Undrafted Rookie Helps Raptors to Preseason Win Against Celtics

The 2025 NBA Preseason continues as teams around the league prepare for the upcoming campaign.

On Friday, Toronto and Boston met in a showdown that featured a number of young players for both teams.

Players like Baylor Scheierman, Josh Minott, Neemias Queta, Hugo Gonzalez and Luka Garza saw significant minutes for the Celtics, while Collin Murray-Boyles, Alijah Martin, Jamal Shead, Gradey Dick and others played heavy minutes for the Raptors.

Alongside the aforementioned players, undrafted rookie Chucky Hepburn performed well for Toronto in the win. Hepburn logged 27 minutes off the bench, tallying 13 points, eight assists, three rebounds, four steals and two turnovers while shooting 4-of-11 from the field and 3-of-6 from 3-point range.

Hepburn's strong performance helped the Raptors to a narrow 107-105 against Boston.

The former Louisville and Wisconsin standout was part of a defensive-minded draft class for Toronto that also featured first-round pick Collin Murray-Boyles and second-round pick Alijah Martin. On Friday, though, Hepburn turned in as many points as the Raptors' two draft picks combined.

Of course, Murray-Boyles will likely have a significant role for Toronto as a top-10 pick, and Martin will likely get opportunities over Hepburn early on. Still, the Raptors seemed to prioritize players who give good effort and have talent on defense in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Hepburn fits that mold, as evident by his four steals in Friday's preseason contest. The rookie's defensive ability was also on display in college, as the former Cardinals' standout won ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2024-25.

In his lone season at Lousiville, Hepburn averaged 16.4 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game, shooting 43.2% from the field and 32.8% from beyond the arc. Even after an impressive senior campaign, Hepburn went undrafted in the 2025 class.

In addition to a lack of perimeter shooting production, Hepburn's size was likely a concern for NBA teams. The rookie guard is listed at 6-feet tall and 190 pounds on the Raptors' roster, and could struggle to create shots on offense and guard bigger player on defense.

Still, with good feel for the game and good defensive ability on the perimeter, Hepburn could develop into a solid rotation player for the Raptors, especially if he can develop a solid 3-point shot.

For now, though, the Toronto rookie will be on a two-way contract as he continues to aim for a full-time spot with the Raptors.