USATSI_19233303_168390270_lowres — Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Raptors Finalize Roster, Keep Justin Champagnie & Waive 3 Others

The Toronto Raptors have decided to keep Justin Champagnie and will waive Josh Jackson, D.J. Wilson, and Gabe Brown ahead of the regular season

Author:
Aaron Rose
Publish date:
Oct 15, 2022 9:55 AM EDT

The Toronto Raptors have announced their final roster for the season and it includes Justin Champagnie, the 21-year-old forward who clinched the very last spot Friday night.

Champagnie had seemed to be a lock to earn a roster spot when training camp opened last month, but a nagging hip injury kept him sidelined for much of the preseason and opened the door to some tough roster decisions. Josh Jackson, the former No. 4 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, gave Champagnie a run for his money all the way down to the final game. The Raptors, however, decided to double down on its investment in Champagnie, waiving Jackson, D.J. Wilson, and Gabe Brown late Friday night.

The Starters

The regular starters from last season are expected to once again start the year as the starting group. That'll mean Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., O.G. Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, and Pascal Siakam will take the court for the tipoff on Oct. 19 when the regular season begins against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Early Bench

Injuries to Chris Boucher and Otto Porter Jr. have complicated the early bench a little to start the season, but they'll likely be joined by Precious Achiuwa and Thad Young as the first four off the bench. Impressive preseasons from Christian Koloko and Dalano Banton may have them in the conversation for rotation minutes early this season as well.

Deep Bench

Juancho Hernangomez has been mentioned as a possible rotation player this season but he'll likely see very limited action to start the year. An injury to Malachi Flynn has complicated his playing time situation, though he could step into the backup guard spot once he finds his footing this year. Khem Birch may see playing time with Boucher out to start the season but will likely revert back to the bench once everyone returns healthy. That leaves Champagnie as a developmental piece for the team who is unlikely to see much playing time this year.

Two Ways

The Raptors will keep Jeff Dowtin Jr. and Ron Harper Jr. as their two two-way players for the year. They'll spend most of the season with the Raptors 905 in the G League as they're only allowed to play in 50 NBA games.