Sam Dekker & Ishmail Wainright Make Final Cut Decisions Very Tough in Raptors Victory Over Wizards
It may have been the final preseason game of the year for the Toronto Raptors, but it certainly felt like Game 7 for a few players.
That's traditionally how the final preseason game goes for the dozens of players throughout the league fighting for their NBA lives. For Toronto, it was the final outing for Isaac Bonga, Sam Dekker, Ishmail Wainright, and Freddie Gillespie to prove that they deserve one of the two remaining spots on the team. With NBA contracts on the line, the group, for the most part, stepped up, helping to lead Toronto to a 113-108 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Isaac Bonga Gets the Start
It certainly seems as though Bonga has his name on one of those two remaining roster spots. He was tabbed for the start Tuesday night and had impressed Raptors coach Nick Nurse throughout the preseason. Against the Wizards, however, things were a little up and down. He grabbed an early steal and looked good in transition, but after the first few minutes things went downhill pretty quickly. He took four fouls in nearly 14 minutes including a bad one on the three-point shooting Kyle Kuzma. I'd still favor him for one of the roster spots, but things certainly got more interesting.
Sam Dekker Goes Full Steph Curry
Entering the fourth quarter it certainly looked like Dekker's contract was on life support. He came into the game after Wainright, generally a bad sign, and hadn't done much to warrant a spot this year. Then, suddenly, the 27-year-old entered the phone booth and came out superman. He started raining down three-pointers, helping to cut an eight-point Wizards lead down to just three.
Dekker scored 12 points in the fourth quarter alone and began seeing double teams whenever he touched the ball behind the arc.
"Sam certainly got hot there," Nurse said. "It’s going to make the decisions tougher, I think, as we move forward."
Ishmail Wainright Shows a Little of Everything
Wainright might not have had the same kind of night as Dekker, but he did nail a pair of three-pointers and he flashed the kind of skills the Raptors are looking for out of a player with his skillset. He held his own on defense as a strong and bulky defender and pulled down four rebounds, three of which came in the final frame.
Freddie Gillespie Makes Last-Ditch Effort
Entering Summer League it seemed as though Freddie Gillespie was almost a lock for the roster. He was one of the few players on the team with size and he was a known commodity in the organization. But once the ball tipped off in Vegas things went downhill in a hurry. On the last night to turn things around, Gillespie showed his value on the defensive end. He's still going to be a frustrating player offensively, but for a third-string big he may be helpful. He grabbed seven rebounds and looked competent defensively.
Final Cuts
The Raptors are going to take a few days to think things over, Nurse said, but the final cuts shouldn't be too far off. While one impressive quarter shouldn't make too much of a difference in Toronto's decision-making process, all four players are pretty even in terms of skill and organization value.
"I think that there wasn't a whole lot of separation," Nurse said. "I think that there are guys there that have all done a pretty good job and worked really hard and you could make a case for any of them, you're really could. It's a difficult decision. There's not a whole lot of clear cut."
The Others
We'll spend a lot of time over the next week talking about everyone else, but Malachi Flynn and Scottie Barnes definitely warranted a little attention after impressive nights on Tuesday. Flynn had 22 points on 6-for-15 shooting and got to the line for eight free-throw attempts, something Nurse has to be thrilled about. Barnes continues to amaze with his passing. He's essentially a 6-foot-7 point guard who can feed cutters with ease. He finished the game with nine points, seven assists, and zero turnovers.
Up Next: Washington Wizards
The next time the Raptors play it'll be for real. October 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET in Scotiabank Arena. Mark it down for the season opener.
