Raptors signing Jeff Dowtin to two-way deal is fantastic news

The Toronto Raptors saw plenty of Summer League standouts make a name for themselves on the Las Vegas circuit, but none of them were more impressive than Jeff Dowtin. Even alongside much hyped big man Christian Koloko, Dowtin frequently stole the show.

Dowtin, who received a few cups of coffee with the Bucks, Warriors, and guard-deficient Orlando Magic last season, showed that he is worthy of an NBA roster spot. Averaging 16.0 points and 4.3 assists per game, Dowtin took no prisoners in Vegas.

Even though he faced long odds of carving out a role on the NBA roster, Toronto thought so highly of Dowtin that they needed to find some way to keep him on the roster. They still had one of their two-way slots vacant, and Dowtin seems more than ideal when it comes to filling that role.

The Raptors signed Dowtin to a two-way contract after his quality Summer League showing. With undrafted rookie Ron Harper Jr. taking up the second of Toronto’s two-way spots, it appears as though Raptors 905 has found their two-biggest playmakers. Don’t be surprised if he makes an impact in the big league.

The Toronto Raptors have signed Jeff Dowtin.

Dowtin averaged 15.3 and 13.9 points per game during his final two collegiate seasons at Rhode Island. With 21.1 points per contest on 54/44/76 shooting splits in 15 games with the Lakeland Magic last year, Dowtin proved that his speed and explosion have made him too lethal of a scorer to be stuck in the G League full-time.

Toronto is still in the middle of figuring out a backup plan behind Fred VanVleet in the rotation. Even after Malachi Flynn’s outburst in a pro-am game and Dalano Banton showing that he is a much better scorer this time around, nothing has been finalized in this regard.

Toronto saw two-way rookie Justin Champagnie emerge from a complete unknown without a jumper into someone who is likely going to have a role on the bench with the Raptors this year. Dowtin may not get the same opportunity without injury, but we’ve seen stranger things happen.

While this likely signals the end of David Johnson’s time with Toronto after his inferior showing in Vegas, this was a logical move made by a meritocratic Raptors organization. Dowtin has only shown a fraction of the talent he possesses in the pros, and this deal may allow him to blossom fully.