Raptors Set Open Summer League: Where to Watch & What to Know

The Toronto Raptors will open their Summer League schedule on Saturday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder

Mar 15, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Gradey Dick (left) and guard Ochai Agbaji (right) during player introductions before a game against the Orlando Magic at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports / John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto Raptors basketball is back — sort of.

Summer League will begin for Toronto on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET. against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas.

Where to Watch

TSN3 will broadcast the game for Toronto.

What to Watch For

• Let's start here: It's basketball! It may be meaningless basketball but it's been months since the Raptors took the court in a basketball game of any significance. Toronto should have one of the better Summer League teams too with four players returning from last year's Raptors squad and four rookie draft picks making their debut for Toronto.

• Speaking of those rookies, Ja'Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo, Jamal Shead, and Ulrich Chomche are all expected to play for the Raptors on Saturday night. When it comes to Summer League, it's usually the extremes that mean the most. If someone really struggles or is really great, it may mean something moving forward, otherwise, it's hard to read much into Summer League games.

• As for the veterans, the hope is Gradey Dick looks better as a leader of this Raptors squad. He'll likely carry more of the offensive workload than he would in a regular season game, so keep an eye on how he handles that. The hope is Ochai Agbaji looks dominant too with an improved three-point stroke he's said to be working on.

• Javon Freeman-Liberty is in a bit of a precarious spot with the organization right now as Toronto has 15 players on guaranteed deals, excluding Freeman-Liberty's partially guaranteed contract. It would be surprising if he didn't make it to training camp on his contract, but it wasn't all that long ago that a rough showing from Freddie Gillespie at Summer League ended his tenure with Toronto.