The Toronto Raptors were expected to get trounced by the Cleveland Cavaliers due to their lack of depth, and their 45-point loss met those expectations. With Tremont Waters, Daniel Oturu, Juwan Morgan, and DJ Wilson meeting their new teammates for the first time, there were bound to be some problems.
Oddly enough, some of the new signings put together some solid performances. Even against a decimated Cavs frontcourt, the Raptors putting up 99 points while leaning on a bunch of new faces and not practicing for a week is impressive.
Oddly enough, many of the rotation veterans ended up disappointing. Svi Mykhailiuk totaled just 10 points in 36 minutes, and Chris Boucher’s 21 points were undercut by his 6-19 performance from the floor. Dalano Banton’s 3-12 evening from the field made him look like someone who hasn’t played in almost two weeks.
The Raptors will need to use these four short-term deals until they start to get healthier. Let’s examine how they performed in their first action with Toronto. Keep in mind, we need to grade on a curve given how difficult and unprecedented the situation they entered was.
Grading the Toronto Raptors’ 10-day contracts against the Cavaliers.
PG Tremont Waters
Waters went from playing his trade with the Wisconsin Herd to playing 35 minutes in the NBA. Waters was a bit of a mixed bag, especially when it comes to his efficiency from the field, but he showed enough positive traits to prove that he belongs in the NBA and can eat up minutes on the depleted Raptors.
Waters may have put up just eight points on 3-11 shooting while turning it over four times, but the 5-10 speedster had his positive moments. Waters tallied three rebounds, three steals, and six assists in this game, as No. 51 was able to display the passing skills and defensive hustle that made him a fan favorite at LSU and with the Celtics.
Tremont Waters made some plays for the Toronto Raptors.
Waters is not going to replace VanVleet on either end of the floor, but by giving it his all on the defensive end and causing turnovers, he can help provide a convincing facsimile of his production in that area. Being a quality passer is another nice bonus.
The Raptors could use these next few games as one long exhibition. Will any of these players be able to earn spots with the team for the rest of the season? Waters putting together more showings like this might be enough to convince the front office to hold on to him.
Grade: B+
C DJ Wilson
Wilson has the most pedigree of the four 10-day signings, as the Michigan alum is a former first-round pick that was rarely given playing time in Milwaukee. Wilson signed with Toronto after an impressive stint with the Oklahoma City Blue, and he looked comfortable in the pros.
Wilson, who got the start after meeting his teammates a few hours beforehand, tallied 15 points on 6-8 shooting. Wilson pulled down eight rebounds, dished out four assists, and managed to record four steals. That sort of two-way impact after getting picked out of the G League is exceedingly rare to find.
DJ Wilson had some solid moments for the Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors were once again outrebounded by Cleveland, so Wilson is not going to single-handedly fix that issue. However, 15 points and eight rebounds is a solid day at the office for a starting center, and it shows that Wilson is still capable of being an effective NBA player.
The Raptors have one extra roster spot, so they would be foolish to potentially turn away the chance to sign a pro-caliber player for the rest of the season. Wilson was making plays on the offensive end despite not knowing any of his teammates, which is a simply stunning turn of events.
Grade: A-
PF Juwan Morgan
Morgan, once a teammate of OG Anunoby in college at Indiana, was added from the Maine Celtics after some cups of coffee in the NBA with Utah. Morgan was all over the place, as some noteworthy offensive flashes were offset by some growing pains on the defensive end.
Morgan amassed just five points on 2-3 shooting in 27 minutes of action. While he did record four rebounds and an assist, Morgan was hunted on the defensive end. A -25 plus-minus showing proves that Cleveland was able to seek him out as he got acclimated with Toronto’s complex scheme.
Juwan Morgan may be worth developing for the Toronto Raptors.
Morgan bumped his final grade up due to his heart and effort. Morgan was given a chance to potentially earn an NBA contract, and he is taking full advantage by going as hard as he can. There were some mistakes, but you can’t be too harsh given the totality of the circumstances.
Morgan didn’t shoot the ball much in this game, but he looked to be a bit more versatile on offense in the G League. If he starts to get some more shots up, that might be enough to convince Toronto to take a longer look at him.
Grade: B-
C Daniel Oturu
Oturu absolutely obliterated the competition in college at Minnesota, and he was able to parlay his double-double propensity into a second-round draft selection just four picks after Malachi Flynn. The Clippers decided to cut bait with him, and some of the flaws that concerned them were evident in this game.
Oturu may have had a 7-3 wingspan, but he was getting victimized on the defensive end. The comparisons to former Raptors 10-day signing Freddie Gillespie were validated when he put up seven points in 20 minutes. Hopefully, better days are ahead for Oturu.
Toronto Raptors center Daniel Oturu needs some work.
It’s hard to be overly critical of this man. He literally was signed seven hours before the game started and was tasked with competing against a team that prides itself on excellent paint play. Oturu will look like the stud he was with the Golden Gophers if given more time and attention.
A small-ball center that can get to the rim, Oturu has enough positive traits worth developing for Toronto to get looks at in this unusually barren period. If no one else gets cleared before Toronto’s Tuesday game against Philadelphia, No. 20 will get one more chance to flex his quality.
Grade: C