Toronto Raptors: Best and Worst case scenarios for the roster hopefuls

Reggie Perry

The latecomer to the group, Perry signed on a week prior to training camp to fill the 20th and final roster spot. And if you’ve already assumed that he’s probably a long, aggressive, forward who can rebound, then congratulations – you know this front office!

The 21-year-old had his moments in limited opportunities with the Brooklyn Nets last season and could surprise people again in camp.

Best Case Scenario

Playing opportunities with the Nets were always going to be tough to come by, but Perry still made an impression in his rookie year by averaging 13.3 points and 12.5 rebounds per 36 minutes.

An active presence on the boards, he should, at the very least, add further competition inside. The Mississippi State product hit double digits in scoring on three occasions, including a double-double against OKC last January.

The 2020 second rounder stands as the youngest of Toronto’s non-guaranteed roster candidates, but he’s also had 26 games to get acquainted with NBA-level physicality and post play. As for the speed of the game, Perry was playing with one of the league’s premier run-and-gun teams.

Will the Toronto Raptors keep Reggie Perry?

Worst Case Scenario

While there’s no harm in taking a no-risk flyer on a young guy who might be able to offer something, there comes a point where it is simply too much of the same. To no fault of Perry’s, standing out, even as an aggressive, high-energy big, could prove difficult.

Perry lacks the organizational familiarity of Watanabe and Gillespie, the shooting and pedigree of Dekker, the versatility and NBA experience of Bonga, and the dominant physical traits of Wainright. His late signing only means less time to get prepared and figure out how to best fit in.

Perry doesn’t offer much in the way of downside for the organization, but have we reached the point of forward overload? It’ll be interesting to see what lineups Nurse deploys in camp and over the preseason to get all these guys involved.