The Raptors have four players on non-guaranteed deals effectively auditioning for the final two guaranteed slots on their roster, Josh Lewenberg of TSN writes. Given the number of veterans the team lost over the offseason, the individuals who end up in the 14th and 15th spots on the squad could actually see meaningful minutes in 2017/18.
Among those battling for one of the final openings on the lone Canadian team’s roster is Canadian national team forward Kyle Wiltjer. Wiltjer didn’t make much of an impact on the playoff-bound Rockets last season but serves as a potent deep ball threat, not unlike outgoing Raptors forward Patrick Patterson.
Wiltjer will face stiff competition making the Raptors, especially from the versatile K.J. McDaniels who failed to stick with the Nets last season but has otherwise shown promise as an incredibly versatile, Swiss army knife of a forward.
Also vying for the final two spots will be Kennedy Meeks and Alfonzo McKinnie, the latter of whom Lewenberg mentions along with McDaniels to be the ones to watch as training camp begins and the Raptors inch closer to finalizing their roster.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers have been nothing but cool and confident when discussing the impact first-year forward Ben Simmons will have on the team this year, David Murphy of The Inquirer writes.
- The Nets had a leadership void and offseason addition DeMarre Carroll swooped in to fill it. Brian Lewis of the New York Post how the exiled Raptors forward has thrived with his new organization.
- Among the players Gordon Hayward was most looking forward to playing with when he signed the Celtics was Isaiah Thomas. The guard wrote about finding out that Thomas was dealt in a blog on his official website.
Hayward is a guard?
Hayward and Jaylan Brown are interchangeable. …, but Brown listed as the small forward cuz he’s a little bit bigger dude, and will most likely guard the other team’s forward.
Like you said they are interchangeable. I can see Brown guarding the opposing team’s more athletic player, whether it is their 2-guard or their small forward…With GH taking the least dynamic of the two…
I would not be happy with Gordon playing the two. But all the Celtics wing players can guard 2-4 so it won’t be a big deal
As good as this trade was for a player standpoint for the the C’s it still may hurt them the most with other players because they did do IT4 a lil dirty I mean at least it was to a great team but you still traded a player who played right after his sister passed I think a lost of players will take that into consideration when there free agents in the future
IT4 seems happy to be playing with LeBron in Cleveland.