This might be the best Raptors’ Summer League roster ever assembled

With the return of last year years’ rookies, the incoming class, and a ton of undrafted talent, the Raptors will set their sights on a Championship at Summer League

It’s that time again! Summer League in Las Vegas tips off this Thursday, on July 10. The anticipation is building as fans and teams look forward to seeing this year’s draftees in their new threads. Alongside them are undrafted players, sophomore players, and more experienced guys working towards a roster spot, playing time, or just an opportunity to get some run in the summer.

For the Raptors, this is arguably the most stacked roster we’ve sent to Summer League. With people already predicting a Summer League Championship, let’s take a look at everything you need to know to get prepared for one of the most fun weeks of the summer in the NBA:

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Schedule:

Every team will first play four games for seeding. For the Raptors, their preliminary games are scheduled as follows:

Friday, July 11 @ 8:00 PM vs Chicago Bulls

Sunday, July 13 @ 600 PM @ Orlando Magic

Tuesday, July 15 @ 8:00 PM @ Denver Nuggets

Thursday, July 17 @ 10:00 PM vs. Golden State Warriors

Based on the results of those four games, teams will be assigned a fifth game. The top four teams will advance to the playoffs while other teams will play a consolation game, scheduled from July 18-20. If successful in the semifinal game, the teams will play the sixth game, the championship final.

Based on who’s going for the Raptors, I like their chances of making that sixth game.

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Roster:

For clarity, we can break down the Summer League roster into a few groups:

First – Last year’s rookies

Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamison Battle, Jonathan Mogbo, Jamal Shead

If you want a review of how talented our rookie class from last year was, see my review of their season here.

In short? Their presence on this roster is a big part of why the championship discussion started. They’ve logged a ton of NBA time already, and the combination of Shead’s court vision and defensive mentality, Mogbo’s athleticism and cutting, Battle’s long range shooting, and Walter’s midrange should create a lot of trouble, especially against a field of (mostly) rookies. Look for them to make some noise.

Second – Last Year’s Bench Guys

Colin Castleton, Ulrich Chomche, AJ Lawson

Last season, Lawson averaged 19-5-2 in his appearances in the G-League and 9-3-1 with the Raptors, both a big part of what earned him the late conversion of his contract from a two-way into a standard one. He’s going to be playing for minutes this season as the Raptors’ health hopefully won’t be what it was last year. This is the opportunity for him to make an impression.

Castleton is in a similar situation, as his minutes were largely due to the absence or illness of other players on the roster. He did manage to average almost 5 points and 5 rebounds per game in limited minutes. It is also worth noting that in his lone performance for the 905, he put up 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.

For Chomche, an MCL injury on February 18 limited his action in his rookie year. In the 19 games he played for the 905 he averaged 8 points and 9 rebounds per game and showed flashes of ability. This is going to be a great opportunity for him to get back on the court post-injury and continue to develop.

Third – The Rookies

Collin Murray-Boyles, Alijah Martin, Chucky Hepburn

If you’re looking for a deeper dive on our first-round pick, Chelsea covered him really well here.

He’s athletic, gritty, and has a really high ceiling. Best of all? An excellent work ethic. It should be no surprise if we see things like this during summer league:

She also highlighted some of the strengths of Alijah Martin, our second-round pick, here.

He is largely touted as a developmental and defensive prospect, but if he follows in the pathway of Fred VanVleet or Jamal Shead by starting as a aggressor on the defensive end, it’s probable he’ll be a fan-favourite quickly.

The final rookie, Chucky Hepburn, the Raptors’ newest two-way player, is also a defensive specialist (shocker). He started all 34 of Louisville’s games in his senior year and put up almost 16-6-4. He’s got plenty of accolades in his run at the collegiate level and now will split his time between the NBA and G-League. Hopefully summer league will give him a chance to shine as well. And if we’re lucky, we might even see him pull something like this:

While I usually don’t try to put too much pressure on Summer League performances, this will likely be a good chance to see the potential that the front office of the Raptors did prior to the draft. Over the last few years there’s been noise about their selections, often coming with some shock or discontent. This is the perfect chance for them to show what they’ve got.

Fourth – The “Other” Guys

There’s always room on a Summer League roster for some unknowns – guys who have been in and around the league, or ones just coming out of college with some question marks besides their name. The Raptors can bring them in and see their work ethic, abilities, and whether or not they could fit into theirs or the 905’s system in the future.

Quincy Guerrier: This name should already be familiar as he spent last season with the 905 averaging almost 10 points and 5 rebounds per game. Currently playing for the CEBL, he’s putting up 17-7-2 as he’s helping lead his hometown Montreal Alliance. He’s gritty, athletic, and can score creatively. This is an excellent nod to his abilities and I’m happy to see he’ll be traveling to Vegas with the team.

Tyreke Key: Another familiar name from last year’s 905 roster, who averaged 6 points and 2 rebounds per game. He had some trouble facilitating, an expectation for a guard of his size, but played limited minutes. He excelled as a scorer and shooter in college, so perhaps just needs a bit more time to reach his full potential.

Tyson Degenhart: a 6’8” senior from Boise State, coming off his final season averaging 18-6-2 on efficient shooting. He put up solid shooting numbers, finishing his career as the all-time leading scorer for the program with 2037 total points. He isn’t the most athletic or agile, so on the defensive end he struggles at times, but with the current roster construction might not be too much of an issue.

Jarkel Joiner: a 6’1” guard who went undrafted but played the last two seasons in the G-League for the College Park Skyhawks. He put up 12-3-3 last year which were pretty consistent numbers compared to the previous year. The major improvement he made was 3-point shooting now at 35.7%, an increase of 8% in comparison to the prior season. He recently set the franchise record for 3-pointers with 10 in a game in March.

Clifford Omoruyi: a 6’11” center who played 4 seasons for Rutgers and his final one for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He averaged 8 ppg and 6.5 rbg last season. He is a post player, who didn’t attempt a long range shot and struggles from the free-throw line. He shot 73.4% from the field though, showing his dominance at the rim. He is also a solid rim protector who averaged almost 3 blocks per game in his final season at Rutgers.

Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones: a 6’6” wing from New Zealand, he played the last two seasons at UC San Diego. He put up impressive numbers, averaging 19-5-4 as a senior, shooting 57.6% from the field. He is touted as a player with a really high basketball IQ and could be a difference maker on the offensive end.

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With only three more days until this lineup steps onto the court for the first time, the excitement continues to build. The balance of defence and solid scoring along with NBA experience has set up a roster that could easily go to Summer League and dominate. It’s definitely going to be one to watch. Tune in Friday at 8 ET to make sure you don’t miss a single minute!