Raptors Takeaways: Depth shows out in final audition vs. Pistons

NBA pre-season games are largely inconsequential. But they still serve several distinct purposes.

For starters and members of the rotation, it provides an important runway to get their conditioning game-ready.

"I wanted to get out there and get tired — I still want to get in better shape," Kawhi Leonard said after his Toronto Raptors re-debut on Tuesday.

New teammates — like Leonard and Co. — also work to find early chemistry before games start to count towards the standings.

Further down the roster, players get more opportunities to showcase themselves than they would during the regular season. For those outside of the rotation who might not see the floor in a typical regular-season game, it's a rare chance to make an impression. And then there are the players who were invited to camp to compete for a roster spot. They're leaving it all on the floor, fighting to earn an NBA opportunity, either from the club whose jersey they're wearing or from other interested onlookers around the league.

The Raptors' spirited 129-125 loss to the Detroit Pistons in their final pre-season game on Friday was about the latter group, not the former.

Toronto sat its top nine rotation players (Leonard, Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl, Collin Murray-Boyles, Ja'Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead and Jamison Battle), necessitated by the second night of an ever-bizarre concept: the pre-season back-to-back.

Luckily, they had already checked all their boxes ahead of the exhibition finale. Leonard got up to 23 minutes the night before, and every other starter played more. Even though there were expected hiccups — particularly in the halfcourt — Leonard simplified the Raptors' offensive process in a Tuesday massacre of players who will mostly end up playing for the New York Knicks affiliate in Westchester and drew attention away from the Raptors' other top offensive weapon in a narrow loss to the real Knicks on Thursday.

So, it was a quality last chance for the back half of the Raptors' training-camp roster to audition for a move up the pecking order. They rose to the occasion, too, trailing the Pistons' starters and full projected rotation by just seven points at halftime and fighting tooth and nail until the end.

Here are the takeaways from the conclusion of the Raptors camp competition:

Graves digs deep

Rookie 19th-overall draft pick Allen Graves is in a separate category from the rest of the Raptors that took the court on Friday.

The quality of his play will still dictate the scale of his role on a Toronto squad that is ostensibly aiming for contention this season. But his NBA future is more secure as a first-round draft pick and longer-term development project.

The 20-year-old's shot wasn't going down in his second pre-season game on Friday. Graves went 0-for-5 from three-point range and smoked a couple of layups, finishing 4-for-13 from the floor. But the hustle that defines his game was still ever-present.

Seven of Graves' eight rebounds came on the offensive glass. And six of his nine points came on putbacks. After passing to a cutting Alijah Martin in the middle of the floor, he beelined for the rim, perfectly anticipating the missed shot's carom off the rim and slamming it back down. The one-and-done Santa Clara product missed a corner three, but stuck with his own rebound twice to finish the tip-back.

Graves also ran the floor hard, and Martin whipped a bullet transition pass to him under the rim. He seemed to have an open layup, but was unable to finish when Ron Holland II flew in with late contact, drawing free throws instead.

And the first-year forward's intuitive defensive playmaking capabilities were on display when he reacted to block Paul Reed after he appeared to have been gift-wrapped a bucket.

Graves' effort, IQ and physical tools are all there. If his shot starts dropping, he could solidify a spot in the Raptors' rotation quickly.

The next, next man up

Anytime a player gets injured, the common refrain among NBA players is a "next man up" mentality. But for some of the players competing on Friday, it would probably take multiple misfortunes to crack the rotation.

Martin, who showed out with the Raptors 905 during his first professional season in 2025-26 and was named to the All-NBA G League Third Team, is an exception.

Martin was picked by the Raptors in the second round of the 2025 draft, signed a two-year standard NBA contract in the off-season and is the true next man up in Toronto's backcourt in the event of an injury.

He played like it, with physical finishes at the rim and bail-out step-back threes in isolation, amounting to a team-high 15 points in the first half. He showed off his outlier athleticism both on high-flying layups and contests against larger forwards — he denied John Collins at the summit.

But the most eye-popping play was the one Martin didn't make, as he took off from the free-throw line and cocked back for a gargantuan slam before it was ruined by a Cade Cunningham foul.

While the hierarchy is partially formed with Martin at the top, the competition among guards who currently have roster spots was most compelling.

Fellow second-round pick in the most recent NBA Draft, Jaden Bradley, remained a mixed bag as he has been throughout Summer League and the pre-season.

The 23-year-old Arizona product ran chase action with Trayce Jackson-Davis — following his own pass and getting a handoff right back — flowing into a pick-and-roll where he set up the backup big man perfectly for one of his five assists.

But Bradley also had five turnovers, including some reckless and ill-advised passes. It stands to reason that the rookie will spend a good amount of time on assignment with the 905 in Year 1 to sort through those kinds of growing pains.

Meanwhile, Malachi Smith, the Raptors' lone player currently on a two-way contract, put on an impressive scoring display with quick-trigger threes and crafty drives earning him a team-high 24 points. The former Brooklyn Net went 4-for-7 from deep and added seven rebounds and three assists.

Toronto's guard depth could remain fluid. Ja'Kobe Walter and eventually even Jamison Battle, AJ Lawson and Martin all leapfrogged Grady Dick last season.

It takes two-ways to make a full NBA roster

Speaking of the Raptors only having one two-way signed, they have two spots open, and another guard has made a strong case for one of them.

Nimari Burnett has stood out with his athletic and physical play throughout the pre-season and had his best game yet Friday night. He backed down the much larger BBall Paul Reed on a successful bully drive and splashed 3-of-7 triples. An NCAA national champion with the Michigan Wolverines, Burnett was also all over the floor to complete an impressive 17-point, five-rebound, two-block, two-steal line.

After waiving NBA champion Trey Jemison and another undrafted guard, Chucky Hepburn, following pre-season injuries, the door may be open for Burnett to seize a coveted two-way spot.

But the Raptors also need more big man depth, and the contest there is a little more interesting.

Big men in small roles

The Raptors remain a large team on the wings but are small at centre.

Trayce Jackson-Davis will play spot centre minutes when Murray-Boyles isn't playing small-ball five, but he stands at just six-foot-nine, and the Raptors don't have another, larger option.

Enter seven-foot-five centre Jamarion Sharp, whom the Raptors signed to a training camp deal on Monday. Sharp was with the Raptors for Summer League before being snatched up on a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, but was subsequently released before their training camp began. He would be the tallest active NBA player if he made a roster.

The 25-year-old's movement leaves plenty to be desired, but he is a formidable rim protector. Sharp won G League Defensive Player of the Year last year after leading the development circuit with 159 blocks — over four per game. He has obvious flaws, but the potential of his frame and loud primary skill alone present intrigue.

The other potential option is also complicated by health. After spending Summer League with the Raptors and signing a training-camp deal, Nate Bittle has remained with the team throughout camp despite being in a walking boot due to a foot injury.

However, the seven-footer was a summer standout with his 44 per cent three-point shooting and savvy defence quickly catching attention. Sportsnet's Blake Murphy reported that Bittle had a follow-up appointment on Wednesday and could be out of the walking boot if all went well, but there's been no update since.

Jackson-Davis is still the nominal backup centre. He feasted against the back of the Pistons' bench for 18 second-half points, fuelled by a 12-of-13 performance from the free-throw line. But Sharp would certainly boost the average height, while Bittle could be the stretch-five that the Raptors' fanbase has long coveted.

Stocking Mississauga's cupboards

Many of the players that took the floor for the Raptors on Friday will wind up playing in the G League this season, and five in particular are likely to join the 905.

Burnett, Sharp, Bittle, Tyson Degenhart and Tyreke Key all have signed Exhibit-10 deals, which offer additional financial incentives if players are waived and join a club's G League affiliate. Degenhart and Key both followed the same path last season. Ajax, Ont., native Jalen Celestine was also added on a training camp deal on Friday with "an eye towards the 905," per Murphy.

And if Burnett, Sharp and Bittle don't sign two-way contracts — which would allow them to freely move between the 905 and Raptors for up to 50 NBA games — they could take the same route.

Key could also be a sneaky option for one of the two-way spots, as he shot 40 per cent from three with the 905 and was awarded a standard NBA deal in the waning days of the 2025-26 regular season, but did not appear in a game.

Andre Jackson Jr. and another 905 returnee, AJ Hoggard, already signed and were waived from their Exhibit-10 contracts, making them likely 905ers, too.

All teams must finalize their rosters ahead of NBA opening day by 5 p.m. ET on Monday.