AUGUST 2: The Raptors have officially signed Uthoff, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 21: The Raptors and undrafted free agent Jarrod Uthoff have agreed on a partially guaranteed two-year deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). It figures to be a minimum-salary pact, since Toronto is over the cap and has used its mid-level exception.
Uthoff will compete for the Raptors’ final roster spot. Uthoff was an All-American at Iowa last season. Among Big Ten players, Uthoff ranked second in scoring (18.9), first in blocked shots (2.7), and tied for 11th in rebounding (6.4).
Uthoff was expected by many draft pundits to get picked as a late first round selection. In a draft that featured a heavy influx of foreign talent, that, of course, was not the case. Uthoff did work out for several teams, including the Clippers, Grizzlies and Suns.
Can shoot and block shots. That’s it. He knows it, so he doesnt make a lot of mistakes. Too slight to defend right now. I like his future though. Could learn to dribble while he fills out. Shooting stroke and defensive timing are hard to teach.
He added a nice fade away mid range jumper this last year and showed a lot of confidence shooting from three. Although he has good length his foot speed is poor and so he doesn’t really have a natural NBA position.