Title: Raptors Summer League scouting reports and what their performances may mean for the future
Date: July 15, 2019
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I wrote brief scouting and progress reports on all of the players who participated in Summer League with the Raptors.
LAS VEGAS — Terence Davis took all of a few minutes to join an elite list of Toronto Raptors.
Initially appearing at Las Vegas Summer League with the Denver Nuggets, Davis was signed to a two-year deal after one appearance, flown to Toronto for a physical and flown back to Las Vegas in the hope he could get some reps in with the Raptors, too. It’s actually not as rare as it seems, a Summer League trade of sorts, and it even happened just last year with Terry Larrier, but it did little to dispel the excitement — not only does Davis fit the general “Bet On Yourself” ethos that defines so many current Raptors, but he also quickly impressed when he was able to hit the floor.
It was uneven, as most Summer League performances are for undrafted rookies. It would be unfair to expect a player in Davis’ situation, without the benefit of the pre-Vegas camp and surely exhausted from the contract-related jet-setting, to be perfect. He was damn sure exciting, though, ranking in the top 10 in per-36 scoring and assists among rookies for the tournament (as of this writing) and flashing some intriguing skill as a scorer, cutter, passer and defender.
This wasn’t quite Norman Powell demanding a multi-year deal as a lightly heralded second-round pick with an All-Tournament performance. It wasn’t Jonas Valanciunas winning tournament MVP to set the bar unfairly high. It was closer to a Fred VanVleet performance, where a player looks legitimate and questions arise as to how he went undrafted in the first place. In a format that almost always allows for an Irrational Excitement Raptor every year, Davis gets the 2019 nod.
What follows is a brief take on each of the Summer League Raptors and what their performances may mean for their immediate futures.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 