Jamison Battle scored 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting in 16 minutes off the bench Sunday night, including 4-of-10 from three, in a 131-125 loss to the Lakers. It was his best scoring night of the season by a wide margin, and it came at a moment when Raptors bench shooting is one of the team's clearest needs. With Kawhi Leonard sidelined by knee swelling, the minutes behind the starters are more open than they have been in weeks.
Battle's rise did not start in Los Angeles. He has been part of the rotation since opening night, when he scored 8 points on 3-of-4 shooting with 5 rebounds in 11 minutes of the Raptors' statement win over the Bulls , and Toronto outscored Chicago by 21 with him on the floor. Sunday showed how much more he can give when the role gets bigger.
Battle has not started a game this season, but he has played in all six contests, and his minutes have followed Leonard's absence. In the first two games with Leonard, he played 11 and 12 minutes. Over the four games since, he has played 13, 20, 19 and 16, an average of about 17.
The production has been uneven. Battle has scored 8, 5, 4, 7 and 2 points before Sunday, and he shot 1-of-6 in Minnesota and 1-of-3 against Orlando on Friday, when he also picked up three fouls in 19 minutes. In between, he had two steals and a plus-15 rating in the 129-99 win over the Magic. His preseason line was just as modest, 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting in 14 minutes against the Knicks.
Battle's history gives some context for the swings. Battle signed with Toronto as an undrafted rookie in 2024 and began on a two-way deal. He scored a career-high 25 points in April 2025. Last spring, he went 5-of-5 from the field, including 4-of-4 from three, for 14 points in 16 minutes of Game 3 against Cleveland, and Toronto was plus-20 in his minutes.
Toronto Raptors center Trayce Jackson-Davis (32) passes the ball towards forwards Scottie Barnes (4) and Jamison Battle (77) in the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
The case starts with shooting. Through six games, the Raptors are hitting 32.0% from three (70-of-219), while opponents are at 36.7%. Battle is at 37.5% on 24 attempts, and his nine makes are a meaningful share of the bench's perimeter production. Raptors bench shooting has been a weakness, and a forward who can space the floor helps open driving lanes for Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett.
Sunday's line also had a rebounding piece. Battle grabbed five rebounds, four of them offensive, in 16 minutes. And he did most of his scoring when the game was on the line, finishing with 15 of his 20 points in the last two minutes and 10 seconds as Toronto cut into a deficit that reached 26 points.
Darko Rajakovic praised the late-game confidence and said Battle's shooting needs to show up from the opening tip. "He needs to find that level every night," Rajakovic said. That is the standard he will be held to if the minutes keep growing.
The sample is small, and the swings are real. Battle shot 8-of-20 from the field in the five games before Sunday, and the team was minus-10 with him on the floor against Orlando and minus-4 in Los Angeles. A longer run of minutes will also test his defense and his consistency over a full game.
The competition is also deeper than it was a year ago. Collin Murray-Boyles, who has been building a Sixth Man case , is expected to see more time at the forward position. Allen Graves , Kyle Anderson and Alijah Martin are also in the mix, and each offers something different on defense.
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) dribbles as Washington Wizards center Felix Okpara (34) defends during the second half at Capital One Arena. Photo Credit: Brad Mills, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
The Raptors are 1-3 since Leonard went down, and the starting lineup has changed. Ja'Kobe Walter, who stepped into Leonard's starting spot last week , has taken on a heavier scoring load, which has left a hole in the second unit's shooting. Battle is one of the few players on the roster who fits it.
Leonard will be reevaluated in about a week, and the team has not set a return date. If he comes back soon, Battle's minutes could shrink again as the rotation tightens. If he stays out, the Raptors will keep leaning on bench scoring to survive a four-game road trip that now continues at the Clippers on Monday, at Denver on Wednesday, and at Milwaukee on Friday.
Battle's 20-point night will not change the rotation on its own, but it gives Rajakovic a reason to keep him on the floor. For the Raptors, the upside is clear: a bench forward who can hit threes at a rate the team badly needs.
For Battle, the opportunity is to turn a late-game burst into a steady role. The risk is inconsistency, because three poor shooting nights in a row can send a player back to the end of the bench. If he keeps hitting threes at 37% or better while Leonard is out, he will have a strong case to stay in the rotation even after Leonard returns.
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Photo Credit: Jonathan Hui, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
