Raptors 905 reboot: Drew Jones in as the new head coach

Toronto Raptors assistant coach Drew Jones moves from player development to hands-on coaching as the Raptors 905’s new coach.

It’s a new era for the Raptors 905, as Drew Jones has been named the new coach. Jones becomes the sixth head coach in franchise history. Jones arrived in Toronto last year to join coach Darko Rajakovic’s coaching staff as a back-row assistant.

According to the Philadelphia 76ers’ press release from 2021, Jones spent his final three years in Oklahoma City as the Thunder’s senior performance analysis lead and player development coach before moving to Philadelphia. At Philly, Jones was one of the player development coaches “responsible for monitoring and continuously developing players’ skill sets through on-court training and daily film breakdown.”

Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren, last year’s youngest player in the draft, credited Jones (along with Rashad Lewis) with helping him acclimate to the NBA. Jones was part of Dwane Casey’s back-row assistant coaches, focusing on player development for two seasons before joining coach Rajakovic’s staff.

Jones’ move to the Raptors 905 bench continues the Raptors’ internal tradition of developing their own coaches, a move that Jerry Stackhouse, Jama Mahlalela, Patrick Mutombo, and Eric Khoury all did when they moved from the back row/video/player development side of the main club to getting reps as the Raptors 905 head coach.

Jones will have his hands full over the next few weeks, as the NBA G League doesn’t offer consistency and stability regarding roster construct. Raptors 905 GM Luke Winn should be busy preparing for the new Raptors 905 iteration this coming fall. They will have a tough balancing act of setting the table for developing the main club’s prospects and finding complementary players to mutually benefit the situation.

While the winning column and championships aren’t the end-all-be-all at the G League level, having a winning program screams of, at the very least, a good developmental environment and, possibly, an excellent developmental program if the right guys are taking off.

The Raptors 905 have faced some challenges in recent seasons. Injuries and poor roster construction have prevented the team from making the playoffs. The team’s prospect development has also hit a plateau, with no significant new talent emerging since Chris Boucher. These are areas that Drew Jones will need to address as he takes the helm.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to coach Raptors 905, continuing my development as a coach and a leader” Jones said. “After conversations with Coach Rajakovic and the Raptors front office we are aligned in maintaining the tradition of developing players and coaches who can contribute at the highest level.”

The Raptors have the 19th and 31st pick in this coming draft, and there’s a good chance that at least one of them will spend time with coach Jones and the Raptors 905 this coming season, along with the Two-Way Contract players they will get.

Outgoing Raptors 905 head coach Eric Khoury will rejoin the Toronto Raptors on coach Rajakovic’s coaching staff.