later in the month against the Long Island Nets on Nov. 22.

Check back at Raptors Republic for weekly previews of that week’s upcoming contests, recaps after every game, and exclusive features throughout the season.

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