Raptors 905 2024-25 Season Primer

New faces, same goals #RoadToTheSix

It’s a new season, but more like a new era for the Raptors 905, as the team ushers in an overhauled coaching staff, new prospects to develop, and mostly new faces to help achieve their goals to make it to the NBA.

Drew Jones moves from Darko Rajakovic’s bench to take over the helm of the Raptors 905, replacing Eric Khoury, who had an underwhelming two seasons as the 905 coach. Coach Jones will now have to figure out how to figure out how to get these players to mesh as a team, establish a winning environment, and focus on the prospects’ development while giving the platform for the other players to succeed. Oh, and also to be ready to adjust should one of Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, or Jonathan Mogbo get assigned for one reason or another.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to coach Raptors 905, continuing my development as a coach and a leader” Jones said. “After conversations with Coach Rajakovic and the Raptors front office we are aligned in maintaining the tradition of developing players and coaches who can contribute at the highest level.”

Coach Khoury’s tenure offered some bright spots but was hampered by injuries to their key players. It didn’t help that the Raptors 905’s roster under his tenure was poorly constructed, leaving Khoury to exert more effort in keeping the team’s head above the water as the losses mounted.

The Raptors’ 905 developmental system has not produced significant new talent since Chris Boucher. However, there’s an argument to be made that Dalano Banton didn’t get a fair shake, given how he looks in Portland right now. Regardless, the Raptors should be more invested this time, as they have a new project that’s “two years away from being two years away” in 18-year-old Ulrich Chomche. They wouldn’t make the same mistake twice, wouldn’t they?

Previously, on Raptors 905

The Raptors 905 finished with a combined 17-33 record last season, missing out on the tournament run and the regular season playoffs. They finished 4-12 during the Showcase Cup leg, while they managed to get more wins in the regular season, but their 13-21 record was far from the playoff cutoff line.

The team had a lot of hype entering the season, led by Markquis Nowell. Nowell lived up to the hype but couldn’t carry the team alone. Ron Harper Jr. got off to a slow start, while Javon Freeman-Liberty, Kevin Obanor, and Justise Winslow started the season in street clothes. In early December, Harper Jr. had a season-ending shoulder that cost him his roster spot.

The Raptors 905 lost their first eight games, going for 11 Ls in their first 12 games. Even Gradey Dick’s assignment couldn’t stop the bleeding. In a way, he contributed to the losses. Gradey had a disastrous G-League assignment, where he looked like “2 kilograms of muscle away from being 2 kilograms away.”

The team was bad defensively, and when Nowell got injured, the offense was so bad that they could not even get the ball past half-court at times. However, there were some bright spots in an otherwise lost season. Freeman-Liberty went beast mode, filling the playmaking void that Nowell’s injury created. Mouhamadou Gueye looked like “No Name Chris Boucher,” while Jontay Porter’s addition helped the team pick up some Ws, but was needed more by the main club last season.

Nowell suffered yet another major injury, only this time costing him his NBA roster spot. Justise Winslow rounding into form helped the 905 pick up more wins, but the Raptors 905 could not muster enough wins to crash the playoff picture.

Who’s Out?

None of last year’s Two-Way Contract players from last year’s opening night roster made the team this season. In fact, Javon Freeman-Liberty was the only one that survived the season. The Raptors waived Ron Harper Jr. when he sustained a season-ending injury last December. He managed to crack the Maine Celtics roster this season. Markquis Nowell had an injury-plagued season with the Raptors 905, and the Raptors waived him last March to get a closer look at Mouhamadou Gueye as a Two-Way Contract player. Nowell found a spot in Houston Rocket’s affiliate team, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, while Gueye, who was waived before the draft, will now suit up for Capital City Go-Go.

Makur Maker chose to play in Saudi’s Basketball League after singing with Al-ittihad Jeddah. Omari Moore is plying his trades in Turkey, playing for Darüşşafaka Lassa. However, the Raptors 905 no longer own his rights after trading his returning rights for Jared Rhoden’s rights.

The Raptors 905 traded Justise Winslow and Darryl Morsell’s rights to Wisconsin Herd (Bucks) for a bunch of player rights and a 1st round draft pick. Winslow is expected to suit up for the Herd, while Morsell moved on to play for BSN’s Mets de Guaynabo.

We all know where Jontay Porter will be hooping while Kobi Simmons is China-bound.

Oh, coach Eric Khoury is back on coach Darko Rajakovic’s staff.

New Faces

Aside from new head coach Drew Jones, whom we profiled a few weeks ago, here’s the rest of the new faces gracing the floor this season:

Texas’ Dylan Disu went undrafted in this recent draft, but his combination of size and athleticism makes him one of the most intriguing prospects on this team, especially if he can transition into a big wing instead of a small ball five. To do that, Disu will need to work on his perimeter shooting and be able to defend himself against wings in space. His 6’9” frame and a 7’ wingspan make him a Raptorsy type of project.

Evan Gilyard II is a 5’11” point guard who played for the Windy City Bulls last season. His game screams of “Isaiah Thomas starter pack,” as the lefty point guard is very shifty and can score anywhere on the floor. Gilyard II is quite capable of running the offense, but he’s best served as a microwave scorer (and defender) off the bench, with his ability to quickly put up points and apply defensive pressure in short bursts.

Canadian Quincy Guerrier, another undrafted rookie, will need to show whether he can be a combo forward at the NBA G League level. He’s got decent size at 6’8” and a massive 7’ wingspan, so he fits the Raptors’ prototype. He’s decent from the perimeter but must show that he can defend wings at this level.

Tyreke Key survived the open tryouts and the training camp, so the Raptors 905’s coaching staff see something in him, given the stacked backcourt. Standing at 6’2”, Key’s got the biggest frame out of all the point guards on this team and should be strong enough to play either guard position at the G League level. He played shooting guard for most of his collegiate career but operated more as the engine of the offense at Indiana State, teaming up with Memphis Grizzlies’ Jake Laravia. Key’s transfer to Tennessee didn’t go as well as he probably thought, but he rediscovered his mojo when he turned pro in Belgium last year. That said, he’s a multi-level scorer who’s comfortable enough to play make, and being a combo guard is his path to the next level.

Tylor Perry is a light’s out shooter in college, shooting 43.9% from the perimeter in five seasons. He went undrafted this year and played in the Raptors’ summer league. Perry will likely have the “Matt Morgan” role with the Raptors 905 this season, likely backing up Kennedy Chandler while providing point guard and perimeter shooting when he’s on the floor. He’s lethal off the ball as a catch-and-shoot threat, but he can be just as lethal, creating his perimeter shot off the bounce. Perry will probably be one of the must-sees at Paramount Fine Foods Centre, especially if he’s got the license to pull up anywhere past the half-court.

Branden Carlson joins the Raptors 905 as an Affiliate Player after losing his Two-Way contract spot before the season started. The Raptors will get the chance to monitor the 25-year-old’s developmental progress closely, but any team can call up the big man, especially if he can show that he can do more than hit his perimeter shots. Judging from the summer league and preseason, Carlson would need to get stronger and be a better defender.

The former Memphis Grizzlies 2nd-round pick, Kennedy Chandler, has legit NBA-level point guard skills, but given his height, he’ll need to be able to show that he can be a dynamic scorer and hit his perimeter shots consistently. He had a decent year with the Long Island Nets last season, putting up 13.9 points and 5.1 dimes per game while shooting a respectable 36.1% from the perimeter.

Charlie Brown Jr. is the most experienced pro on this team, having played 49 NBA and 145 NBA G League games. He’s been a fringe NBA player for the past few seasons, earning Two-Way contracts with the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks and a few 10-day contracts with the Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Oklahoma City Thunder, with the latter signing him for the rest of the season after his contract expired. Brown Jr. was collateral damage from the Karl Anthony-Towns trade and ended up with the Raptors 905 when the team traded for his rights. Brown Jr. has been one of the best players on his G League and Summer League teams, so he brings a lot to this 905 team that needs a reboot: leadership, toughness, defense, scoring versatility, and the willingness to trust a team’s development program.

Depth Chart

As mentioned earlier, the Raptors 905 will have a much-improved roster this season. Last year, they only had one bonafide center in Makur Maker, but he was oft-injured and only had two other players taller than 6’6” (Gueye and Obanor). There was a backlog last year in the backcourt, but the same can be said for this Raptors 905 iteration, as they have five players who can play the point. Kennedy Chandler will likely get the starting PG spot unless the Raptors decide to convert DJ Carton into a full-time PG, as he operates more of a combo guard. Speaking of combo guards, Tyreke Key, Evan Gilyard II, and even Tylor Perry operate like one.

Ulrich Chomche and Branden Carlson should split the minutes at the centre position, although you can play them together in spurts. Dylan Disu, Quincy Guerrier, Kevin Obanor, and Myles Burns will compete for minutes in the wings. Charlie Brown Jr. should be the team’s starting SG but could slide to SF if the team choose to go with a two-PG backcourt (i.e. DJ Carton + Kennedy Chandler).

What makes this roster interesting is how many players they have that can play the point, which screams, “We don’t plan to have Jamal Shead down here.” Jonathan Mogbo should easily slot in at the PF if he gets assigned, while Jamison Battle should start at SF and play a similar role to Malcolm Miller a few years ago, just polishing the things he’s good at. Ja’Kobe Walter might go up and down, but it’ll likely be for injury rehab or conditioning.

Lineups

Drew Jones will have to find a lineup that would offer the best fit and path for development. There’s a glut in the backcourt, so it’s interesting how coach Jones will find minutes for everybody.

Carton-Brown Jr.-Battle-Obanor-Chomche: This is probably the starting lineup if Battle gets assigned. However, Battle’s playing well enough with the main club, so we could be looking at---

Chandler-Carton-Brown Jr-Carlson-Chomche: Chomche and Carlson looked OK sharing minutes on the floor during the Summer League, and it offsets the site that the team gives up in the backcourt.

Perry-Key-Brown Jr-Disu-Chomche/Carlson: At some point in a game, I’m looking forward to seeing this lineup. This lineup could be fun!

Schedule

We also did a schedule breakdown a few weeks ago.

Prospects

DJ Carton

DJ Carton parlayed a couple of successful seasons with the Iowa Wolves into securing an NBA G League call-up, initially landing with the Raptors with a 10-day contract, and was impressive enough to convince the Raptors to convert the initial contract into a Two-Way contract.

Last season, Carton might have stumbled upon the formula (and perhaps the right team) on how he could potentially translate his Two-Way contract into a standard contract: It’s a small sample size, but in four games with the Raptors, Carton showed flashes of how he could be a good fit on coach Rajakovic’s system as a combo guard that can score on and off the ball and provide adequate point guard play.

With coach Jones at the helm, Carton will get more reps finding his spots on coach Darko Rajakovic’s offense. While he’ll be a starter, the number of point guards that the team acquired suggests that the team would like Carton to play less of a traditional point guard and more of a scorer within coach Darko’s system.

Jamison Battle

If you look at the Raptors’ injury report, it doesn’t look like Jamison Battle will suit up for the Raptors 905 any time soon. But even when the team’s healthy, Battle’s ability to stay ready and hit a three-pointer or two per game is an excellent asset on coach Darko’s offense. Battle knows his role, and he’s remained true to his game, doing what he’s good at (hitting perimeter shots) and always being shot-ready whenever his number gets called.

Battle’s got size, standing at 6’7.25” without shoes and a decent 6’9” wingspan. His shooting is elite, making 43.3% from the perimeter on six attempts per game as a senior at Ohio State. By the way, he also shot 92.6% from the free-throw line during the same year. Battle had a solid Las Vegas Summer League campaign, scoring 7.4 points and hitting 60% of his trifectas in 14 minutes per game throughout five games. His size allowed him to pick up some rebounds occasionally, and he has also shown flashes of good passing reads.

If Battle gets assigned to the 905, he’ll get starter minutes to sharpen his main skill set, which is his perimeter shooting. However, it should allow him to open up his game more, as he can do more than being a spot-up shooter. Moreover, he’ll have more floor time defending speedier guards and wings, something that he needs to get better at.

It’s a rare skill set for an NBA player to be able to essentially take off his warmers, catch a few passes, make a three-pointer or two, grab a few boards, make a few good passing reads, and go back to the bench and put his warmers back.

Ulrich Chomche

Suppose a player would need a multi-year G League developmental program. In that case, Ulrich Chomche is Exhibit B. Exhibit A, of course, was Bruno Caboclo, which was the main motivation for getting this Raptors 905 up and running.

Chomche’s raw, as in “two years away from being two years away” raw, but at 18 years old, his 6’11” frame and 7’4” wingspan, combined with his athleticism, motor, defensive instincts, and budding offensive tools make him one of the most intriguing prospects at the Bronny James draft range because of his potential “low risk, high reward” upside.

Despite the potential, Chomche, as showcased during the Summer League and preseason games, will show flashes of his potential mixed with several plays that make him look like he’s not NBA-ready. It’s highly unlikely that Chomche will play meaningful NBA minutes this season, and coach Jones will have to make Chomche’s minutes with the Raptors 905 as efficient as possible regarding his development.

Chomche needs to improve on many things to earn a look with the main club, and the Raptors 905 experience should give him that: basketball skills, discipline, structure, and individual and team-based fundamentals.