1-on-1 with Jamal Shead: “I’m Canadian now. I’m applying for my real citizenship soon”

1-on-1 with Jamal Shead: “I’m Canadian now. I’m applying for my real citizenship soon”

We’re here in summer league with one of my favorite Raptors, Jamal Shed. Jamal, I don’t know if you know this, but last year at Summer League, didn’t really know your game. And then after about two or three games, I’m like, we need a nickname for the fan group. I think we we landed on shed heads. I don’t know if you like that or not, but you captured a lot of people’s attention last year. And then you just rolled that over for your whole rookie season. So, how does it feel being back here in this moment right now? Um, I just feel blessed, man. You know, I think that I’ve been embraced by a really cool fan base and a really really good culture and just a really cool country. So, um, you know, it’s been really fun for me and I really enjoyed my rookie season. Yeah, you you had a great rookie year and I think the number one thing that stands out cuz we’re speaking after the first summer league game where you guys forced Chicago into 34 turnovers is the defense and I feel like defense always starts with how you guard the ball and you’re guarding the ball almost more than anybody on this team. I guess I want to ask you, who taught you how to play defense like this? My brother. Um, if you go if you go watch any of my brother’s college highlights, he was a better defender than me. Better than Wait. Okay. Way better than me. He just had hip problems when he got a little old. Okay. My brother My brother was a way better defender than me. He has better hands than me, you know? Like I I really feel like I got everything that I’ve learned from him because like you understand how good you are on defense. Like I Okay, I actually wrote this down cuz I remember your first preseason game last year. It was in Montreal. In four minutes, you had two steals. You set a moving screen or you ate a moving screen and a push off in the first four minutes. I don’t even remember the preseason game. Yeah, I remember. So, like that’s actually amazing that So, I guess what was that like in the family? Like, are you guys just no one scoring? Um, honestly, we when we played oneonone, I was a little younger and then when I got older, we kind of couldn’t play oneonone cuz we would end up fighting. Yeah. So, um yeah, it was a lot of just no scoring and a lot of just fouling and fighting each other. So, is that is that what this summer league is like right now? is you got to go up against Chucky and Elijah. Two guys who I mean they’re pretty good defenders in their own rights for sure. I think I think the mini camp was really fun just us getting up and down and playing against each other. Um you know they’re they’re really good on defense but they’re really skilled offensively too. And I think that that it’s it’s really fun just having those type of guys around and to push each other. Right. So you guys have spent like the whole summer together. Like I saw you guys had hoop queens. You guys went to CBL games. You went to the Jay’s game, the Maple Leafs games, the playoffs. Like you guys were did you guys ever leave Toronto? Like what’s going on? I’m Canadian now, man. You know the anthem. I’m Canadian now. I’m telling you. I’m I’m I’m applying for my real citizenship soon. Yeah. Wow. This is unbelievable, man. No, I mean, seriously, you could see how close you guys are cuz you probably weren’t around for this, but like do you know about the original benchmob here in Toronto? I’m keep hearing about it. Yeah. Yeah, I keep hearing about it. I’m glad that they’re um saying that we resemble a a very very unique group of guys. It’s like, you know, they they were really awesome and, you know, they accomplished something that, you know, we’re looking to accomplish. So, just being recognized in the same manner as them is pretty awesome. No, cuz where it started was right here in summer league like before they became like contributors and I mean they used to be starters basically like they started right here in summer league and it was always defense and we were just talking to Yaka now cuz he was part of that. He’s older now, but his first time in Toronto, he was part of that benchmob. And like, uh, man, he even he even sees the similarities mostly because of the chemistry cuz you guys, your bond’s really close. Like, are you guys just always hanging off the court and stuff like that? Like, what’s Yeah, we’re pretty we’re pretty close. I mean, I I I don’t think that it’s intentional. I think it’s just it really happened naturally. I think that I’m surrounded by a group of guys that, you know, there’s no egos and everybody’s just here to do the same thing and a bunch of great people. So, I think it just happened naturally and, you know, we really enjoy being around each other. Yeah. Uh, I I don’t want you to play favorites, but I I feel like I’ve heard from multiple people Jacob’s like your best friend at this point. Jacob’s my boy. I wouldn’t say he’s the bestest friend, but Okay. You know, me and him are really close. I think just us being Texas boys is Sure. kind of just clicked right off the bat. You guys carpull the games. Is that true? He just can’t drive, so he rides with me and we and we stay in the same building, so he he rides with me everywhere. Okay. Does he make you wait? Does is he like a good passenger princess? Basically, he’s a great passenger. I give him he’s a great passer. He’s always always ready on time. He’s never the one that holds you up. Like he’s he’s a really good passer. He’s a pro. I like that. I like that. I like that. Okay, putting that aside, I think, you know, you guys are doing great in here in summer league, but of course we know the real thing happens when the season starts. And we’ve already heard from Scotty, I think, at the end of the season. He’s like, I expect us to be back in the playoffs. We just heard from Brandon just now. Brandon’s finally healthy again. He’s like, we should be back in the playoffs for sure. for you guys are you guys are young but we’ve already seen towards the end of last season you guys already were contributing to winning so how do you guys get to that level where I mean for you it be your first playoffs but but winning is a very common thing that you’ve done in your career so far I think just following their lead you know that the two best players on our team are saying we’re expected to be back in the playoffs you see where their mindset is see where they are mentally and um you know we just follow that I think you know this defensive thing started when Scotty started to pick it up towards the end of the season you know we just follow him so I think that we’re going to go as far as they take us. But like you said, we’ve had a lot of experience over the last year of just being out there getting thrown into the fire and actually, you know, going and competing. So, I think we’ll be ready to help them way better than we were last year. Yeah. I mean, I think you guys are already defensively are setting the tone. I mean, I know you guys are young, but seriously, you guys, the way you guys guard the ball and stuff, I think for yourself personally, I remember at the end of the season, you know, we were trying to ask you like, “What do you want to work on this offseason?” And you gave a funny answer. You said, “It’s not up to me. It’s up to Dargo.” Yes, sir. So, what did Dargo have you have you doing all summer? Um, just in the gym, getting a lot of three three balls up, man. Just getting my threes three three ball up and then, you know, just my left hand, not just finishing, just passing with it, just getting my handle tighter, and then just being in shape, you know. And I think me and him talked a lot about TJ McConnell. Um, he sends me a little quotes and stuff here and there. And the biggest thing that we got, I think that I took away from him sending that was what TJ McConnell said, and playing hard is a skill. Yeah. You know, if you master that, you can be in this league a long time and you can contribute to winning. Yeah. So, I think just getting in shape and, you know, just getting getting to master playing hard. Yeah, that’s you know what I I think first off, we just saw what TJ did in the finals, like you know what I mean? Like that that he’s a dog right there, but I I think for for yourself personally, like your career goals beyond sort of like this season and beyond. I know it’s hard to look ahead, but like how do you envision yourself 5 years from now or 10 years from now in the league? Um, honestly, I really don’t think about it as much. Um, I really take it day by day and just see how I can help this team. And um you know, as of right now, it’s being that being that guy that pushes quick every day. Yeah. And you know, try to get him better and then leading my group in that second unit. So um we’ll see how this year goes and then we’ll look to the future for next year. Quick be annoying at you guys, man. I mean, all you backups are so good at defense. Like even last year with DaVon, like you guys must be torturing Quick in practice is what I’m trying to say, man. Then and that’s the thing I think everybody will see is that Quick is not easy to torture. Quick is really really talented. He’s really fast. He’s really smart. and uh he doesn’t play with the ball, you know, he’ll gets off it. He’ll do a lot of pitch screens where he’s chasing after you’re just doing a lot of running. So, it’s just he’s smart and I think us doing that to him is getting him prepared for any type of defense. I love that. I love that. Okay, listen, we have like last question. We got about probably a month left in the season. Maybe a lot one or two months before the the real starts happening again. Is there anything else you want to knock off on your Toronto bucket list? I feel like you’re you’ve done so much. Have you been to Carabana? That’s where we’re going this summer. Yeah. Okay. Grady told us about it. Great. Grady. No, but honestly, um, me and Jacobe have just talked about like just going to Toronto Island. Just just little things like that. We haven’t been there. Just little things. You guys got to rent a tandem bike, you know, like the two people on this. That would be so Yeah, you got to get open gym. Grab Rocky and you can grab a little little tandem. That would be funny. But yeah, just little things like that. Just catching a fair to Toronto Island. Just go explore. We We want to try a little lot of things. You’re a certified Toronto man now. Yeah, I’m trying. The men, Jamal, I’m not going to take more of your time, bro. All right. Appreciate it, man. One of my favorite players. Seriously, man. Appreciate you so much. Thank you.

Toronto Raptors guard Jamal Shead sits down with Will Lou of the Hello and Welcome podcast to discuss how the Raptors can get back to the playoffs, who taught Jamal how to play defense, his close bond with teammate Ja’Kobe Walter, and Jamal’s love for Toronto and Canada.

#raptors #torontoraptors #nbasummerleague

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