1 reason to get excited about 3 of the Raptors’ 10-day signings

Tremont Waters: Pesky defense

Listed at 5-10 and 175 pounds on a very good day, Waters is always going to have to use his brass and his brain to win in the NBA rather than his brawn. Waters has value as a finisher near the rim, but where he stands out the most is on the defensive end due to his habit of creating turnovers.

If you average out his stats over the past two seasons with Boston, Waters has averaged 9.4 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Waters is not going to be anywhere near Fred VanVleet as a player, but they have similar styles of play, which could help Nick Nurse construct a rotation with so many key names out.

Tremont Waters could be a two-way weapon for the Toronto Raptors.

Waters is joining a Raptors team that is built on the notion that their aggressive defense can force teams into coughing the ball up. Waters has been a menace on that end going back to his college days at LSU, and that defensive acumen is likely what attracted Nurse and Toronto.

The Raptors love some undersized point guards, and Waters certainly fits that mold. The key to him sticking around as a VanVleet backup when everyone else is healthy will be making sure that he can provide enough efficiency as a scorer to avoid getting tagged as a poor offensive player.