The Toronto Raptors were finally hit by the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in the NBA, as Pascal Siakam and Dalano Banton were both forced to enter the league’s health and safety protocols. In order to fill that roster spot, Toronto looked for players like Brandon Goodwin and Juwan Morgan to fill that void until everyone returns to full health.
The NBA’s hardship exception allows teams to restock when large chunks of the roster are sidelined due to injury. The NBA recently put rules in place mandating teams to sign one player when they have two positive tests. Toronto needs to get deeper with Siakam and Banton sidelined, and they chose to add Goodwin and Morgan to do so.
Shams Charania is reporting that the Raptors signed Goodwin and Morgan to 10-day hardship contracts, which will help them stay in uniform for at least two games against the Cavaliers on December 26 and the 76ers on December 28.
What kind of players are the Toronto Raptors getting in Goodwin and Morgan? Is there any chance they help make an impact on a game with two key contributors in Banton and Siakam out due to the protocols? Considering Goodwin’s NBA experience and Morgan’s potential, there are worse options to pluck from the minor league ranks.
The Toronto Raptors plan to sign guard Brandon Goodwin of NBA G League Westchester on a 10-day hardship, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 20, 2021
The Toronto Raptors signed a speedy backup in Brandon Goodwin.
Goodwin went undrafted after a very productive career at Florida Gulf Coast. Goodwin spent the last two seasons as Trae Young’s backup with the Atlanta Hawks. In those campaigns, Goodwin averaged 5.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.8 points per game while shooting an iffy 39% from the field.
Goodwin has spent most of this season with the Westchester Knicks in the G League. Despite his lack of great size at 6-0 and 180 pounds, Goodwin is averaging 15.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game. Rather than wait for a division rival in the Knicks to promote him, Toronto added the diminutive speedster.
The Toronto Raptors added a traditional power forward in Juwan Morgan.
Morgan is a 6-7 power forward that plays like an old-school bruiser. After some impressive performances in college at Indiana, Morgan latched on with the Utah Jazz in 2019 and played with them for parts of two seasons.
After averaging 1.4 points and 1.1 rebounds per game, over two seasons, Morgan signed with the G League’s Maine Celtics. Morgan averaged 12.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game with Maine while making 56% of his shots and 38% of his 3-point attempts.
The Toronto Raptors plan to sign forward Juwan Morgan of NBA G League Maine via hardship, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Morgan is the third call up out of the Boston Celtics’ affiliate in the last day.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 20, 2021
If Banton is unable to play against Cleveland and Philadelphia, look for Malachi Flynn to potentially get an uptick in minutes. Goodwin might be behind Flynn on the depth chart, but considering his ball-handling and past NBA experience, that’s not a bad third-stringer.
Morgan should be counted on to provide more rebounding and bulk on the interior behind Khem Birch and Precious Achiuwa while serving as a pick-and-pop threat. No one knows how long their tenures will be in Toronto, but it looks like the front office made two very wise signings.