Miami beat Toronto 129-105 on Saturday in Quebec City, but the final score wasn't really the story out of the Raptors' first preseason game.
With Toronto narrowing down the final roster in training camp and preseason games, the Raptors' third-string hopefuls got their first taste of NBA-level speed. And the results weren't encouraging for a couple of the names still fighting for a spot.
Kawhi Leonard didn't play at all, still working his way back into game shape after an offseason disrupted by the league's investigation into his old contract. That absence left even more runway for the roster's fringe pieces to make a case, and not everyone made the most of it.
Toronto Raptors guard Malachi Smith (18) dribbles against Miami Heat forward J'Vonne Hadley (14) during the third quarter at Videotron Center. Photo Credit: David Kirouac, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Malachi Smith played 31 minutes, more than almost anyone else on the floor, and finished with just 7 points on 3-of-11 shooting. He missed all four of his three-point attempts. That's the kind of reality check that comes with a rough line for a player whose entire case for a roster spot rests on his jumper. Smith's two-way deal exists specifically because of his shooting profile, and a 0-for-4 night from deep does nothing to settle the real questions hanging over his spot in the rotation.
Nimari Burnett 's shot chart looked even worse. He went 2-for-10 from the field and 1-for-8 from three, adding four turnovers in 24 minutes. Burnett clearly has the green light to shoot whenever he touches the ball, and on this particular night, that trust didn't pay off. One preseason game against a Heat team that still iced most of its rotation through the first half shouldn't define anyone's camp, but efficiency numbers like these are exactly what gets magnified when roster spots are this tight.
Not every fringe name struggled. Jaden Bradley got a real 20-minute workload and made it count, scoring 9 points on 3-of-4 shooting, including a highlight-reel up-and-under through traffic in transition.
Jamal Shead logged 28 minutes and showed exactly why Toronto just locked him into a win-win extension even on a rough shooting night. He went just 1-of-7 from the field but still piled up 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals, the kind of two-way floor game that matters more than his own scoring line. Tyreke Key , another guard still fighting for a long-term spot in this backcourt, will need a similar kind of impact if he wants to climb the depth chart.
Collin Murray-Boyles didn't shoot it well either. Murray-Boyles finished 3-of-10 from the field, but he more than made up for it on the glass with 9 rebounds in 20 minutes, battling through tough defensive matchups all night.
Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett led Toronto's scoring in limited time. Barnes had 11 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Meanwhile, Barnes added 15 points, 3 rebounds and an assist. The issue wasn't really their performance. It was everything that happened once the bench took over for both teams.
None of this changes the larger picture hanging over camp, but it does put a number on the reality check both players just received. Toronto's apron reality already left the roster's bottom few spots as pure Exhibit-10 battles heading into Quebec City, and one shaky shooting night doesn't erase what Smith and Burnett have shown in other settings. It does, however, add real weight to every rep left before final cuts.
One preseason game against a Heat team playing without most of its rotation in the second half shouldn't sink anyone's chances of making the roster outright. However, the reality check it delivered still matters given the timing. Smith and Burnett were both brought in specifically for their skills, shooting, and scoring, which simply didn't translate on Saturday. With final roster decisions approaching fast, there isn't much room left for another cold night.
Expect Rajaković to lean heavily on these next few preseason games before settling his rotation, and expect both players to face real pressure to show something different before the games start counting. Bradley and Murray-Boyles, by contrast, bought themselves more rope with their play. In a camp this crowded, a single efficient outing can matter just as much as a cold one.
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Photo Credit: David Kirouac, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
