3 fringe Raptors roster players who deserve to return in 2022-23

1. SF Yuta Watanabe

Watanabe started on a two-way contract last season, but he was one of the few role players worth watching in the Tampa sabbatical. Watanabe thoroughly outplayed a host of other non-guaranteed contracts in the preseason, earning him a spot on Toronto’s bench.

Over the last two seasons, Watanabe has averaged 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game on 43% shooting and 38% from 3-point range. A pesky defender that can give the Raptors some intensity when he’s on the floor, Watanabe has proven that he can be a positive addition when he’s on the floor.

Yuta Watanabe should return to the Toronto Raptors.

Watanabe was an omnipresent fixture in the rotation earlier in the year, but his status has taken a bit of a nosedive after being removed from the lineup. Even if Nurse doesn’t see the value in giving Watanabe extended minutes as a key reserve, there’s value in having him on the roster.

With Toronto’s need for wing depth and shooting likely at the top of Ujiri’s wish list this offseason, Watanabe could be pushed out of a spot on the roster despite his wishes. Nurse needs to think twice before cutting ties with him. Just 27 years old, the Japanese wing has tons of good basketball left in him.