Raptors Make More Ruthless Moves...

The Toronto Raptors have just made more ruthless moves as this team is an absolute battle right now for the back end of this roster. Who's going to make the cut? Who's going to get those final positions? And even people that were guaranteed two-way contracts coming into preseason, they've been cut. And then players that felt like they were on the fringe, that felt like they didn't really have a shot, they were just in camp to make the Raptors 9 to 5, they are making their cases known. and with these moves that Bobby Webster has been making they have a legitimate chance of actually making the roster and surprisingly some names on here feel like they could actually have an impact on this team so we'll break down what's going on what moves have been made that have been so ruthless and what we can expect now from the last three games of preseason or a couple games of preseason we have left that uh you know we're gonna see some internal competition but lots of stuff we have to get into because today the Raptors made another cold-blooded cold-hearted move out there in training camp preseason I don't even know what to call this point of the season as news has come out it's got confirmed from Blake Murphy the Toronto Raptors have waived Trey Jemison, Jemison suffered a hand injury a few games back the 905 is a possibility here from here but two two-way spots are now open for this Toronto Raptors team this is all very very interesting because coming into the preseason the three Toronto Raptors two-way spots were filled and usually once you get your two-way you know you get them after uh training camp but the Raptors decided to hand out their two ways fairly early and now Chucky Hepburn got injured he's cut you have Trey Jemison got injured he is now cut and you have different group different contingent of players now in looking at the base of this roster you have Tyree Key out here with the training camp deal Malachi Smith is the one guy left on a two-way contract Jaden Bradley had his contract converted to an actual full-time deal and then you have Tyson Degenhardt Burnett you have Jamarian Sharp who the Raptors just picked up plucked away from the LA Clippers and Nate Biddle who's currently in a walking boot there are a bunch of these guys that are fighting for the final i guess you know the way the Raptors are cutting two-way guys all these guys are fighting for those three final two-way spots there's not really a chance in my opinion that someone gets one of those you know we're gonna cut Jayden Bradley or anything like that he actually has impressed me way more than he did uh over the course of summer league so looking a lot better here right now but three two-way spots for about five different players and that makes things very interesting for the Toronto Raptors and it sucks for Trey Jamison because he looked like an interesting player a big man played a position of need for the Toronto Raptors but you know with 14 standard contracts so there's a chance that four of these guys could get signed but uh Malachi Smith is the only two-way to two-way openings and then five non-guaranteed contract players but for Trey Jamison I already said that I didn't even need the bullet points but last season for which uh Westchester he played for the Knicks he played for Westchester their G League affiliate but eight points per game eight rebounds three assists so decent passer for a big man 1.4 blocks the Raptors are likely going to put him with the 905 as Blake Murphy indicated but unfortunately with his injury that he sustained there right now it sucks but of course he was a guy that people weren't super excited about because even for the Knicks last season like he didn't get a lot of minutes again six minutes per game one uh only one point per night not super anything that jumps off the page at you very very much but played 13 games for the NBA champion New York Knicks but it's unfortunate that he is not going to be able to fight his way out there for camp but it makes the center spot more interesting we've seen a bunch of comments and this is one i saw uh from Marco Bernardo you know legend out there in the comment section saying i want the Raptors to keep Nate Biddle and this is a stance that a lot of people have had we'll talk about Nate Biddle in this video but maybe you have to waive Trace Jackson-Davis which the way Trace Jackson-Davis played in that uh you know that preseason game the other day the way he honestly played when he got opportunities last year and how he dominated the G League I'm not a big fan of the idea of just cutting Trace Jackson Davis but I get that people want to see Nate Biddle uh the Raptors keep Biddle keep sharp and see how they do and Jamison who is now gone performs back up big so there's people there's a lot of discourse there's a lot of discussions about who should be getting these final spots but there's one guy I really want to touch on that I want to bring to light that hasn't been talked about a whole lot by really anyone it feels like but Tyree Key is someone that has impressed me a lot over the course of this preseason and summer league to be quite frank he's been very very good but basically Blake Murphy said that Burnett and Key have looked pretty solid as far as the Raptors 905 preseason scouting goes Key can really shoot it so this was a little bit earlier and it's like okay and that's the thought process right Burnett Tyree Key they're going to be guys that are going to be G League players you know they have a shot at the G League and Tyree Key was on the Raptors 905 last season and in 33 games averaged 17 points per game shot 42 percent from behind the three-point line on 4.2 attempts per game that is very notable especially where the roster construction as is we need some shooting on this team especially at that guard position with Jamal Shedd who provides so much for this team but not elite knockdown three-point shooting uh shot 52 percent from the field 43 percent from uh 44 84 percent from behind the free throw line 2.4 rebounds and two assists per game that's what he did out there in the G very solid stuff there and uh you know we have this basically uh this coming from uh Omar Austin who's been acting a lot of stuff I've recently found this account good good stuff there but uh Tyree Key is one of the guys that uh deserves to stay with the Toronto Raptors he's super efficient scoring the basketball in Game one of preseason had 15 points in just 16 minutes of action. Four for seven from the three-point line is absolutely ridiculous. Only played seven minutes in game two, had two points, made all the shots. You know, it was one-on-one from the field. And then in game three, had 11 points, four of five from the field, and shot 75% from the three-point line in just six minutes of action. Shooting 64% out there in three games when you have two roster spots open. I get it. The Raptors love defense. They love the hounds, the dogs, the guys that are out there on your squad doing those types of things. but you need some shooting you need different style different types of players and when your guard position is loaded with absolute hounds absolute animals out there on the defensive end Jamal Shead, Jakoby Walter, Emmanuel Bickerstaff can guard and stuff and RJ Barrett no one's going to accuse him of being the most aggressive defender but off the bench Jayden Bradley a hound out there defensively Elijah Martin another guy that's going to get into you defensively another guy that can come off the bench and just be a natural three-point shooter when you need it especially when you have so many guys that attack the rim like Scottie Barnes, Kawhi Leonard, RJ Barrett these types of players i don't mind him as an option now Malachi Smith is already has a two-way contract so i think he's safer than a lot of other folks given the contract is already in his hands even though it's uh we're seeing guys get cut from two ways just like that i i like the idea of having Tyree Key, I get Burnett, you know he's been impressive defensively like he's more of a natural Toronto Raptor feels like the guy it's more likely that they take given their uh you know history and stuff but he has an interesting story right played for Indiana State in Texas in college stops you know one season in Belgium which is kind of cool you know and then played for the Raptors 905 over the past two years and now has a legitimate path a legitimate route to getting called up to the Toronto Raptors very interesting stuff not not a player that I would have projected to be a serious threat to make the roster coming into this but that's what happens earn your shots but there's two other guys that are making some pushes as well and Amari Burnett is uh the first name that I do want to touch on he's been talked about a little bit more even though he has impressed me personally and maybe it's just my desire to have more shooting on the squad but in preseason Burnett averaging 5.3 points per game two rebounds two assists you know 16 minutes of action he's getting a lot of run like he's getting a lot of opportunities only shooting 23% from behind the three-point line not the biggest of sample sizes in the world whatsoever but from the eye test I do see some value in having him on the roster I think he's going to make a legitimate run at making this team and then you also have Tyson Degenhardt who is another Raptor Raptor 905 uh you know alumni or whatever you want to call him but expected to be back with the 905 last season 14 games 6.4 points per game three rebounds one assist shot 55% three point shooting on 1.4 attempts so not a high volume but you know effective in terms of the shots that he took Boise State brought a lot when the Raptors signed him there's a lot of uh fandom out there on that front so a couple more players with legitimate chance at making this roster but if we're looking at the guys that feel like the more natural replacement the more natural jumping off point from Trey Jemison to get you some more big man depth that's where Jamarian Sharp could be the rim protector for this team as he was a guy that impressed a lot of people out there in summer league a lot of people wanted him coming to the Toronto Raptors camp but he ended up going to the Clippers and surprised a lot of people but of course the Raptors ended up bringing back Jamarian Sharp into camp sharp had been with the form with the summer league team before signing a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Raptors had two-way interest at the time he'll compete for one of those final roster spots now he's seven foot five and was the G League defensive player of the year for the 2023-2024 season if you don't watch summer league solid rim runner rim presence in 14 games out there with the Texas Legends last year uh 8.9 points per game all around the basket eight rebounds in just 25 minutes of action and 4.4 blocks the dude played 25 minutes a game an average 4.4 blocks per game and 77% from the field doesn't shoot a lick of jump shots doesn't do anything out there on that front but a player that uh you know this is a bad uh bad screenshot but he's blocking this shot here in this image he is a guy that does a lot out there on the defensive end he had an interesting journey as i mentioned to the Raptors the Legends the Raptor summer league team then the enemy in LA Clippers and then back to Toronto but if we're replacing Trey Jemison's production or what in theory his production would have been Jamarian Sharp is the more natural fit the more natural uh pickup because of what he actually provides for this team right he's a rim deterrent with a rebounding upside he's strong a strong finish around the basket we saw him be a lob threat out there over the course of summer league doesn't do any spacing doesn't knock down free throws and it's a the jury's still out on how he is you know moving around the net because he is a uber athlete but there's a difference between being able to jump vertically and then be able to move laterally and stay in front of people in the pick and roll it's why so many of these bigs are players that uh you know impress a lot with block shots but of course then get played off the court in big moments because they just get abused in the pick and roll but a lot of people like him a lot of people like him and this is coming from uh 41621 uh Jamarian Sharp 3.9 blocks per game 7 for 5 with the Toronto Raptors camp after the Clippers waive him from that two-way spot let's go hope he plays next preseason game talk about in the next episode we got to make space for this guy I'm talking about him I'm talking about him 4-1-6-2-1 making sure you know especially now with the opportunity is a legitimate path to getting there a fan favorite the player that most people want to see get that final two-way spot is Napil the stretch center that people have been calling for for this team that Saundra Mama Kalishvili kind of was last season he hasn't played yet in summer league but we got this update from Blake Murphy saying that uh he has a follow-up appointment tomorrow and could be out of the walking boot if all goes well which would be huge news you gotta get out of the walking boot it's day by day step by step i'm sure as soon as you get out of a walking boot you're not gonna go out there and play NBA basketball so i don't imagine he's gonna return to action anytime soon but over the course of college averaged 17 points per game seven rebounds three assists 1.8 blocks per night and shot 32% from the three-point line and it wasn't a Mickey Mouse a Chuckie Cheese three-point shooting big man you know you're you're Amir Johnson summer threes you know some are good and some are not but it's it's a player that takes confidently deep above the break threes we saw it in summer league I think at the NBA level he'd be more encouraged to be that floor spacer and let that range fly and there's a reason Chucky Hepburn after the injury he sustained cut there's a reason that Trey Jamison after the injury he sustained cut there's a reason that Nate Biddle despite being injured this entire training camp entire preseason so far that he is still with the team there's a reason for it the Raptors understand what he's able to provide and they're gonna see they're gonna see how it all shakes out because Biddle, I mean, these two are the players that are kind of fighting for those positions right now right Biddle has more offensive diversity, of course Sharpe blocks as well, Sharpe's a better shot blocker but you know Nate Biddle offensively is more versatile, Sharpe has elite length and pure rim protection, the foot delays are an issue out there for Nate Biddle but uh both must compete for minutes against hurdle CMB and Trace Jackson-Davis, I still like Trace Jackson-Davis the backup center, he really impressed me in the last game so I'll stand on that, but I'll pose the question you guys, what what, what do you think it is, is the case the direction the Toronto Raptors go with all this because they're in an interesting spot, they're in an interesting spot, you have a perimeter shooting with Tyree Key, as we broke down in this Biddle video, get the big man versatility, Nate Biddle is an option if you want pure rim protection, go all in on the defensive route, you have Jamarian Sharpe and then if you want a defensive guard, I'm a more natural Toronto Raptor, like the type of guy that we always end up signing, I wouldn't be shocked if Burnett gets one of these spots and then DeGenhardt for more shooting that uh I want to see more of a sample size from DeGenhardt before I get a, you know, super on the DeGenhardt train but two-way contracts, five candidates as we said at the start you know Malachi Smith already has one of those spots separate standard uh contract opening stays flexible but i don't think that will get signed because the Toronto Raptors want to stay uh flexible under that first apron if you sign it with a player that doesn't have any NBA experience then that's uh i think you can still stay under that first apron but they're now that's why Trey Jamison i believe got the two-way and Malachi Smith because they already had NBA experience under their belt where Nate Biddle who'd be coming in as a rookie he could be given one of those final roster spots and then have the flexibility to get one of these uh final positions without putting the Raptors over the first apron a lot of weird cap stuff the Raptors have to dance around after the Kawhi Leonard trade but I'll pose the question to you folks who do you want to see get that uh that roster Tyree Key and Biddle Tyree Key and Sharp or another combination Burnett's a guy that I probably should have a combination here for but I'm on the Key and Biddle I'm on the Key but get us some more offense our defense is elite and it's not like these guys are horrible defenders but that's my combination let me know what you guys think in the comment section down below the best to make as far as subscribe to the channel if you guys haven't already anyways i'm signing out cheers