Rookie Jamal Shead Impressive in First Game with Toronto

The former University of Houston guard had a very encouraging debut with the Raptors.

Oct 23, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert (3) drives to the basket between Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) and guard Jamal Shead (23) during the third quarter at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

There may not have been a guard more ready for a professional debut this season than Toronto rookie Jamal Shead. Taken out of the University of Houston with the 45th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Shead is an elite lockdown defender already, which he showed off the bat. He was known for this coming out of college, an attribute only aided by the fact he played in Kelvin Sampson's system, which has been known to produce high-level players on this end of the floor. He was, after all, the 2023-24 Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-American.

What may not have been as obvious was the offensive impact he would have, which is due mostly to his willingness to attack the basket with his handle. While he had this ability in college, and showed it in the preseason, it's a different situation when doing so in a regular-season game against starting-caliber players. He scored 10 points on the night, going 3-for-7 from the field and hitting all three of his free-throw attempts over his 19 minutes of floor time.

He found himself open for a three-point attempt off of a Scottie Barnes assist near the end of the second quarter, which he drained, but demonstrated so much more. The primary thing that stood out in this matchup was his confidence, which is typically something that takes a lot of time to develop as a first-year player in the NBA. It speaks to the coaching he underwent in the NCAA, as he played four seasons under one of the best minds in college basketball.

As Houston's second-winningest player ever, Shead has a knack for productivity that looks like it has translated to the professional level in his intangibles. His basketball IQ and feel are elite on both ends, including his playmaking, as he recorded four assists on top of his double-digit scoring output. On defense, his footwork is excellent, as he's able to stay in front of opposing ball handlers, consistently harassing whoever he is assigned to guard.

NBA Folks, welcome to the Jamal Shead experience. pic.twitter.com/LggmSDUOgB

— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) October 24, 2024

Another thing that helps is his screen navigation, as he rarely gets bumped off of his target despite being just 6-foot-1, which is aided by his 200-pound frame. In the clip above, he manages to stay in front of an elite rim attacker in Darius Garland, keeping him out of the paint by staying with him despite the flurry of dribble moves attempted. He then skips past the screen and follows the pass to Sam Merrill, who is similarly unable to get past the Toronto rookie, and forced into a terrible look that misses.

While Shead may never be an elite scoring threat at the NBA level, he is at the very least a very high-floor role player that can provide real perimeter defense against smaller guards. Given the amount of fleet-footed lead initiators, this will be a massive benefit for Toronto when they play teams whose primary point guard relies on speed and finesse to get to the basket.

If there was an all-defensive team for rookies, Jamal Shead would be a primary candidate.

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