Raptors announce 2019 NBA Summer League roster

With their NBA Summer League schedule set, the Raptors have now revealed who will be representing the franchise in Las Vegas for the league’s annual tournament. For the first time, 32 teams will be in play — with two national teams from China and Croatia — all ready to compete between July 5th and 15th to be crowned Summer League champs.

For Toronto, with Raptors video Coordinator Jon Goodwillie as head coach, here’s what the 15-man roster looks like:

Note the big names first: Chris Boucher, Jordan Loyd, Malcolm Miller, and Toronto’s recent draft pick (at no. 59), big man Dewan Hernandez, are all set to play in the tournament. The first three names are all well-known now by Raptors fans, but obviously it will be exciting to see what Hernandez can bring to the squad. (We’ve got our initial take on Dewan here.)

After that are the names we’ve already reported as having signed with the Raptors. That group includes Canadian Lindell Wigginton and Sagaba Konate. There’s also Duane Notice, who has previously spent time with the Raptors 905 in the G League last season.

The rest of the names on the squad are mostly older players with years of collegiate, international, or G League experience under their belts. To run down the list, Jamaal Franklin is 27 and comes to the squad via the Chinese Basketball Association after getting picked by the Grizzlies in the 2013 NBA Draft. Adonis Thomas, now 26, had a cup of coffee with the Magic and Sixers, but joins the Raptors having come over from Basketball Bundesliga in Germany. Corey Walden, meanwhile, is 26 years old and the 2019 MVP of the Israeli League. There’s also Richard Solomon, a 27-year-old centre who was with the Oklahoma City Blue last season after bouncing around leagues in Japan, France, and Turkey. Not to be outdone, Darius Thompson joins the squad as the Dutch Basketball League’s MVP for last season.

Finally, there’s Jordon Varnado, Jessie Govan, and Matt Morgan (who is not to be confused for the professional wrestler with the same name). All three are four-year college players now looking for their chance to catch on in the NBA. Taken with the rest of the squad, they complete the full picture of what the Raptors are hoping to achieve in Las Vegas. The Summer League is a chance for them, and the rest of these players, to find a space for themselves in the NBA, either as part of the Raptors, the 905, or some other squad. Let’s see what happens.