TORONTO – Jamal Shead’s teammates were in awe, even though they had all seen it before.

The Raptors’ 6-foot rookie point guard was lurking in the paint when RJ Barrett drove to the basket in a game against Washington earlier this month. As Barrett’s layup hit the rim and bounced out, Shead went up and threw down a one handed put-back slam.

The bench’s reaction was relatable in that moment. Jakob Poeltl chuckled in disbelief, Scottie Barnes’ jaw nearly hit the floor. They, like most fans, were trying to comprehend what just happened.

Shead was 15 when he first dunked a basketball before an AAU game in between his freshman and sophomore years of high school, but he doesn’t do it often.

“I know that I can dunk,” said the 22-year-old. “I think everybody else doesn’t know that I can dunk. I don’t dunk in practice. I just don’t like dunking. It’s very uncomfortable. It hurts my hands. I think they’re surprised because I don’t do it much.”

Even still, that was the third dunk of Shead’s young NBA career and he’s added another one since – a tomahawk slam from just inside the free throw line in Golden State last week. For context, in 16 combined seasons with Toronto, Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet – both listed at the same height – never dunked in an official game (though Lowry famously dunked in the 2015 All-Star Game). Joel Embiid, who’s a full foot taller, only registered five dunks this season, albeit in just 19 games.

But Shead is used to flying under the radar and catching people by surprise. He’s been doing it all year and for most of his life. Despite his many accomplishments in four seasons at the University of Houston – where he was the 2024 Big 12 Player of the Year, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and led the Cougars to a couple conference championships and Elite Eight appearances – the undersized guard fell to 45th in last summer’s NBA draft.

There were questions about his jumper and his upside as an........

© TSN