The bench guard question: Jamison Battle

Coming into this season, there was no doubt about what the starting lineup would be, there was no doubt about how Sandro Mamukelashvili would be used, and there was no doubt that the second unit would need a point guard, Jamal Shead, to handle the ball.

Two big questions remained, I think, and they were:

1. How much would Collin Murray-Boyles, the forward, play on this very forward-y team?
2. Who will ascend to the #1 off-ball bench guard between Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Ja’Kobe Walter, and perhaps even… Jamison Battle?

The first question has been answered, mostly, but the second? Well, it still hangs in the balance, even if I wish it didn’t.

Also, we need to acknowledge what is expected of this role, because it’s far different than it was last year. For those who thought that Brandon Ingram’s arrival would severely hamper Scottie Barnes’ and RJ Barrett’s ability to get shots up, or touches, that’s not been the case, the shots have mostly been usurped from the low-volume bench guards, turning them into even lower volume bench guards. To be far too simplistic about things, the quartet combined for roughly 120 touches per game last season and roughly 34 shots a game. This season those numbers are roughly 54 touches and 12 shots per game.

Who does this hurt the most? Probably Dick, whose potential and value is far more reliant on his overall offensive output and skills than it is just low touch, low volume shooting. It’s a pretty beneficial role change for the other three, though.

So, what has been happening? This is part 1 of 4. We’ll start with Battle.

So, Battle. He has been serviceable defensively in limited minutes. He hasn’t been a painful point of breakdowns. He’s held his own. His feet are actually really good, to my eye. Offensively, he’s been a total heat pump. He’s shooting over 70% on triples this season. He shot 40% last season. He went on a torrid run against a limited Cavaliers team, scoring 20 points on 7-7 shooting and helped steal a win for a Raptors team that was on the verge of dropping five straight. He’s won his 68 minutes this season by 59 points (only behind Dick on the season, who is at +74). He helps the Raptors.

I have been a little confused at his lack of minutes. Although, my read is probably a little different than a big swath of the fanbase. I value Dick’s skillset a lot and wouldn’t play Battle at his expense, I’d like to see them play together a bit actually, but I know that a lot of people want him to swap minutes with Dick. Frankly, my analysis or bias aside, Battle deserves to steal from anyone at this point. Just to see it.