Raptors Sign Jeff Dowtin Jr. To A Two Way Contract

The Toronto Raptors have signed Jeff Dowtin Jr. to a two way contract. It is really not a huge surprise as the point guard was the Raptors most consistent player. With his signing, the Toronto Raptors have both of their two way slots now filled. Coming into summer league, Dowtin was a long shot to make the squad. However, the raptors wanted to take a long look at him based on his great play in the G League where he averaged 20.9 points on 55.6 percent shooting, 6.6 assists and shot 43.2 percent from three. And it paid off as he is now a Raptor. So why did the Raptors sign him? And why a two way contract and will he get a chance to play with the big club?

Raptors Sign Jeff Dowtin Jr. – Why did the Raptors Sign him?

The reason is that he brings a few things that the Toronto Raptors sorely need. First and foremost, they need a back up point guard to Fred Van Fleet. Fred Van Fleet played way two many minutes last year and as a result, he broke down and got injured the second half of the year. As a result he was pretty banged up when the playoffs came along and was ineffective. The reason he played so much was that coach Nick Nurse did not have anyone off the bench that he could trust to take some point guard minutes off Fred. This year they cannot let that happen again.

Jeff Dowtin showed in this year’s summer league that he has the potential to run a team, especially in the half court set. He had 4.25 assists per game to only a half a turnover per game which is extremely impressive. Also, he has a quick first step and he can change his speeds on drives and can get to the paint and to the basket with ease. Finally, he can score at a high percentage at the rim.

The Toronto Raptors need a guard who can create their own shot by driving to the rim and scoring once there. Fred Van Fleet and Gary Trent Jr. are excellent shooters but neither is known for their driving ability and neither score at a high percentage at the rim. Dowtin does both these things and can also open up the drive and kick game because he can get to the paint so easy. And the carrot on top is that he is an excellent three point shooter and he doesn’t mind having the ball in crunch time. So he could potentially be the perfect back up point guard.

Raptors Sign Jeff Dowtin Jr. – Why a Two Way Contract?

You might be thinking why a two way contract and not a regular contract? There are a few reasons for this. First, it guarantees that the Raptors have him for the year. With the Two way contract, Dowtin can play in up to 50 games with the big club and the rest in G League. He is however, not playoff eligible. But this is a guaranteed contract which means he’s with the Raptors for the upcoming year. Also, if he plays well, the Toronto Raptors can easily convert his contract to a standard contract to make him playoff eligible.

Another reason, is that it doesn’t take a potential roster spot from someone else. The Raptors only have three roster spots left and they have a few players vying for them such as 2nd round draft pick Christian Koloko (who will most certainly get one of them), and Delano Banton, Justin Champagnie, Armoni Brooks and DJ Wilson who are all on non guaranteed deals. With Dowtin on a two way, it gives the Raptors an opportunity to grab a couple of these players instead of only one. It gives the team flexibility.

Raptors Sign Jeff Dowtin Jr. – Will He Get A Chance to Play with the Raptors?

Dowtin will definitely get playing time with the Raptors as they will want to see how he plays with their regular roster. If his play from G league and Summer League carries over to the regular season, he could see some potential regular rotation minutes. It is really up to him on how he plays during training camp and this season.

Conclusion

If Jeff Dowtin Jr. continues his consistent play through training camp, that would mean then he would potentially leap frog Armoni brooks, Svi Mykhailiuk, Malachi Flynn, and Delano Banton for the back up point guard minutes. He would also bring something that neither Fred Van Fleet and Gary Trent Jr. can which is driving and scoring at the rim. If he does all that, he just might have his two way contract converted quicker than we think. At the very least, he is going to get the Toronto Raptors to think long and hard when it comes to rotation minutes because Jeff Dowtin Jr. is coming! I can’t wait to see him in training camp and pre season.

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