TORONTO — When A.J. Lawson heard his name called by Scotiabank Arena host Mark ‘Strizzy’ Strong, it was a dream come true. 

“At six-foot-six and from the Six,” came Strong’s speaker-rattling deep voice, and out jogged Lawson, a 24-year-old born and raised in Brampton who played his high school basketball in Mississauga and has represented Canada internationally. 

“I got to hear my name on the announcement as an NBA starter, it was a blessing,” said Lawson. “It’s all God’s work, right there.”

It’s easy to dismiss a lot of NBA games at this time of year. Or miss them. 

A lot of really good players did the latter as the Toronto Raptors hosted the Utah Jazz in a meeting of two teams that have a lot more invested in the draft lottery than they do in winning, given the development stage each team is in. 

Not in uniform for Toronto on the first night of a home back-to-back were leading scorer RJ Barrett and leading rebounder and all-around lynchpin Jakob Poeltl. This was on top of injuries sidelining starter Gradey Dick (hyper-extended knee, bruised sit bone) and rotation mainstays Ochai Agbaji (ankle), Jonathan Mogbo (broken nose) and Chris Boucher (wisdom tooth).

The Jazz were missing three of their five leading scorers and — coming into the game with just 15 wins — have had an eye on the draft all season.

It’s harsh but true. No fault of the players — simply a reality of the league. At a certain point, when any chance at a playoff spot or even a Play-In Tournament berth has slipped away, a team’s only rational course of action down the stretch is to focus on improving its draft lottery odds. (The lower a team finishes in the standings, the better its chances at a higher pick.)

But for players like Lawson and others trying to make their mark in the league, games like Friday’s are an opportunity they have fought a lifetime to get. And to get it at home? Even better. 

“It means everything (to start at home),” said Lawson. “My parents got to see, my fam, friends, loved ones. It’s amazing. If I checked my phone right now, they’re probably all sending me snaps and videos, I’m super happy about it. I was trying to be serious, too, but I couldn’t hold it in, I had to smile. That’s my personality, I’m a positive, happy person.”

Years from now, Lawson can say he was part of a 118-109 Raptors win. It’s a story that will hold up over time, even if it was of limited entertainment value in the present. The game wasn’t particularly close or well-played: the Raptors shot just 38.5 per cent from the floor (and 14-of-46 from three), while the Jazz committed 25 turnovers to gift the Raptors 28 points as the two teams traded flaws. 

And realistically, it was a win the Raptors would be just as happy not to have as it improved their record to 21-42 (the Jazz slipped to 15-48, the third-worst mark in the league after Washington and Charlotte), which is problematic since Toronto is now tied for wins with Philadelphia and Brooklyn. One more win — which seems likely given the Raptors next two games are against the lowly Wizards Saturday and Monday at Scotiabank Arena — and the Raptors are at risk of falling from the fifth-best lottery odds to seventh.

But it was still an NBA game, and for Lawson, it was a big one. Before Friday night, Lawson, who went undrafted after three standout seasons at the University of South Carolina, had appeared in 64 NBA games over three seasons with three different teams but had never heard his name called at the starting lineup. 

Fortunately, he had an expanded crew of friends and family in the crowd to take in the moment.

He said he got word that he would be starting Friday morning at the Raptors shootaround. He called his parents immediately, and they had to change plans — living in Brampton, there are some nights they prefer to watch the games at home rather than fight traffic downtown — but when Lawson gave them the news, the idea of inching along the Gardiner Expressway was more palatable. 

In addition to the Raptors being short-handed, Lawson had earned the opportunity with a strong showing against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday when he scored eight of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, including a crucial three out of a timeout with 42 seconds left to give the Raptors a lead.

Since signing a two-way contract with the Raptors in early December, most of Lawson’s opportunities have come with Raptors 905, the franchise’s G-League team. He’s played well, averaging 24 points a game and connecting on 40 per cent of his threes, a crucial swing skill for the wing who projects as a 3-and-D player at the NBA level.

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said starting Lawson was a reward for his strong G-League performance, an opportunity to see how he would mesh alongside regulars Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes and a recognition that it was a special opportunity for a homegrown product.

That he’s on the cusp of an NBA job at home hasn’t been lost on Lawson, who previously had stints with Minnesota and Dallas. 

“Hometown kid getting to play for his hometown team, honestly, it’s an amazing feeling,” he said. “I can have my parents at the game, if I’m on the road, they can watch my dogs, or I can go to their house and get some dinner, like, I’m home. It’s a wonderful feeling to be home.”

But in order to extend that opportunity into something more than a two-way stint bouncing between the Raptors and Raptors 905, Lawson will have to perform. He knows the drill. 

“When you get the opportunity, you definitely have to make use of it,” he said. “Be yourself, obviously, don’t try to do too much, but just have confidence in the work that you put in beforehand, and when you go out there, it ain’t nothing new. Just believe in yourself, like last game.”

As well as things went Tuesday in Orlando, Lawson wasn’t able to make as compelling of a case against the Jazz, at least based on the box score. He finished with six points on 2-of-13 shooting, including 1-of-9 from three in 26 minutes. He defended with vigour, was chasing down loose balls in the final minute of the game, looked to make the next pass when required, and — importantly — didn’t pass up any open shots, even after he made his first look and then missed eight straight threes. The worst thing a player can do in Lawson’s situation is to stop taking open looks.

Rajakovic noted his defensive effort, taking turns with Quickley guarding whoever the lead Jazz ball-handler was, and it can’t hurt that Lawson was plus-14 even if his shots weren’t falling.

The best thing about where the Raptors are at this stage of the season is that Lawson should get his share of chances to make the realization of his hometown dream something lasting.