Toronto Raptors prospect power rankings: Murray-Boyles injured, Roddy, Reese impress
Welcome to the Toronto Raptors prospect power rankings, a recurring piece that will recap and rank every Toronto Raptors prospect weekly. A “prospect” will be defined as any rookie, player on a two-way contract, player who has been on assignment, or anyone currently on the Raptors 905.
In the very first edition of these power rankings, both the Toronto Raptors and Raptors 905 were coming in on downswings. The big club had lost two of the last three games, while the Mississauga squad was riding a four-game losing streak.
Now, a week later, times have changed, as the Raptors have won back-to-back games, including wins in three of their last four, while the 905 are now riding a three-game winning streak.
The big club narrowly lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves before rattling off two straight wins against the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers, while the 905 claimed back-to-back victories against the Grand Rapids Gold before taking down the Motor City Cruise.
Without further ado, let’s dive into this week’s rankings.
() = last week’s ranking
1. Collin Murray-Boyles (1)
Remaining in the top spot is Murray-Boyles, though it wasn’t all good for the rookie last week. The 20-year-old exited Toronto’s game against the Pacers after re-aggravating a left thumb sprain that was initially sustained on Dec.15, which caused Murray-Boyles to miss four games.
The ninth overall pick was named to the NBA Rising Stars Team ahead of the upcoming All-Star Weekend after averaging 8.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 stocks over 42 games for the Raptors this season.
As the only prospect making an impact on the big squad regularly, expect his name to be atop this list consistently moving forward.
2. A.J. Lawson (3)
After only playing in one game two weeks ago, the Brampton, Ont. native was active for two games in Mississauga last week. The wing’s best game opened the week, where the Canadian exploded for a team-high 29 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists against the Gold to kickstart the win streak.
3. Alijah Martin (2)
Joining Murray-Boyles at All-Star Weekend will be two-way guard Alijah Martin, who will feature on the G-League squad in the Rising Stars tournament. Last week, the rookie averaged 18.0 points, 6.5 assists, and four rebounds in his pair of games.
4. Julian Reese (7)
The biggest riser is big man Julian Reese, who continued to show off his emerging touch and rebounding ability. On the week, the rookie averaged a double-double to the tune of 12.0 points and 10.7 rebounds, and finished off the week by putting up 20 points and 17 rebounds against Motor City.
5. David Roddy (8)
While there has been movement up and down throughout the roster over the last month or so, Roddy’s play has come alive with more opportunity. In three games last week, the 24-year-old averaged 20.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while still executing head coach Drew Jones’ aggressive defensive scheme.
6. Jonathan Mogbo (5)
After only playing in 2:28 seconds of game time total between both teams two weeks ago, Mogbo was given significant run last week, earning one start with the 905. The 24-year-old put up 11 points, eight rebounds, and four assists against Grand Rapids, helping the team sweep the season series.
7. Olivier Sarr (NR)
After missing two games with left knee soreness, Sarr returned to the starting lineup last week for the 905. In his three games, he averaged 13.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks.
8. Jarkel Joiner (10)
The 26-year-old started all week for the 905 and was steady for the most part. In three games, the first-year 905er put up 13.0 points, 5.3 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game while pushing the pace offensively.
9. AJ Hoggard (9)
Rookie AJ Hoggard continued to force his way into the rotation after limited minutes to start the season, featuring in the backup point guard role behind Joiner. The 25-year-old’s best game came in the team’s nail-biting win over the Gold, where he finished with an efficient 14 points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
10. Tyson Degenhart (11)
After two modest games to start last week, Degenhart was forced into the starting lineup to close the week with the team shorthanded. The 23-year-old made the most of it, finishing with an efficient 24 points, three rebounds, and two steals, while also finishing as a game-high plus-20 against the Cruise.
11. Tyreke Key (6)
The biggest faller this week is the veteran Key, who, after averaging 19.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists two weeks ago, was nowhere near that last week.
In two games, the 27-year-old only averaged 4.5 points and 1.0 assist while shooting 25.0 per cent before missing the final game of the week with a right calf contusion.
12. Tylor Perry (NR)
Perry saw game action for the first time after joining the team last week, bringing up the rear in the rotation. In his two games thus far, he’s averaged 3.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists
In 20 games with the 905 last season, the 25-year-old averaged 6.0 points, 1.7 assists, and 1.5 rebounds while shooting 34.1 per cent from the field and 32.3 per cent from distance.
13. Patrick McCaw (12)
The 30-year-old remains at the back of the 905’s rotation, though coach Jones awarded the veteran with a start with the team low-staffed in their most recent game against the Cruise. In that one, he finished with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, and a whopping six steals.
NR – Chucky Hepburn, Quincy Guerrier
Hepburn certainly would have been near the top of these power rankings all year, but he is currently on the shelf recovering from a meniscus tear in his right knee. According to the initial timetable, he’ll be re-evaluated in a week.
Guerrier has now missed four straight games with a right ankle sprain and remains on the sidelines. In his one game last week, the Montreal native put up 24 points, 12 rebounds, and one steal.
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