Transcription
The Toronto Raptors just made a fairly out of nowhere signing. As after Marco Folz's contract was not renewed with the Toronto Raptors to finish out the season, all eyes were on who's going to get that final roster spot. Of course, AJ Loss and Elijah Martin have been favored, but Bobby Webster just went off the board with an interesting three-point shooting guard, which could have some impact, especially with Emanuel Quickley's injury situation. And we do have some updates on his current ongoing planter fasciitis which has kept him out of some of the most important games of this Toronto Raptor season as we are in an absolutely insane race to close off this year to stay out of the playin tournament to get out of the playin tournament and the schedule's going to be tough. So, we'll touch on all of that as well in this video.
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But let's dive into the news because we had a a very surprising update. Bobby Webster came in with some very interesting moves today as I was of the assumption that once Markel Folultz's 10-day contract was not renewed, it was pretty clear who was getting that roster spot. AJ Lawson would be slotted in there the way he's been playing as of late, the defense, the scoring, and the impact he's had out there in the G-League. But Marcel Markel Folultz did get cut. And I'll take a look at his stats because some people are very frustrated. I thought it was an interesting signing in the first place given the fact Marco Folultz, you know, for us point8 points per game, only got seven minutes per night. You know, it was able to facilitate a little bit, did some assisting, but again, he's not the three-point shooter the Toronto Raptors need. There was a lot of areas that uh left to be desired in terms of what Marco Folz could provide. He didn't even take a three-point shot while he was on the Toronto Raptors. And the Raptors need shooting at that guard position. If we are going to worry about, you know, an elite defender, an elite facilitator. Jamal Shed is the guy that really should be eating up those minutes. And he's been struggling with his jump shot as of late, which has created more of a need in terms of depth, in terms of impact out there at that guard spot, but Marco Folultz, you know, I know some people are going to be disappointed to see him being gone, but he uh didn't really fit the Raptors needs. I got some hate for when we signed him saying, "Oh, that's not the perfect fit. He is high upside, but not the perfect fit." And didn't end up being a perfect fit, and now he is gone.
So, what's the new signing? What's the new deal? Well, Blake Murphy revealed today that the Raptors have signed Tyreek Key. And Josh Loomberg gave some interesting context and the tone of his tweet, the tone of his voice made it very, very interesting and, you know, a bit scary for the AJ Lawson fans out there. Essentially saying, "The Raptors are using their 15th roster spot to sign guard Tyreek Key, who spent the last couple years with the Raptors 905. He averaged 15 points per game, 40% from the three-point line this year. And it means the two ways Elijah Martin and AJ Lawson won't have their contracts converted before the end of the season or be playoff eligible." Now, I saw that and I was like, okay, I you know, I tune into a few G-League games here and there. You keep tabs on the season, the Raptor 105, unfortunate playoff loss is what it is. But Tyrie Key is a name that Raptors fans have been fairly familiar with in terms of being in the Raptor system and he's improved a ton over the past season. And honestly, I was surprised by how much he improved because he's a guy that wasn't a crazy impact player for the Raptors last year, you know, was brought in. He's 6'2, you know, uh he facilitates. He was out of Tennessee, uh, 207 lbs. But if we take a look at his stats, right, in terms of what he was able to provide, he took a major step up this season for the Raptors 905, averaging 17 points per game. And there's total cuz you have the the tournament and then the regular season, the playoffs in combination here in 33 games for the Raptors 905 this year. You know, took about 4.2 threes a game and shot 42% from behind the three-point line. So, 17 points per night. Not a crazy facilitator, not doing a whole ton out there in those different areas. Isn't going to jump off the page you defensively, but he is a knockdown threepoint shooter. And that's uh where the Raptors have really been struggling in certain areas as of late and would be a reason why a guy like AJ Lawson, who in my opinion is a much better well-rounded player, uh could get that uh spot pulled from him just based off of team need right now for the Toronto Raptors.
Now, if we compare the stats between AJ Lawson, Elijah Martin, and Tyreek Key, it's surprising even just their G-League stats. It's surprising that they ended up going with Ki. And we'll take a look at the the nuances in terms of what's going on as well because apparently this isn't a guaranteed sure thing he's getting that spot. So, we'll dive into all that, but basically AJ Lawson out there in the G-League this year, you know, his stats, you know, 21 points per game is shooting 37% himself from the three-point line on a higher volume of attempts. So, that is very, very impressive there. And then, of course, Elijah Martin, 18.4 points per game, uh 38% from the three-point line, you know, very high volume of attempts as well. So they bring a little bit more on the defensive end. Have of course been up and down with uh the Raptors this season. So it's very very interesting and uh you know provide more out there in terms of rebounding facilitating in these different areas. So it was very surprising to see Tyreek end up getting this spot. Now he doesn't uh facilitate a ton. He doesn't turn over the ball as well either. So that's another point. That's another thing that should be noted. So still looking at the G-League stats was very very surprising. Came out of nowhere in terms of Tyreek Key getting this final roster spot.
But we do have some interesting tidbits, some interesting pieces of context given by Blake Murphy as well as Josh Lubenberg after this immediate signing ended up going down. Essentially Blake Murphy came out and said, "The Raptors often try to reward Raptors 905 players with exhibit 10 or 10day contracts where they can." And Key has been a nice success story over the past two seasons with the Raptors program. Hit 40% from threes over two years. Now, I saw this. I saw this from Blake Murphy and I was like, the Raptors are in an absolute battle. They are in a neckand-neck race. AJ Lawson, Elijah M, they can be getting actual minutes for this group, especially with Emanuel Quickley's injuries right now. So, what the heck are we doing? Why are we rewarding these G-League guys if we need every single minute, every single piece of the roster that we're looking at? Like, what why is this the the context in terms of what's going on? And you know, we'll we'll take a look at, you know, the the standings and the IQ injuries and updates. But then Murphy went on to say, Blake Murphy, with only 7 days left in the season, they can't do a 10-day contract. So, the rest uh so this is for the rest of the season on a minimum deal for Keith. It is possible he gets waved. Uh so, the Raptors can convert AJ Lawson or Elijah Martin for playoff eligibility by Sunday. So, that's the key bit of context. There's still a chance Tyreek Key ends up getting waved by the Toronto Raptors and they still bring in AJ Lawson and Elijah Martin. And basically, we had this report come from Josh Lenberg as well as people were pressing on his initial reporting saying, "I guess they could always wave somebody before the end of the week if they want to convert either to a uh as the AJ gave gave some wiggle room, but as of right now, the roster is full." So, there's still a chance Elijah Martin and uh or AJ Lawson get that final roster spot, but it is very important if the Raptors want to keep uh AJ Lawson specifically a part of the organization, they'll lose his rights if he is not signed to an actual contract to close out this year. So if they value uh you know AJ Lawson and again he hasn't had a huge run a huge bit of sample size for this team but he was fantastic last season for the Toronto Raptors in the limited opportunities that he's given the back half of the season. He was given more opportunities out there on that stretch of the season but uh this year 4.5 points per game 19 games played just 10 minutes of action. You know he's uh shooting 45% from behind the three-point line. He's been very effective out there especially on the defensive end. He's been a part of some really really effective runs by uh the Toronto Raptors. So, it's uh I I was shocked, frankly, to see a AJ Lawson not get the spot. But, if this is just a way to reward a guy who has taken a major step up, especially in his three-point shooting for the Raptors over the past two years, Raptors 905, I don't mind that. That's cool. That's I That's not I don't mind that. I think that's a very smart thing for the organization to do. But if this is the route, unless you know he comes out, plays the next couple games and is dominant, then of course keep him on the roster, whatever.
But Bobby Webster has to do everything he can to impact winning right now because firstly, we'll take a look before we look at the standings and what's going on. We have Emanuel Quickley update. Basically, Emanuel Quickley has got on the floor for workouts Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and is ramping up. There's no setbacks, which is key. So, he's hopeful to return over the next few days, over the next week or so in terms of getting back from his planter fasciitis. And I know Emanuel quickly can be uh aggravating at times in terms of uh you being hot and cold and stuff. He's still the the best point guard we got out there on this team. As a bias shedad is a biased Jamal shed fan. There's no real arguing it. You know, this season averaging 17 points per game, 4.1 rebounds, six assists, you know, knocks down shots out there. The the floor spacing is crucial out there for this team and the lack of it without Emanuel Quickley out there on the floor has been noticed by this Raptor squad in some of these games that we've played in as of late. I think especially Scotty Barnes who does most of his you work downhill driving to the basket. Not having a three-point shooter out there like Emanuel Quickley has been impactful. you you see how effective he is, you know, and above above average out there in all the spots out there on the court, especially in one of the most important areas in those above the break threes at 454 attempts. So, you know, IQ getting back in the health will be key. But they have to figure out who's going to get the brunt of those minutes over the next stretch of games because right now the Eastern Conference is jam-packed, right? You're basically right in the weeds with the Philadelphia 76ers, you know, who just lost the Detroit Pistons. So, it gives the Raptors some wiggle room, but they have a couple of uh tanking teams. I believe they're facing the Pacers and the Bucks to close off the season. The Raptors have one game against the Brooklyn Nets. So, there are some gimmies out there. I guess there's no gimmies for the Toronto Raptors right now given the fact we lost to the Sacramento Kings, which should be noted, but the Raptors face off against the Miami Heat twice, the Knicks, and then the Brooklyn Nets. So, four very, very, very important games in order to stay out of that playing tournament. And if Manuel Quickley's ramping things up, he's not going to be available. These signings that are made, you know, whether it's AJ Lawson, Tyreek Key, whoever the heck it is, they need to uh be impactful. Bobby Webster can't be just uh rewarding people, shaking hands, doing this for randoms or anything like that. They need to maximize every chance they have in terms of getting this Raptors team as many wins as possible to close off this year so we can avoid the plane, avoid the Hornets, avoid a lot of those teams in the plane. They've been redhot as of late. and obviously get a better matchup come the actual postseason.
So, let me know what you guys think about all this in the comment section down below. I'd love to know, you know, made this far in the video. Make sure to comment down below who do you think should get that finalized roster spot, AJ Lawson, Elijah Martin, or Tyreek Key? You guys the best. I'm signing out. Cheers.