Can Jeff Dowtin be the answer to the Raptors’ bench woes?

The Toronto Raptors’ good start to the season has taken a left turn since Pascal Siakam suffered a right abductor strain and Precious Achiuwa tore up the ligaments in his ankle. Names like Jeff Dowtin and Dalano Banton are may have to step up without him.

Nick Nurse’s side has been struggling with health since the beginning of the season, so it is actually impressive that they still have a 7-7 record. The Raptors are 1-3 over the past four games, however, and could do with some more help from the bench in order to deal with the absence of Siakam and Achiuwa.

Could the answer be Dowtin? He is currently on a two-way contract with Raptors 905 in the NBA G League, which he earned by establishing himself as one of the best players on the Raptors’ Summer League team.

With a handful of pro appearences already under his belt and a quick dribble that has proven to be too good for the G League ranks, it would behoove the Raptors to see what he’s made of as they try to get back on track. Maybe Toronto will stumble upon a hidden gem.

Could Jeff Dowtin be the answer to the Toronto Raptors’ bench woes?

Dowtin has already been through quite a few teams, including the Magic and Warriors, though he has mostly been restricted to playing G League basketball and has played only 11 games in the NBA up until now.

Dowtin has already been involved in a couple of games for the Raptors this season, though they were both short cameos at the ends of dominant wins against the San Antonio Spurs and the Atlanta Hawks. We need to see him get more run than that to determine what value he brings to the table.

He was a standout in the Summer League though, averaging 16 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 28.1 minutes per game while shooting 57% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc.

Dowtin played well on both sides of the court, though the lightning-quick guard’s calm demeanor may be his best trait.

To be fair to the Raptors’ bench, the likes of Dalano Banton and Malachi Flynn have both put in impressive performances in recent games. With Gary Trent Jr. battling a sore hip and half of the rotation currently injured, those two still might not be enough to push Toronto to wins.

Nurse needs to put a bit more faith in his bench. Otherwise, he risks burning out the starters. Thus, the introduction of someone like Dowtin into the rotation cannot possibly hurt.