ALTHOUGH his Raptors 905 fell to the Delaware Blue Coats in the final regular season match in the G League over the weekend, Jared Rhoden was tremendous, posting a career-best night despite the clash being a dead rubber.

Both sides did not qualify for the postseason in the Eastern Conference, so this would be their final outing for season 2024/25. The two teams performed reasonably similar throughout the fixture, in fact they both entered the clash with 13 wins to their name, so the winner of this clash would finish the season in 13th position.

It was a game of momentum swings, with every run by the Blue Coats answered by the 905 almost immediately. Each side would go on a run before a response was produced down the other end, and with eight minutes to play, it was just a one-point play after the Raptors went on a big run to erase the deficit. However, the Blue Coats were the better side to finish the match, wrestling back momentum to claim an 11-point win and finish the season strongly.

Although his side fell short, Rhoden was a force to be reckoned with, showing exactly why the Toronto Raptors picked him up on a two-way deal.

Raptors 905 (111) def. by Delaware Blue Coats (122)

Jared Rhoden – 40 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three steals

The Raptors wing set a new benchmark for his individual outings in the loss to the Blue Coats, dominating on the offensive end with a career-high 40 points on 15/23 shooting from the field and 6/9 shooting from behind the arc.

He began the match quite slowly in comparison to how well he performed for the rest of the contest, not making his first shot until the seven minute mark of the first term with a driving layup. He knocked down his first triple of the game shortly thereafter, nailing the shot from the corner to keep his side within striking distance after the Blue Coats jumped out to a big lead.

Rhoden’s next make came at the start of the second quarter, faking the dribble across the top of the three-point line to lose his defender, before making no mistake with the straight-on triple. Rhoden then showcased his athleticism with a nice dunk in transition to tie the game up.

He capped off the first half with an impressive dunk through contact, first losing his defender with a tight handle before driving along the baseline and finishing over the top of multiple Delaware players to cut the deficit back to 10 points at the main change.

The shooting guard again started the third quarter in style, nailing another three-pointer off the dribble after using a screen to get rid of his defender and shooting truly from behind the arc. It was evident that Rhoden had found his rhythm, he began to get much more aggressive with ball in hand.

Suddenly, the two-way player was pulling up and nailing contested mid-range shots without hesitation, and he even flexed on his defender after finishing a tough layup through traffic and again bringing his side within one point.

The very next play, he gave the Raptors the lead with a half-court steal and finish, before nailing a triple down the other end to really take over the match. His long range shooting was beginning to play a real role in the game, and yet another triple halfway through the fourth brought his team within two points after the Blue Coats threatened to break the contest open again.

Ultimately, Delaware ended up running over the top of the 905, regaining ascendancy in the final five minutes of the match, but there is not doubt the Raptors would not have been in the contest if not for Rhoden, who was electric with ball in hand and gave the team’s NBA affiliate plenty to think about for the remainder of the season.