Raptors News: Final roster revealed, injury updates, season predictions

After many months of speculation, rehbillitation, drafting and signing and trading (although not much of those latter two) the Toronto Raptors are on the cusp of playing basketball games that count.

You could say they haven't done that since February, as Scottie Barnes went down with a fractured hand on March 1st and from then on their games meant precious little. They begin this season with new hope, new depth and a chance to see their core four play together...eventually.

It's Tuesday, so it's time for the latest edition of Raptors News!

Final Roster Revealed

The Raptors had to trim their roster down to the final 18 slots, and there was an unexpected surprise as they did so. Toronto elected to keep center Bruno Fernando on the roster as big man depth, which was expected if a little disappointing given his lack of upside as a player.

The Raptors then pivoted and cut loose on the upside of Branden Carlson, an undrafted center out of Utah who must have really disappointed in Training Camp and practices because he couldn't even get on the court in preseason. He had a highlight moment blocking a shot at the buzzer to beat the Boston Celtics, and his theoretical skillset of shot-blocking and 3-point shooting would be ideal for this roster, but he was waived by the team.

Toronto then filled Carlson's two-way slot with Jamison Battle, another undrafted player from Ohio State who enters the league as something of an NBA-ready reserve wing who can sop up minutes as necessary. He was a fine shooter in college and is already 23 years old, and he shot 57.1 percent from 3-point range in the preseason to propel him onto the final roster.

Next: WNBA Finals, Canada Strong