Toronto Raptors 905: Rating the newly acquired players

The Toronto Raptors 905 has shaken up the roster in the last few weeks with a few additions. We look at the most significant of these moves and how they have panned out so far, assigning a grade for each.

We’re just over three weeks away from the G-League trade deadline on February 21. The Toronto  Raptors 905 are still in prime position to make another championship run despite the roster overhaul including the losses of reigning G-League MVP Lorenzo Brown.

Even if the 905’s primary purpose is to propagate its top talent for a chance to flourish in the NBA, it’s still focused on winning. And to keep the roster top-notch, general manager Chad Sanders has made some recent acquisitions that are already making an impact on the rotation.

Let’s look at the three main players who have been added to the 905 during the 2018-19 season and rate the value they’ve returned:

MiKyle McIntosh (F)

MiKyle McIntosh was acquired on December 20th along with the returning rights to guard JeQuan Lewis in exchange for the returning rights to Shevon Thompson. The team waived Uche Ofoegbu to clear a roster spot. At 6’7″ and 240 pounds, McIntosh is a hefty forward who brings athleticism to the 905.

A local kid from Toronto, McIntosh should be a fan favourite with his blue-collar style of play. He embodies the “positionless” style of basketball in today’s NBA and can play either the 3 or 4 although he has gotten the bulk of his minutes at SF.

Unfortunately, McIntosh was injured for a few games and has only played eight games for the squad. He is averaging seven points, 4.3 boards, and 1.3 steals with a -9.0 plus-minus.

Grade: B

McIntosh has been banged up, but he is already returning valuable minutes albeit in limited quantities. His toughness on the defensive side fits in nicely with the 905 and he can also score on the other end. He’ll be counted on to help the 905 on both ends of the floor.

Derek Cooke Jr. (C)

Derek Cooke Jr. comes to the 905 by way of trade with the Northern Arizona Suns for Khadeem Lattin and the rights to Yanick Moreira. This is a bit of a surprise to those familiar with Lattin. The former Sooner was a defensive stopper for the 905, but he was too much of an offensive liability.

With the Cavaliers signing away Deng Adel, Sanders made the move to improve the team’s offence. Cooke Jr. is a slightly bigger and better offensive player than Lattin. He is a beast on the boards: averaging seven a game in just under 19 minutes of play.

Grade: B+

Lattin’s value on defence would be hard to replace, but Cooke Jr.’s rebounding and offensive upside isn’t something to complain about. He is +6.1 in eight games with the team. Given the situation the Cavaliers forced on Sanders, he did well in reshaping the roster to adjust to the team’s needs.

Josh Adams (G)

Josh Adams was picked up by the 905 and is the most experienced player out of the new additions. He has bounced around international pro leagues from Russia, Turkey, and most recently, China. In the CBA, he averaged 26.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists.

The 6’2″ point guard gives the 905 some instant offence. He has hit a rough stretch in recent games only shooting 35.4 percent, but he started out on fire. Overall, he is averaging 17 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists on 46.3 field goal percent (46.9 from three).

Grade: B+

Adams has provided the 905 some much-needed offence, especially with Malcolm Miller being hurt. If he can keep hitting his long-range shots while also cutting down on turnovers (4.5), he will elevate the team’s offence. He is an X-factor moving forward.