Raptors 905 weekly preview: A.J. Lawson and the 905 ring in the new year

Welcome to the Raptors 905 weekly preview!

This is a piece that will drop every Sunday, previewing what is to come throughout the next seven days for the Raptors 905.

Let’s start with last week, however, when Mississauga’s team opened the regular season with a 111-108 overtime loss to the Birmingham Squadron (G League affiliate of the New Orleans Pelicans) before claiming their first win against the Osceola Magic (G League affiliate of the Orlando Magic) on Sunday.

Jalen Crutcher sank the junior Raps to start the second half of the G League season, scoring the final three of his game-high 25 points for Birmingham to give his team the win. Lester Quinones, Josh Oduro, Izaiah Brockington, and Keion Brooks Jr. also ended in double figures, with the latter adding 11 rebounds for the double-double.

Montreal, Quebec native Quincy Guerrier led the team in scoring in that one off the bench, finishing with 24 points and six rebounds. Raptors two-way A.J. Lawson also added a 20-piece in the closely contested loss.

Against Osceola, the 905 would lead the majority of the game and by as much as 20, but the Magic would get it all the way down to four points with four minutes left to go. Eugene Omoruyi, however, would slam the door shut with a tough bucket underneath, a catch-and-shoot triple and a no-look dime late in the frame.

They also held back-to-back slam dunk champion Mac McClung in check, as the 6-foot-2 guard would finish with 17 points, three assists, and two rebounds. The 24-year-old was only 5-for-13 from the field and 1-for-6 from distance while adding a game-high five turnovers.

The 905 began the regular season and end the 2024 calendar year 1-1 and 6-12 overall.

Raptors 905 schedule for the week of December 30 to January 6:

The 905 begin the new year by completing the second half of their four-game homestand with a back-to-back against the Austin Spurs.

A top-10 team in the minors, Austin boasts the sixth-best offensive rating (112.3) and 12th-best defensive rating (107.7). They are led by a familiar face in former Toronto Raptor and 905er Malachi Flynn. The former first-round pick by Toronto played 11 games for the junior Raps and another 175 for the big club during his time in Canada, who is now the go-to guy for the Spurs.

The 26-year-old leads the team in points (22.5) to go along with 4.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 steals. Flynn is one of the most high-volume distance shooters in the entire minors, launching a G League lead (of players who have played 10-plus games) of 10.5 per game from 3-point land at a 35.2 percent clip.

It will be interesting to see who gets the Flynn matchup in his return, as it was Evan Gilyard and A.J. Lawson who did a great job against McClung last week.

The triple two-ways for the team have also all impressed in Riley Minix, David Duke Jr., and Harrison Ingram.

Minix has been stuffing the stat sheet all season, putting up 20.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks. The 24-year-old rookie has also been efficient, going 52.8 percent from the field (13.7 attempts) and 42.0 percent from distance (7.7 attempts).

Duke has been playing some of his best ball lately, including going for a season-high 31 points, seven assists, and a career-high six steals in the teams’ final G League Winter Showcase game against the Cleveland Charge. On the year, the 6-foot-4 guard is putting up 16.3 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.6 steals.

Ingram hasn’t been the most productive scoring-wise, but he is a versatile forward who does a multitude of things. The rook is putting up 10.8 points on only 35.7 percent shooting from the field and 29.7 percent from beyond the arc but is putting up 7.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.1 steals. The 22-year-old has a great feel for a passer on offence while being able to defend multiple positions on defence.

Make sure to check back at Raptors Republic after every Raptors 905 game for the recap, and now every week for a preview.

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