The Toronto Raptors announced the signings of forwards Paul Watson Jr. to a standard NBA contract and Yuta Watanabe to a two-way contract on Sunday.
Prior to this, Watson had been signed to a two-way contract that he’d inked on Jan. 15, 2020.
Coming off of a regular-season finale in which he set career highs with 22 points and six rebounds in 27 minutes against Denver on Aug. 14, Watson certainly appears ready to take the next step in his development as a potential rotation player on an NBA roster.
Last season, he played in 30 games with Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate, where he averaged 19.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 35.3 minutes. He was named to the All-NBA G League Midseason Eastern Conference Team.
Likewise, Watanabe split last season between the Memphis Grizzlies and the G League’s Memphis Hustle. In 22 games with the Hustle, Watanabe averaged 17.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in 32.7 minutes.
Toronto waived Oshae Brissett, Alize Johnson and Henry Ellenson on Saturday, and its roster now stands at 17 players, with rookie Jalen Harris and Watanabe as two-ways.
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