Category: Toronto Raptors Blog

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Toronto Raptors waive Rodney Hood, DeAndre’ Bembry and Paul Watson

The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday that they have waived guard DeAndre’ Bembry, forward Rodney Hood and forward Paul Watson.

Bembry appeared in 51 games for the Raptors during the 2020-21 campaign, averaging 5.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 19.1 minutes. He originally signed as a free agent Nov. 29, 2020.

Hood averaged 3.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 12.7 minutes during 17 games for Toronto in 2020-21. He was acquired Mar. 25, 2021 along with Gary Trent Jr. from Portland in exchange for Norman Powell.

Watson averaged 4.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in 25 games for Toronto over the past two seasons. He joined the Raptors on two-way contract in Jan. 15, 2020 and signed a full NBA contract Dec. 19, 2021.

Toronto Raptors hire Trevor Gleeson, Nathaniel Mitchell and Earl Watson as assistant coaches

The Toronto Raptors announced Monday that Trevor Gleeson, Nathaniel Mitchell and Earl Watson have been added to Head Coach Nick Nurse’s staff as assistant coaches. Eric Khoury will return to the team as an assistant coach after two seasons with Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate.

Lead assistant Adrian Griffin will return to the Toronto bench for a fourth season, along with assistant coaches John Corbacio, Jon Goodwillie, Jim Sann, and player development consultant Jamaal Magloire.

“This staff brings different coaching backgrounds to our team, and I think that’s really important. There’s a diversity of thought, there’s a bunch of varying opinions, and that leads to creativity on the court and off,” Nurse said. “I think that’s going to serve the Raptors really well and we’re looking forward to getting out on the court together with our team.”

Gleeson joins the Raptors following eight successful seasons (2013-21) as head coach of the Perth Wildcats in Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) where he accumulated a record of 171-98 (.636). Gleeson captured five NBL championships with the Wildcats (2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020) and was named the NBL 2021 Coach of the Year.

A native of Warrnambool, Victoria, Gleeson received his first coaching opportunity in the NBL as a development coach with the Brisbane Bullets (1997-2000). He had coaching stints in the Continental Basketball Association (2000-04) and South Korea (2004-06) before returning to Australia with the Townsville Crocodiles (2006-11) and Melbourne Tigers (2011-12). Gleeson led the Crocodiles to consecutive semi-final appearances and for his efforts was named the 2011 NBL Coach of the Year.

On the international stage, Gleeson has served as an assistant with the Australia Boomers (2014-16) and was part of the 2014 FIBA World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics.

Mitchell spent the last three seasons (2018-21) as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Hornets. Prior to joining the Hornets, he was an assistant in the NBA G League with Raptors 905 (2015-18) and the Maine Red Claws (2014-15). Mitchell began his coaching career as graduate assistant for the men’s basketball team at Fresno State (2013-14). A native of Toronto, Mitchell has been part of Canada’s senior men’s national team staff since 2016.

Watson enjoyed a 13-year (2001-2014) NBA playing career with Seattle/Oklahoma City, Memphis, Denver, Indiana, Utah and Portland. He was chosen 40th overall by the SuperSonics in the 2001 NBA Draft.

A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Watson began his coaching career as an assistant with the Austin Spurs (2014-15) in the NBA G League. He served as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns the following season before being named interim head coach midway through the 2016-17 campaign. The Suns retained Watson as their head coach at the end of the year where he led Phoenix for parts of three seasons before being relieved of his duties early into the 2017-18 season.

Watson graduated from UCLA in 2019 with a degree in history, and was named Alumni of the Year by the UCLA Latino Alumni Association. He founded the Earl Watson Elite AAU program – now West Coast Elite – and co-founded the Earl Watson Early Childhood Centre in his hometown of Kansas City. He worked as a broadcaster with NBA TV and the Pac-12 Networks from 2017 to 2021.

Raptors extend qualifying offers to Gary Trent Jr. and Nando de Colo

The Toronto Raptors have extended qualifying offers to guards Gary Trent Jr. and Nando de Colo.

What this means is that both players are now restricted free agents.

Trent Jr., 6-foot-5, 209 pounds, averaged career highs of 15.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists 1.0 steals and 31.1 minutes in 58 games (38 starts) last season with Toronto and Portland. He shot .408 (320-785) from the field, including .385 (165-429) from three-point range, and scored 20+ points in 15 games. The Raptors acquired Trent Jr. from the Trail Blazers on March 25.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Trent Jr. owns career averages of 11.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 24.2 minutes in 134 career games (47 starts). He played one season at Duke (2017-18) prior to being picked 37th overall by Sacramento in the 2018 NBA Draft and traded to Portland on draft night.

De Colo appeared in 21 games with the Raptors during the 2013-14 season, averaging 3.1 points, 1.6 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 9.2 minutes. Since departing Toronto, de Colo has played professionally overseas with CSKA Moscow (2014-19) and Fenerbahçe (2019-20).

Raptors forward Pascal Siakam out five months after shoulder surgery

Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam underwent surgery last week to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The surgery was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles.

The injury to Siakam’s shoulder occurred May 8 vs. Memphis. The expected recovery and rehabilitation time for this procedure is approximately five months, and his condition will be updated as appropriate.

Siakam appeared in 56 of 72 games last season, averaging 21.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He set a career high of 44 points, most recently vs. Washington, on May 6.

Raptors sign forward Freddie Gillespie

The Toronto Raptors have signed forward Freddie Gillespie.

Gillespie, 6-foot-9, 245 pounds, is averaging 5.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 16.0 minutes in 10 games with the Raptors across two 10-day contracts (Apr. 8-27). He is shooting 60 percent (21-35) from the field and has scored a season-high 10 points twice: Apr. 18 vs. Oklahoma City and Apr. 16 vs. Orlando.

Prior to joining Toronto, Gillespie posted averages of 10.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 27.8 minutes in 15 games with the Memphis Hustle in the NBA G League bubble in Orlando.

A native of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Gillespie played two seasons at Division lll Carleton College (2015-17) before transferring to Baylor (2018-20). As a senior, he was voted the Big 12 Most Improved Player and earned All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Defensive Team honours.

Raptors forward Chris Boucher out with knee sprain

Toronto Raptors forward Chris Boucher has sustained a sprained MCL in his left knee. The injury occurred in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s victory over Brooklyn.

Boucher will be out until the team departs for an upcoming West Coast trip (Apr. 29 – May 4) and his condition will then be updated as appropriate.

Boucher is averaging career highs of 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.9 blocks (fifth in the NBA) and 24.0 minutes in 59 games (13 starts) this season. He is shooting .519 (283-545) from the field, including .389 (88-226) from three-point range.

Raptors sign Yuta Watanabe to standard NBA contract

The Toronto Raptors have signed forward Yuta Watanabe to a standard NBA contract. He had been on a two-way deal.

Watanabe, 6-foot-9, 205 pounds, is averaging 4.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 13.4 minutes in 39 games (one start) as a two-way player with the Raptors this season. He is shooting .448 (56-125) from the field, including .400 (24-40) from three-point range, and has scored in double figures six times. Watanabe recorded a career-high 21 points Apr. 16 vs. Orlando.

A native of Japan, Watanabe spent the last two seasons (2018-20) as a two-way player with Memphis. He played collegiately at George Washington (2014-18) where he was named Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.

Raptors sign Freddie Gillespie to second 10-day contract

The Toronto Raptors have signed forward Freddie Gillespie to a second 10-day contract.

Gillespie, 6-foot-9, 245 pounds, is averaging 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 15.9 minutes and is shooting .619 (13-21) from the field in five games with the Raptors. He signed his first 10-day contract Thursday, Apr. 8. Prior to joining Toronto, Gillespie posted averages of 10.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 27.8 minutes in 15 games with the Memphis Hustle in the NBA G League bubble.

A native of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Gillespie played two seasons at Division lll Carleton College (2015-17) before transferring to Baylor (2018-20). As a senior, he was voted the Big 12 Most Improved Player and earned All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Defensive Team honours.

Raptors sign center Khem Birch

The Toronto Raptors have signed center Khem Birch.

Birch, 6-foot-9, 230 pounds, averaged career highs of 5.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 19.8 minutes in 48 games (five starts) with the Orlando Magic this season. He shot .450 (94-209) from the floor and scored in double figures five times, which included three double-doubles.

A native of Montreal, Quebec, Birch is averaging 4.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 16.5 minutes in 188 career games (30 starts) during four seasons in Orlando (2017-21). After going undrafted in 2014, Birch played with Sioux Falls of the NBA G League (2014-15) and overseas in Turkey (2015-16) and Greece (2016-17) prior to signing with the Magic as a free agent in the summer of 2017.

Birch played collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh (2011-12) and UNLV (2012-14) where he was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year back-to-back seasons. On the international stage, Birch represented Canada at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China. He was also a member of Canada’s U-18 National Team that captured a bronze medal at the 2010 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship.

Chris Boucher puts up a 38-point, 19-rebound game

Raptors forward/center Chris Boucher continues to show signs of huge talent, while mostly coming off the bench this season. On Thursday, he started, and put up a monster game. Via the Toronto Star:

Chris Boucher played a game that was better statistically than any ever before by a Raptors big man.

Better by numbers than anything Chris Bosh ever did, or Pascal Siakam, or Antonio Davis, or Jonas Valanciunas, or any of the many other frontcourt players — good and bad — in the first 2,044 games of the franchise’s existence.

It was a wonderful night: 38 points and 19 rebounds in a loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, one rebound shy of the first 30-20 game ever by a Raptor and the first time anyone has reached those numbers in the same game.

There have been better scoring nights — the list of 40-plus games runs the gamut from Acie Earl to Andrea Bargnani to Bosh, who did it nine times.

And there have been better rebounding nights up front — Bismack Biyombo once had 25; Bosh went over 20 twice, as did Valanciunas; Donyell Marshall had 24; Joey Dorsey once grabbed 20.

But never before had anyone put up 38 and 19, and for that Boucher should praised and held in high regard.

The Raptors are just 20-32 this season, which is the 11th best record in the Eastern conference.

Boucher is averaging 13.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 23.6 minutes per game.