The Toronto Raptors could’ve completely stayed down and wilted after a 2-8 start to their 2020-21 season, but Nick Nurse showed why this team was able to go 53-19 last season, as they rallied to win 10 of their next 16 games while showing renewed vigor on both ends of the floor. The Raptors are very much in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.
While the usual suspects, like All-Star and Most Improved Player Pascal Siakam and their franchise record-holder for points in a game in Fred VanVleet, have been up to their usual tricks, Toronto’s resurgence has been a team effort. Players that were supposed to be confined to the end of the bench have emerged as key role players.
The Raptors have been grinding teams down with their depth, as some unheralded players that were viewed as either fringe roster players or specialists have proven to have evolved into quality players in every facet of the game under Nurse’s watch.
These hour players came into the season with a defined set of expectations, but they have smashed those and become trusted members of this roster.
Raptors are 10-5 in their last 15 games (8 of which were played without OG Anunoby) since they started the season 2-8.
— Mathis Desjardins (@m_desjardins00) February 11, 2021
Pascal Siakam is 9 of 15 from 3 in his last 3 games 👀#WeTheNorth
These 3 players have all stepped up for the Toronto Raptors
No. 3: Yuta Watanabe
Watanabe, who came into the season on a two-way contract following a brief stint with the Memphis Grizzlies, had minimal expectations, as his unusually offensive game and puzzling fit on defense made it tough for him to crack a roster. Thrown into the rotation amid Toronto’s early-season slide, Watanabe has excelled in his role as a glue guy.
If you extend Watanabe’s numbers to 36 minutes per game, he’s averaging 9.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game. While not putting the ball in the basket at a great clip, Watanabe provides hustle off of the bench, making it impossible for Nurse to even think about sending him to Raptors 905.
Watanabe has evolved from a G League player to a reliable bench stud
While players like Stanley Johnson and DeAndre’ Bembry have gone out of their way to give Toronto some feisty replacements on the bench, none of them come close to Watanabe in terms of the electricity he brings to the game with his hustle. His long wingspan at 6-9 and 42 percent success rate on three-pointers doesn’t hurt, either.
Watanabe still has a way to go when it comes to becoming a genuinely feared player on the offensive end, but his effort, rebounding, and defense will make him a reliable member of this Raptors roster for the rest of the season. If there is any justice in the world, Watanabe will be given a full pro contract.