TORONTO – There was no hiding A.J. Lawson’s smile when Scotiabank Arena in-game host Mark Strong announced his name as part of the Toronto Raptors’ starting lineup.
The hometown boy had finally arrived.
Lawson made his first-ever NBA start in Toronto’s 118-109 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday, validation after a long journey to the top men’s basketball league in the world. The 24-year-old guard finished with six points, three rebounds and an assist in 26:35 minutes of play, but he was still smiling in the Raptors locker-room post-game.
“It felt amazing. I mean, we got the win. I’m super happy about that,” said Lawson. “Got to hear my name announced for the first time as an NBA starter.
“It was a blessing. It’s all God’s work right there.”
Lawson played NCAA basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks but went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft.
He signed with the College Park Skyhawks, the minor league club for the Atlanta Hawks, in 2022. He then played a season with the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Guelph Nighthawks that summer, a decision that he said put him on a path to the NBA because it got him in shape to join the Dallas Mavericks’ summer league team.
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Lawson averaged 3.4 points, 1.2 rebounds and 7.4 minutes of play in 57 career NBA games with Dallas and the Minnesota Timberwolves over the last two seasons.
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During this span, he also averaged 21.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 34.1 minutes in seven games with the Texas Legends in the 2023-24 G League season and 20 points, 7.4 rebounds and 31.9 minutes in 22 games with the Legends, Iowa Wolves and College Park in the 2022-23 campaign.
The six-foot-six, 185-pound Lawson averaged 24 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 35.1 minutes in 11 games (all starts) this season with the Long Island Nets, the G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, before signing a two-way deal with the Raptors and their Mississauga, Ont., based G-League affiliate Raptors 905.
Lawson, from nearby Brampton, Ont., said that it “means everything” that he made his first-ever NBA start in Toronto.
“Because my parents got to see. My fam, friends, loved ones. It’s amazing,” he said. “I know, if I check my phone right now, they’re probably all sending me snaps and videos about the start.”
Lawson played alongside Immanuel Quickley in Toronto’s backcourt. Quickley had a season-high 34 points in the win and said that Lawson played with confidence.
“He was 2-for-13 but you would never know it from how hard he plays on defence,” said Quickley. “He doesn’t let miss shots affect him and I love that. When you shoot, when you’re shooting and missing, keep shooting, because they gotta eventually fall.
“His energy, his mindset, that’s something that we need. And I appreciate him. We appreciate him.”
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic rested RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont. — a childhood friend of Lawson’s — and Jakob Poeltl, creating the opening in the lineup for Lawson’s start.
Quickley and forward Scottie Barnes are expected to be rested when Toronto hosts the Washington Wizards on Saturday night, giving Lawson another chance to start.
This time, however, his parents might avoid the drive in from Brampton.
“They like to watch it from home, because the traffic (to) downtown is pretty bad,” he laughed. “They don’t really like the traffic, but once I told them I got to start, they said that they would come. They pulled up and supported me, so I’m super happy.
“I’m going to go talk to them right now, see how they feel. We got the win, so I’m super happy about that.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press