Raptors sign undrafted swingman Rawle Alkins for Summer League – sleeper potential?
By Brian Boake
The Raptors have added Rawle Alkins to their roster. If he can show the team something interesting in Summer League, he may have an NBA future.
The Toronto Raptors, bystanders for Thursday’s NBA Draft, must get busy. There are a lot more players who aren’t drafted than the 60 who are, and finding gems among those whose names weren’t called is an essential element for team success.
Our team has announced the signing of University of Arizona sophomore Rawle Alkins to a Las Vegas Summer League contract. He’s a 6’5″, 220 pound combo guard, born in Brooklyn, New York 20 years ago. Alkins was expected to be a second-round selection, so the Raptors may be getting a Fred VanVleet-grade steal.
Alkins may have been hidden this collegiate season
When I watch film of him, he reminds me of P.J. Tucker at the same age. Alkins isn’t quite as beefy as Tucker, but he’s close. He likes to penetrate as much as shoot, and he’s effective at both. Alkins has a non-stop motor, which we all like.
Alkins’ college career doesn’t offer a clear indication of his capability. He played with #1 pick Deandre Ayton, who was deservedly the center of attention offensively. Alkins was also laid low with a foot injury, which caused him to be out for Arizona’s first nine games. By all accounts he wasn’t the same explosive player when he returned. The injury nagged him enough that he needed to miss more games as the collegiate season wore on.
The Raptors were presumably happy with the prognosis for his foot, otherwise I doubt this signing would have happened. The team took a chance with OG Anunoby last draft, and his knee problem didn’t slow that young man down.
Alkins averaged 13.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game as a sophomore at Arizona. He shot 43 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3, and 72 percent from the free-throw line.
Rawle’s numbers are respectable, though hardly eye-popping. He appears to be a versatile (hence my use of the adjective “combo”) guard, though he lacks a signature speciality.
He may not need one. If his foot is truly healed, he seems capable of being a chipper-in. A deep team can use several of those low-maintenance swingmen, players who know the system because they have been indoctrinated in the minors and so don’t have a steep learning curve should they get called up to the bright lights.
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We don’t require brilliance from the second unit. If Alkins can manage a plus/minus of zero in pre-season, that would be respectable.
I’ve called for the Raptors to increase their stock of interchangeable shooting guard/small forward types. Alkins will be competing with the likes of Malachi Richardson, Lorenzo Brown, Malcolm Miller and (sigh) Norman Powell. Not all of these people will be on the Summer League squad. Rawle, as the new kid on the block, needs to provide a strong showing at Lost Wages. If Rawle manages an invitation to training camp, then gets bumped to the 905, that will be an excellent outcome for both player and team.