Report: Raptors’ Battle, Agbaji out vs. Pacers, Murray-Boyles available to play
The competition for minutes amongst the Toronto Raptors’ wings will be on hold for at least one game.
Jamison Battle and Ochai Agbaji have both been ruled out against the Indiana Pacers with knee and back injuries, respectively, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange reported Saturday.
Battle was announced as questionable earlier in the day by the Raptors and is sitting with a minor knee issue that flared up in the morning, according to Grange.
Meanwhile Collin Murray-Boyles will be available to play after also being listed as questionable and missing the previous game with an illness.
Battle, 24, is averaging only 7.3 minutes and 4.1 points per game, but has shot 11-of-15 from 3 (73%) including a spectacular 6-of-6 performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers that secured the Raptors their first NBA Cup win. His exceptional shooting paired with strong length and movement on defence have made a strong case for Battle to steal minutes from the Raptors’ other bench wing candidates.
Alternatively, Agbaji has struggled from beyond the arc, shooting only 8.3% after posting a career-high 39.9% distance shooting season in 2024-25. The fourth-year wing will miss his third consecutive game and is averaging 2.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 13.9 minutes in nine games played. Last season Agbaji averaged 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists, all of which were career highs.
Murray-Boyles, a 20-year-old rookie out of South Carolina, has a 8.8-point, 3.9-rebound, 1.2-assist stat line through nine games, but is also averaging 1.4 stocks (steals+blocks) and has been an imposing physical presence on defence.
With both Battle and Agbaji out, it stands to reason that Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter – the other half of the Raptors’ bench wing quartet that has been battling for minutes – will see plenty of the floor. Dick already leads the way with 16.3 minutes per game, but this game should give Walter run to make a case for more minutes going forward.
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