Culture shift: Raptors 905 season kicks off against Delaware Blue Coats

The Toronto Raptors are in the process of shifting their culture as they commit to a rebuild. Adjusting those values starts with Raptors 905, the team's G-League affiliate in Mississauga, Ont.

Raptors 905 began their season on the road against the Delaware Blue Coats on Saturday. Fourth-year guard DJ Carton, who has also played for Toronto this season, said his expectation is that the developmental team will play with energy every game.

"I just want to see good effort out of us, competing, and having that together culture," said Carton on Friday as Raptors 905 arrived in Wilmington, De., ahead of the game. "Picking guys up off the ground and stuff like that, that will go a long way as this season continues.

"Just seeing stuff like that will be great. We'll find things that we need to grow from, but we'll go from there."

The NBA G League schedule is divided into two parts: a 16-game Tip-Off Tournament, followed by a 34-game regular season. Saturday's game against the Blue Coats is the first Raptors 905 game of the tournament.

Carton played for the Greensboro Swarm, the affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, from 2021 to 2022 and then joined the Iowa Wolves, the minor league team for the Minnesota Timberwolves, from 2022 to 2024.

He signed a 10-day contract with Toronto on Feb. 21 and signed a two-way contract with the organization on March 2.

Carton has averaged 20.8 points, 7.1 assists and three rebounds over his G-League career. He's averaged 8.3 minutes, 0.8 points, a rebound, 0.8 assists, and 0.5 steals over in four games for Toronto so far this season.

But new Raptors 905 head coach Drew Jones expects more of Carton than scoring or playmaking.

"A lot of it's been lead by example, but I've started to use my mouth a little more and start to be vocal more with these guys," said the 25-year-old Carton about helping his younger teammates. "Just play at an intense pace and play at an intense level that they just have to match out there.

"Also, pick them up, help them get in spots, and try to be vocal as a point guard out there and help them feel as comfortable and confident as they can be when they're out there playing."

Toronto team president Masai Ujiri declared before Raptors training camp began that the organization was officially rebuilding. Raptors 905, with two-way players Carton, Ulrich Chomche, and Jamison Battle are part of that restructuring.

"It definitely feels like one whole team, especially just with how much we were all in the gym together in the summer," said Carton on the organization's evolving culture. "Even just having some of these 905 guys, they were up with the Raps, practising and working out a lot in the summer.

"It definitely feels like a team we kind of have that culture already built, especially some returning guys from summer league, even, and, and it's just cool just having Mississauga so close, it's about a 30, 40-minute drive to Toronto."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press