The great play of Ulrich Chomche, A.J. Lawson, and Jamison Battle amid near-historic regular season start

In what has been a mostly tumultuous season with some recent great play for the Toronto Raptors, the same can be said for the Raptors 905.

With a little over half of the 50-game G-League season already done, it feels like a great time for an update on what has been a roller coaster of a season for Canada’s only G League team.

From multiple call-up players, assignment players, blowouts, and a near-historic start to the regular season, the team’s performance has been equally as intriguing as the individual players’ performances.

Let’s start with the team overall, and it’s been a tale of two halves; as cliche as that is, it’s the truth. The Tip-Off Tournament was not kind to the 905, finishing 5-11. A lot of factors went into the poor start, like injuries, player movement, and first-year head coach Drew Jones getting his feet wet.

Once the regular season started, however, a switch was flipped. It helps, of course, that the 905 have had far more talent available during the regular season.

During their decade-long history, this 11-4 start is the second-best start the franchise has ever seen in the regular season, and it comes during their 10-year celebration season. Getting more talented players in the system has played a part in the turnaround, with the team going out and acquiring Canadians A.J. Lawson and Eugene Omoruyi, as well as veterans Jared Rhoden, and Frank Kaminsky. It takes more than just talent to win games, however; as coach Jones notes.

“We talk about four things: care, connection, character, and compete,” said Jones.

“With the assignments and two-ways, it can be challenging. But I challenged our group to stay connected and remain connected. A connected team is a powerful team, and I think we’re starting to see that now.”

Before joining the Raptors, the 37-year-old Jones was an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons (2021-2023) and the Philadelphia 76ers (2019-2021) as a player development coach. Jones began his professional coaching career with the Oklahoma City Thunder and their G League affiliate the Oklahoma City Blue, spending nearly five years as a video analyst, player development coach and an assistant coach with the Blue.

He has brought years of experience with him to Mississauga and seemingly has received buy-in, which isn’t easy to do at the G-League level. One of those players, A.J. Lawson, has been instrumental in the turnaround as well since the Raptors signed him to a two-way contract in mid-December.

“We’re getting way more games together and we’re just building chemistry,” said Lawson. “I feel like we’re really, really connected right now and got to keep the momentum going.”

In his 18 games with his home-county team, the Brampton, Ontario native has led the 905 to a 12-6 record and is averaging a team-high 19.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals. While the efficiency could be better (45.6 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from distance), the 6-foot-6 wing is taking the most attempts from the field (15.0) and from 3-point territory (6.1) per game on the team. Scoring 20 points on 15 shots certainly isn’t inefficient, either.

His fast, athletic, and downhill play style has fit right into what the 905 — and ultimately what the big club — wants to do. They want to grab-and-go, push the pace, and get to the paint, and A.J. can do just that. Downhill scorers with size are valuable commodities.

“Just being aggressive, I feel like my athleticism is going to carry me forward,” said Lawson. “Keep being a force in the paint. I feel like if I go up strong, I’m either going to get fouled or I’m going to finish, that’s my mindset.”

Another two-way player who has been making waves, somewhat surprisingly, is rookie Ulrich Chomche. The youngest player under an NBA contract, the 19-year-old has improved as the year has progressed.

Since the regular season has started, across 15 games, the 6-foot-11 Cameroonian is averaging 8.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 3.1 blocks, all improved numbers from the Tip-Off Tournament. Chomche is also shooting at a 57.9-percent clip from the field while boasting an offensive rating of 112.8, improved marks from the Tip-Off Tournament as well. The rookie has been impressive regardless of what expectations were, and Jones was very complimentary of Chomche’s intangibles.

“Effort, intensity, instincts, a lot of things you can’t teach that he has,” said Jones. “He just picks things up very, very quickly. That’s what I’ve been probably most pleased with him. I think that the toughest or most underrated NBA skill is taking something directly from film or the practice court and then getting it in the game in real time. And I think for as young as he is and for kind of raw he is as a player, that’s been pretty impressive to see from him.”

The final Raps’ two-way player, Jamison Battle, has seen the most time at the NBA level by far of the group of three. However, with the undrafted sharpshooter already active for 38 games at the NBA level, he only has 12 remaining before reaching the 50-game maximum for two-way contract players. That means Battle has been down with the 905 more recently, and he has made his presence felt on both ends.

Throughout the regular season, the 23-year-old is averaging 12.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists across 11 games. The 905 are 9-2 in those games, with Battle hitting at a 55.4-percent clip from the field and an astounding 56.6 percent clip from distance, leading the G League (min 10 games played). If he has time to set his feet, it seems like he’s one of the best shooters in the world. Battle has also shown good things defensively, boasting a 103.3 defensive rating (third on the 905) and moving his feet well laterally while using all of his 6-foot-7, 220-pound frame. He fights on the glass. Even though he’s a shooter first, he’s capable in plenty of other areas, including the defensive end. As he says this is the best he’s felt on that end of the floor.

“Defensively, has been the biggest thing for me I’ve been trying to work on these last two weeks, I’ve felt the most confident I’ve ever felt defensively,” said Battle. “Scoring, I’m not too worried about that because I’ve shown I can do that. But now it’s about doing other things that impact the game. It’s all confidence, in the end I feel like I have the intangibles to be a good defender, but you have to believe that yourself and go out there and get the reps. Playing 30 minutes down here is a blessing, but you just got to take that opportunity and rise to it, and I feel like I’ve been doing that.”

Battle impressed the Dinos’ brass enough before the season even started to land a two-way contract, and the way things are trending, he may be in line for a standard contract soon enough. Perhaps even after the Feb. 6 trade deadline, if the Raptors end up with an open roster spot.

“On both ends, he’s a threat,” said Jones. “He really opens up the floor for our guys, elite 3-point shooter. One thing that gets overlooked is his defence and his rebounding. He’s pretty physical on the glass, and we challenge him to do both. You got to be a high-level shooter and you got to guard on the other end, and that’s why I think he’s getting those opportunities.”

While draft picks Jamal Shead (five games), Ja’Kobe Walter (six games), and Jonathan Mogbo have all seen time with the Mississauga squad, the latter has seen the most time with 13 games.

Twelve of Mogbo’s games have been in the regular season, as he and Battle have been massive in the turnaround. The 23-year-old has been stuffing the stat sheet, averaging 12.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks. His 53.1 percent field-goal percentage and 40.0 3-point percentage (1.7 attempts per game) are also both great marks, as all Mogbo wants to do is contribute to winning.

“Work on my game, and try to help these guys out,” said Mogbo. “Whether it’s on the court or off the court, talking to them, just trying to be a helpful part wherever I go. Just go in there and play hard, that’s the biggest thing.”

On defence, the rookie has been special. Guarding one through five, his length and athleticism has been on full display on that end of the court, which would be any coach’s dream.

“Whether the ball goes in or not with him that’s not our marker,” said Jones. “Our marker is his motor, his effort, his urgency, his physicality and really dominating the space that he’s in with his length and athleticism. We use him a lot defensively to be a disruptor and he’s been that. Then offensively, he’s got some real tools, he’s versatile, and he impacts the game.”

With the NBA’s trade deadline just days away and 10-day contracts being signed left and right, who knows what the team will look like even a week from now. But with young talent littered throughout the squad and a coach that is getting the best out of them, the 905 are primed to get back to the playoffs for the first time in two years, and win a championship since they last did so in 2018.

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