Every season, players you might recognize simply fade out of the league. This year alone, former first-overall pick Markelle Fultz is still unsigned with training camp less than a week away. It looks like he might be on his way out of the league. Looking at Toronto’s roster, two Raptors might fade out of the league next season unless they step it up now.
Two Raptors Who Could Be Out Of The League By Next Season
Davion Mitchell
With the ninth pick in the 2021 NBA draft, the Sacramento Kings selected Davion Mitchell out of Baylor. During his first year, Mitchell looked solid, averaging 11.1 points while playing 27.7 minutes a night. However, with the Kings looking to be more competitive in his sophomore season, Mitchell’s playing time dropped to 18.1 minutes a night. His role shrunk even further last season, with Mitchell averaging a career-low in both minutes and points. This led to Mitchell being traded to the Raptors this offseason in a salary-shedding move for Sacramento. Now entering the final year of his contract, Mitchell could be watching the league from the stands unless he steps it up.
biggest things holding Mitchell back are his lack of size and lack of an outside shot. At just six–foot, Mitchell is too small to play the two guard, but he hasn’t shown the ability to be a lead guard. His three-ball has improved over his career, but he is still a low-volume, sub-37 % shooter from deep. That combination is challenging to fit into any lineup. Mitchell did shoot the ball well to end the 2023-2024 season, connecting on 42.9% of his outside shots while attempting 2.5 a night. However, a 36-game sample size isn’t the largest, and the volume is still too low. Next season, Mitchell has to show he can be a serviceable offensive player, or he might be out of the league by 2025.
Ochai Agabji
Ochai Agbaji has been in the league for two seasons and has been traded that many times already. Initially drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Agbaji was traded to the Utah Jazz before his rookie season. He didn’t see the court much in the first half of his rookie season, not getting any constant run until after the new year. Following New Year’s, Agbaji shot the ball well from deep, connecting on 36.7% of his threes on 4.8 attempts per game. Despite his solid play to end his rookie campaign, Agbaji couldn’t fully establish himself on the tanking Jazz for the coming season. After an underwhelming start to his sophomore season, Agbaji was dealt to Toronto.
Agbaji got a fresh start with the Raptors and ample runway to take off. Unfortunately, during his short stint, he stalled out, shooting 21.7% from three and 39.1% from the field overall. After a terrible end to his season, the organization tried to build some momentum for Agbaji heading into the season. With him playing in Vegas, this seems to have backfired, with Agbaji looking dreadful at Vegas Summer League. Agabji, like Mitchell, hasn’t shot the ball well from deep in the NBA, shooting 32.6% for his career. Once again, like Mitchell, Agbaji’s calling card is his defense, but it can’t make up for his putrid offensive game. Unless he can find his three-point shot next season, Agbaji could be on his way out of the league.
