If you could stomach the butt kickings, there was undeniable upside to being a certain kind of member of last year’s 52-loss Raptors team.

Backup point guard Jamal Shead was one of the developmental beneficiaries. Shead averaged nearly 20 minutes a game as a rookie, making the starting lineup in 11 of the 75 contests in which he played. That was awfully generous mileage for a 2024 second-round draft pick.

Now that the Raptors are actually trying to win games, with a 5-5 record heading into Tuesday’s game in Brooklyn, Shead’s sophomore season comes with at least a couple of new challenges. For one, minutes aren’t as easily procured. Shead is actually playing a little less than he did last season, averaging a shade more than 17 minutes a night.

For another, Shead is now in the scoutin

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