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Raptors sign forward D.J. Wilson to third 10-day contract

The Toronto Raptors have signed forward D.J. Wilson to a third 10-day contract.

The Raptors originally signed Wilson to a 10-day contract Dec. 23, then a second 10-day deal Jan. 7 – both via the COVID hardship exception.

Wilson, 6-foot-10, 231 pounds, averaged 8.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 16.0 minutes in three games during his first two stints with the Raptors. He recorded 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a career-high five steals Dec. 26 at Cleveland.

A native of Mount Shasta, California, Wilson has also appeared in 31 games (23 starts) with the Oklahoma City Blue in the NBA G League this season. He is averaging 17.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 27.8 minutes. Wilson is shooting .530 (214-404) from the field, has scored 20+ points 12 times and recorded 17 double-doubles with the Blue. He set career highs with 37 points Jan. 29 at Agua Caliente and 17 rebounds Feb. 9 vs. Sioux Falls.

Wilson was picked 17th overall by Milwaukee in the 2017 NBA Draft after three collegiate seasons at Michigan (2014-17). He holds career averages of 4.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 12.4 minutes in 145 games (six starts) with Milwaukee, Houston, and Toronto.

Raptors now on a 7-game winning streak

Here’s the Toronto Star on the red-hot Raptors who tonight won their 7th game in a row:

The Raptors love to hunt mismatches with their egalitarian offence — because they have a handful of big, strong wings who can exploit them — and they were operating at near top efficiency for a large part of their outing Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.

If Pascal Siakam wasn’t bullying the slender Aleksej Pokuševski, OG Anunoby was toying with teenage Josh Giddey, and Scottie Barnes bullied his way through Tre Mann a time or two as Toronto stretched its win streak to a season-high seven games with a 117-98 victory over the Thunder.

“I think they continue to move it around and exploit what’s there,” Nick Nurse said after the game. “(I’m) pretty happy with the drawing of multiple defenders and then just taking what’s there. Those five (starters) just continue to find each other and … (there) seems to be a pretty even (shot) distribution going on now, which is good.”

Raptors sign D.J. Wilson to second 10-day contract

The Toronto Raptors have signed forward D.J. Wilson to a second 10-day contract via the COVID hardship exception.

Wilson, 6-foot-10, 231 pounds, averaged 12.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 23.5 minutes in two games during his first stint with the Raptors. He recorded 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a career-high five steals Dec. 26 at Cleveland.

A native of Mount Shasta, California, Wilson has played in 14 games with the Oklahoma City Blue (NBA G League) this season. He is averaging 14.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 26.1 minutes. Wilson is shooting .494 (79-160) from the field and has recorded five double-doubles. He scored a season-high 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds Dec. 19 vs. Rio Grande Valley.

Wilson was picked 17th overall by Milwaukee in the 2017 NBA Draft after three collegiate seasons at Michigan (2014-17). He holds career averages of 4.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 12.5 minutes in 144 games with Milwaukee, Houston, and Toronto.

Raptors sign Daniel Oturu to a 10-day contract

The Toronto Raptors have signed center Daniel Oturu from the NBA G League to a 10-day contract, via the COVID hardship exception.

Oturu, 6-foot-8, 240 pounds, is averaging 20.6 points, and team highs of 9.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, in 32.3 minutes in seven games with the Windy City Bulls. He is shooting .632 (60-95) from the field, .375 (6-16) from three-point range and .706 (12-17) at the free throw line. Oturu has scored in double figures in all seven games, including 20+ points five times, and recorded three double-doubles.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Oturu was picked 33rd overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2020 NBA Draft. He was acquired by the Los Angeles Clippers where he averaged 1.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 5.4 minutes in 30 games as a rookie last season.

Oturu played two collegiate seasons at Minnesota (2018-20), averaging 20.1 points and 11.3 rebounds in 31 games as a sophomore. For his efforts he earned All-Big Ten first team honours.

Toronto Raptors sign Juwan Morgan, D.J. Wilson and Tremont Waters to 10-day contracts

The Toronto Raptors have signed forwards Juwan Morgan and D.J. Wilson, and guard Tremont Waters to 10-day contracts.

All three join the Raptors from the NBA G League via the COVID hardship exception.

Morgan, 6-foot-7, 232 pounds, is averaging 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 29.3 minutes in 13 games with the Maine Celtics. Morgan has scored in double figures 10 times and posted his lone double-double with 18 points and a season-high 10 rebounds Nov. 7 at College Park.

A native of Waynesville, Missouri, Morgan has appeared in 50 career games with Utah (2019-21), averaging 1.4 points, 1.1 rebounds and 5.6 minutes. He signed with the Jazz as an undrafted free agent following four collegiate seasons at Indiana (2015-19).

Wilson, 6-foot-10, 231 pounds, has played in 14 games with the Oklahoma City Blue. He is averaging 14.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 26.1 minutes. Wilson is shooting .494 (79-160) from the field and has recorded five double-doubles. He scored career-high 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds Dec. 19 vs. Rio Grande Valley.

A native of Mount Shasta, California, Wilson holds career averages of 4.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 12.3 minutes in 142 games during four seasons (2017-21) with Milwaukee and Houston. Wilson was picked 17th overall by the Bucks in the 2017 NBA Draft after three years at Michigan (2014-17).

Waters, 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, is averaging 17.5 points, 6.2 assists, 2.7 steals and 31.9 minutes in 13 contests with the Wisconsin Herd. He has scored 20+ points four times, including a season-high 31 points Dec. 3 at Grand Rapids, and owns three double-doubles.

A native of New Haven, Connecticut, Waters was picked 51st overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by Boston. He averaged 3.8 points, 2.1 assists and 9.6 minutes in 37 career contests with the Celtics (2019-21). Waters played collegiately for two seasons at LSU (2017-19).

G League: Raptors 905 coaching staff announced

Raptors 905, NBA G League affiliate of the Toronto Raptors, announced Thursday its coaching staff for the 2021-22 season.

Joining Head Coach Patrick Mutombo’s staff are Travon Bryant, Chris Thomas, Ashton Smith, and Alex Beene. Assistant coaches John Bennett and Arsalan Jamil return to the bench for their second and fourth seasons, respectively.

Bryant joins the 905 after spending the last season as a player development coach with the Detroit Pistons. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Blue (NBAG) where he spent two seasons, helping lead the Blue to a first-place finish in the Midwest division before joining the Brooklyn Nets as a player development coach. From 2000-04, Bryant attended Missouri (NCAA) before competing professionally overseas for 11 seasons, playing in Greece, Italy, Germany, Ukraine, France, and Japan.

Thomas brings over 15 years of basketball experience to Raptors 905, including coaching and scouting roles in the NBA and overseas. Thomas has served as a head coach for the last six seasons in top leagues across the world including stops in Canada, Puerto Rico, Japan, and Slovenia. Thomas has also served as an advanced scout for the Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls.

Smith transitioned to coaching last season with the Hamilton Honey Badgers (CEBL) after a 10-year professional career nationally and overseas. Smith most notably played 24 games for the 905 in its inaugural season. The Scarborough native played four seasons (2008-12) for Indiana University of Pennsylvania earning NCAA DII All-American honours and graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science.

Beene joins Raptors 905 after serving as the Director of Analytics for the University of Memphis the last two seasons. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of RaYnge, a company that is committed to effecting positive change in sports analytics by providing comprehensive analytical reporting presented in a way that is simple, readable, and actionable. Beene broke into the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015, as a Business Intelligence analyst, a role he held for two seasons before stops with Indiana and Sacramento in Basketball Analytics.

Raptors 905 now prepare for the 2021-22 NBA G League Draft Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, before opening training camp Oct. 25, 2021. The team tips off its regular season Nov. 11, 2021, when the team welcomes the Westchester Knicks to Paramount Fine Foods Centre.

Raptors exercise contract options on Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn

The Toronto Raptors have exercised the third-year team option on the rookie scale contracts of forward Precious Achiuwa (ah-CHEW-uh) and guard Malachi Flynn.

Both players are now signed through the 2022-23 season.

Achiuwa, 6-foot-8, 244 pounds, was acquired from the Miami Heat along with Goran Dragic as part of a sign-and-trade for Kyle Lowry. He averaged 5.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 12.1 minutes in 61 games (four starts) as a rookie last season. For his efforts, Achiuwa was named to the World Team roster for the 2021 NBA Rising Stars. He was picked 20th overall by Miami in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Flynn, 6-foot-1, 176 pounds, was selected 29th overall by the Raptors in the 2020 NBA Draft. He averaged 7.5 points, 2.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 19.7 minutes in 47 games (14 starts) during his rookie campaign. Flynn scored in double figures in 17 contests, including 20 or more on four times. He earned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honours for April; posting averages of 12.7 points, 4.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 28.3 minutes in 15 games.

Raptors waive forward Ishmail Wainright

The Toronto Raptors have waived forward Ishmail Wainright.

Wainright, 6-foot-4, 241 pounds, averaged 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 rebounds and 11.7 minutes in three preseason games. He recorded seven points and four rebounds in the preseason finale Oct. 12 at Washington. Wainright signed with the Raptors as a free agent in the summer, after spending the last three seasons overseas in France (2020-21) and Germany (2018-20).

Toronto’s roster now stands at the league maximum 15 players, with two two-way players.

The Raptors finished their 2021 preseason schedule with a 3-2 mark. They will open the 2021-22 regular season Wednesday, Oct. 20 when they host the Washington Wizards at Scotiabank Arena at 7:30 p.m. (TSN / Sportsnet 590 The FAN).

Raptors waive Freddie Gillespie and Reggie Perry

The Toronto Raptors have waived forwards Freddie Gillespie and Reggie Perry.

Gillespie, 6-foot-8, 243 pounds, averaged 2.8 rebounds and 7.5 minutes across five preseason contests. In 20 games (two starts) with Toronto during the 2020-21 season, Gillespie posted averages of 5.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 19.6 minutes. Prior to his time with the Raptors, Gillespie averaged 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.

Perry, 6-foot-9, 255 pounds, appeared in two preseason games, averaging 6.8 minutes, 4.0 points and one rebound. He was selected in the second round (57th overall) by the LA Clippers in the 2020 NBA Draft and his rights were traded to Brooklyn in a three-team deal with Detroit. In 26 games as a rookie with the Nets last season, he posted averages of 3.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 8.1 minutes.

The Raptors finished their 2021 preseason schedule with a 3-2 mark. They will open the 2021-22 regular season Wednesday, Oct. 20 when they host the Washington Wizards at Scotiabank Arena at 7:30 p.m. (TSN / Sportsnet 590 The FAN).