Alijah

Martin

Martin was a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Raptors. He made his NBA debut on December 7 and appeared in 23 games with Toronto. Martin didn’t play a ton, averaging 6.3 minutes in those games. After a promising showing in the G League, the Raptors rewarded him with a two-year deal.

Walter, who was initially left off Monday’s injury report, will sit out after suffering a right hip pointer on Sunday. In his absence, more playing time should be available for the likes of Alijah Martin, Ochai Agbaji and Gradey Dick.

Walter suffered a right hip pointer during the first quarter, ending his night after five minutes. Rookie Alijah Martin has already played seven minutes off the bench, making him someone to watch for the rest of Sunday’s game. His streaming value moving forward depends on the availability of Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett, both of whom are unavailable on Sunday.

An outstanding basketball and football player in high school, Martin chose to go the hoops route, beginning his college career at FAU. After four seasons with the Owls, which included a Final Four run in 2023, Martin transferred to Florida for his final season. A physical and athletic guard, he helped lead the Gators to the program’s third national title this spring. In 38 games, Martin averaged 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.1 three-pointers, shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 76.1 percent from the foul line. While Martin lacks the size of a prototypical 3-and-D guard, the athleticism and physicality will give him a chance at the NBA level. He joins a Raptors squad that was much-improved defensively during the second half of this past season, and the former Gator can contribute on that end of the floor.