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Report: Raptors to sign Henry Ellenson to 10-day contract

With the end of 905’s G League season coming last night, the Raptors have quickly signed forward Henry Ellenson to the main squad.

By Daniel Reynolds
Fort Wayne Mad Ants v Raptors 905 Photo by Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images

After the Raptors 905 season ended earlier than expected last night, their parent club, the Toronto Raptors, have decided to add Henry Ellenson to their main roster on a 10-day contract. The report comes from Woj at ESPN:

At 6’10” and 240 pounds, Ellenson was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. He spent two seasons and change in the Pistons organization before brief turns with the Knicks and Nets. Over those years, Ellenson has been back and forth between the G League and the NBA, finding a home in the former over the last two seasons with the Raptors 905.

In 15 regular season games for the 905 in the shortened 2021 season, Ellenson averaged 21.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists, while shooting a blistering 49 percent from the field, including 43 percent from three. Those shooting numbers have long been Ellenson’s calling card, as a forward-centre with that kind of stroke will always garner some attention from the NBA. What has dogged him so far in his career is his ability to stay with the ever-faster game at the NBA level when it comes to play-making and defense. On a night when Ellenson can’t miss, he looks unstoppable; but there are unfortunate limitations to his game that have kept him from being a full-time NBA player.

That said, the Raptors need anyone healthy right now. We don’t have an update yet as to the status of five of their players — Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Patrick McCaw, and Malachi Flynn — and the team plays tomorrow against the Atlanta Hawks in Tampa. What the means is the Raptors could once again be considerably shorthanded. While it’s too bad the 905’s season ended last night after they finished atop the G League standings, it couldn’t come at a better time for their parent club. In their efforts to fill the roster, Toronto previously added Donta Hall (now a free agent), and will now look to see if they can fit Ellenson in as their 15th (or 17th, depending on how you rank them all) player.

Over the past month Ellenson has shown he can be a star in the G League. We’ll see if that’s enough in the NBA.

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