{"time":1794255670027,"blocks":[{"id":"948f9129-22ab-47bb-b76b-b8ce8a0e3458","type":"video","data":{"url":"https://media-cdn.roundtable.io/media-service/videos/a2d4276d-7e7a-43fd-a517-cc216d927ef1/mp4","caption":"","autoplay":false,"controls":true,"muted":false,"stretched":true,"width":0,"height":0,"image":{"url":"https://vz-052fc010-b27.b-cdn.net/a2d4276d-7e7a-43fd-a517-cc216d927ef1/thumbnail_1.jpg"},"cdn":{"videoId":"a2d4276d-7e7a-43fd-a517-cc216d927ef1","libraryId":"372172","collectionId":"30032062-eefd-4041-a355-12ad05bc987b","cdnBaseUrl":"https://vz-052fc010-b27.b-cdn.net","mp4Url":"https://media-cdn.roundtable.io/media-service/videos/a2d4276d-7e7a-43fd-a517-cc216d927ef1/mp4","thumbnailUrl":"https://vz-052fc010-b27.b-cdn.net/a2d4276d-7e7a-43fd-a517-cc216d927ef1/thumbnail_1.jpg","previewAnimationUrl":"https://vz-052fc010-b27.b-cdn.net/a2d4276d-7e7a-43fd-a517-cc216d927ef1/preview.webp"}}},{"id":"VsgEVXaZTu","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Before Friday, guard Alijah Martin had scored 23 points in seven games this season and had not scored more than six in any of those games."}},{"id":"xzaDcQJNQ-","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Then he scored 27 off the bench in a 121-107 NBA Cup win at Milwaukee, and the Toronto Raptors got a look at the shooter they saw in the G League last season."}},{"id":"MIJWeeuuSy","type":"header","data":{"text":"A Career Night in Milwaukee","level":2,"linkUrl":"","anchor":""}},{"id":"CDRYuvtVSz","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Toronto played that game without forward Kawhi Leonard, forward Scottie Barnes and guard Immanuel Quickley, so somebody had to step up."}},{"id":"h11ILnvKPk","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Martin made 9 of 11 shots, including 6 of 7 from three, in 31 minutes, and Sportsnet noted that his points, minutes, field goals and threes were all career highs."}},{"id":"dBH2xcAVmJ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"That is exactly the game a team needs when its best players are out, and it was a big night for the guards as a whole."}},{"id":"apZQRmbppP","type":"header","data":{"text":"What Was Holding Him Back","level":2,"linkUrl":"","anchor":""}},{"id":"A5O2zz-SFT","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"After practice on Sunday, Martin explained why it took this long, telling reporters he had knee surgery this past offseason and thought he was back before he really was."}},{"id":"JM0_JhVFbD","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"\"It was around training camp where I felt like I was ready, and then I think I checked in in New York, preseason game, and I was like, 'Yeah, my knee ain't there yet,'\" Martin said, according to the Toronto Sun."}},{"id":"I4NgIU2SC7","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"He also told Sportsnet that something kept bothering him while he was getting ready for Summer League, which led to the surgery, and that his pop and explosiveness are still coming back, which makes Friday's game even more impressive to me."}},{"id":"SpjTFSY09M","type":"header","data":{"text":"Where Martin Fits Now","level":2,"linkUrl":"","anchor":""}},{"id":"lrhXtsrYmO","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Head coach Darko Rajakovic was careful on Sunday not to promise a set role."}},{"id":"725rtUapZd","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"He said Martin is still developing in his first year on a standard contract, and that some nights he might play five minutes while other nights he could play 25."}},{"id":"VWgiIMmfc9","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"He also said the game gave the coaches and his teammates confidence that Martin can be counted on."}},{"id":"shwLqKg0iS","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"That is a fair way to handle a young player, but I think Martin has earned real minutes over the next few games."}},{"id":"FWIh97rwrs","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Barnes and Quickley were both limited in practice on Sunday and are questionable for Monday's home game against Memphis, while Leonard is still out and an update on him is expected Tuesday."}},{"id":"LVRLLG0Gbr","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Toronto is 5-4 and sixth in the Eastern Conference, and with Boston coming to Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday and a trip to Philadelphia on Thursday, this is a tough part of the schedule to be short on bodies."}},{"id":"Zl0jUNM6SA","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Martin also gives Toronto a real shooter, since he hit 39.6 percent from three in the G League last season, per Sportsnet, and a shooter who can space the floor around the Raptors' bigger lineups has value even on nights when he is not scoring 27."}},{"id":"QcysGd9j3w","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The Raptors took Martin with the 39th pick in 2025, and he spent last season on a two-way deal."}},{"id":"yvvqdNhXwG","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"One big game does not make him a rotation lock, but he showed in Milwaukee what he can do when his knee lets him, and I would give him a longer look while Toronto is this banged up."}}],"version":"2.31.6"}

DeMar DeRozan’s Potential Return Would Require a Different Version of the Raptors Legend