Jared Rhoden鈥檚 heart jumped Monday morning when he found out he was going to start against the Washington Wizards. He shared the news with his dad, who immediately hopped on a flight and was in attendance for the Raptors’ 119-104 victory.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long time coming, a dream-come-true moment,鈥 Rhoden said Tuesday of his first start. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a lot of hard work, with a lot of good people behind me that have put in effort and time. Just one of those moments where you reflect on your whole journey and all the things that helped you to make it this far.鈥
Monday’s game was the 40th in the NBA for the 25-year-old shooting guard. He went undrafted out of Seton Hall in 2022 and has been trying to find his footing in the league since, with stops in Detroit and Charlotte, where he played mostly for their G League teams. He joined the Raptors 905 in December, signed a 10-day contract with the Raptors in mid-February, and agreed to聽a two-way deal March 4.
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Rhoden had 11 points and three rebounds in 25 minutes in his first start, and has averaged 10.5 points over his last four games. He has played 34 minutes in the fourth quarters of those four games, second on the team to聽A.J. Lawson听(40).听
It鈥檚 a vote of confidence from those around the team who see a lot of potential in Rhoden.
鈥淚 like the force that he鈥檚 playing with on the offensive side, attacking the rim fearlessly,鈥 head coach Darko Rajakovic said, noting Rhoden has gotten stronger physically since his early days with the team.
The Raptors聽are helping Rhoden improve his decision-making on the court, whether it鈥檚 about shooting the ball faster when an opportunity arises, making quick and easy reads on closeouts or reducing the number of dribbles he takes, the coach said.
鈥淚 think he made huge strides with the 905 this season, and it鈥檚 exciting to see him play with us as well,鈥 Rajakovic said.
Part of Rhoden鈥檚 increase in confidence comes from the guidance of colleagues. Rajakovic pointed to a moment before Monday鈥檚 game when RJ Barrett grabbed Rhoden and Lawson and talked to them about the need to be aggressive on defence and not be afraid to make mistakes.
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鈥淧layers are really helping each other, talking to each other and keeping each other accountable,鈥 Rajakovic said, noting it鈥檚 a testament to team culture. 鈥淢y lead assistant coach is Scottie Barnes 鈥 We had a lot of conversations during the summer (about) how we want to play, how we want to be aggressive and pick up full court, be disruptive in the half court as well, and he really stands behind all of that.鈥
Rhoden has been in close games with the 905, where he is averaging 16.6 points and 6.6 rebounds, and he finds it 鈥減retty easy鈥 to complement the Raptors’ stars.
鈥淭o have the people that are the engine of the team constantly pushing you, supporting you, telling you to stop turning down shots, it instils confidence in you,鈥 Rhoden said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what this team is built on. The chemistry, the vibes are high and it鈥檚 a really good feeling.鈥
The Raptors have 17 games left on the schedule and, with Gradey Dick among the regulars out with injuries, it鈥檚 possible Rhoden will continue to get more time on the court. That bodes well with his desire to improve heading into the off-season as he hunts his next contract.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about making better half-court reads,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 a great transition player but it鈥檚 just about being able to pick my spots a little better, understanding where to be on defence and being that defensive-minded player.鈥
Gilbert Ngabo is a Toronto-based sports reporter for the Star.
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