Did Graves have the best Summer League debut in Raptors history?

Here are our grades after the Toronto Raptors fell to the Boston Celtics 83-80 in Summer League.

Allen Graves: A+

22 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 56.2 FG%, 37.5 3P%

This was a massive debut for those who believed in Graves. The concerns about his athleticism and his lack of experience against elite competition quickly dissipated. Within the first five minutes of the game, Graves recorded four points, two rebounds, and one steal, while throwing down a contested dunk on a backdoor cut.

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Graves authored a plethora of brilliant defensive moments, but three stuck out in particular, with two of them involving Chris Cenac Jr. as a dance partner. The first instance occurred in the first half, with Cenac attempting to face-up and take Graves one-on-one in the right corner. Graves got down into his defensive stance and poked the ball away as soon as Cenac made a move to the basket. Late in the second half, Graves smothered Cenac after he crossed half-court. Even with Cenac desperately trying to hold him off, Graves poked the ball loose before finishing the possession with a dunk.

A third example occurred when Graves turned the ball over as the inbounder. Instead of panicking, he walled up on defence, blocked the ensuing shot attempt, and got the possession back for the Raptors.

While Graves struggled with his three-point shot early in the game, he flashed a promising tendency to meet big moments. The 19-year-old hit two clutch three-pointers late in the fourth quarter, with the second triple extending Toronto’s lead to 75-71. The Raptors often had Graves in the corner, but when the game hung in the balance, the coaching staff involved the rookie in more pick-and-pop actions.

As someone who Raptors fans hope becomes an elite role player – for the 19th pick in the draft – Graves has an obvious engine that he supercharges during critical moments. During the final possession of the game, he was solely responsible for reviving the Raptors’ chances.

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He’ll make a fascinating watch for the rest of Summer League.

Nate Bittle: A-

8 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocks, 42.8 FG%, 40 3P%

Raptors fans…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/did-graves-best-summer-league-032833866.html

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Publish date : 2026-07-11 03:28:00

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