Toronto has a crafty player who leads the NBA in 1 stat
The The Toronto Raptors have cooled off a bit after a hot start to the 2025-26 season, but it’s clear that the middling team of years past is gone and in is a likely playoff team in a crowded Eastern Conference. On Monday night, the Raptors picked up what could be an important win against an ambitious East playoff team in the Miami Heat, winning 106-96 despite the ongoing absence of RJ Barrett.
At least the Raptors saw Immanuel Quickley return to the starting lineup after missing one gamee, and in his return he recorded 15 points, four rebounds and four assists. That meant Jamal Shead would return to the bench where he thrived all year. In fact, Shead has been one of the most valuable guards off the bench all season, and the stats bear that out.
Like StatKeeks’ Keerthika Uthaiakumar pointed outShead has two games with 10 assists and just one turnover or less this season, the most of any bench player in the league. Moreover, the Raptors guard now has 137 points off the bench on the season, the most of any player in the NBA.
Shead has become very valuable to the Raptors, which is nothing short of a huge win for someone who was selected 45th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Jamal Shead has become a real weapon for the Raptors
The box score stats for Shedd certainly jumped out of the way, as he had eight points and 10 assists with just one turnover in their win over the Heat on Monday night. But his influence goes much further than that. He was a plus-27 for the Raptors on Monday and was very impressive with the energy he provides outside the crease.
Brandon Ingram really changed the fortunes of the Raptorsbut without the team’s depth, they wouldn’t be where they are right now – with a 16-11 record that keeps them third in the East.
2025-12-16 04:59:00
