The Toronto Raptors will once again be shorthanded on the road when they take on the Miami Heat to conclude their road trip.
There was optimism last week that the Raptors were going to have Bruce Brown make his season debut at some point during Toronto’s four-game road trip, however, Brown needs more time. He has been ruled out for Friday night’s game in Miami. Brown continues to ramp up towards a return following offseason knee surgery.
Gradey Dick (calf), Kelly Olynyk (back) and Immanuel Quickley (elbow) have also been ruled out. There has been no timetable set for either of them.
With Dick out, the Raptors opted to start rookie Ja’Kobe Walter in place of him. Walter started against the Pelicans as Davion Mitchell went back to a bench role with the Raptors.
“I thought he did really good job, several times he ended up guarding CJ McCollum…I thought he did really good job of avoiding screens, finding ways to make it hard on CJ and I thought offensively that he was aggressive that he was looking for the opportunities to shoot the ball. I like that he was in a couple of pick and rolls as well that he was able to create there,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said when asked about Walter’s first career start.
Olynyk did some non-contact activities last week, but there’s no timetable for his return. He has yet to play this season.
Meanwhile, Quickley continues to deal with a UCL sprain and he is not expected to be back until some point in the middle of next month.
The Raptors game against the Heat will mark Toronto’s third NBA Cup game this season. Toronto has already been eliminated from the tournament playoff after losing to the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons. The Raptors will play in its final NBA Cup game on Dec. 3 against the Indiana Pacers.
Darko Rajakovic Praises Jamison Battle
The Toronto Raptors might have found a hidden gem in Jamison Battle.
Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic praised Battle’s performance against the New Orleans Pelicans.
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