Report: Raptors sign G/F Joe Wieskamp to bolster depth

While it may not be the big move the Toronto Raptors probably need to make, the team did make a move on Friday to address one of its most glaring weaknesses this season.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Raptors will sign Joe Wieskamp, who most recently played for the G League’s Wisconsin Herd, to a 10-day contract.

Originally drafted in the second round (41st) of the 2021 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs, Wieskamp signed a two-way contract that was eventually converted into a full deal. But he played just 29 games with the Spurs, and was waived ahead of the 2022-23 season.

A 6’6” forward, Wieskamp does one thing really well: shoot the ball from three-point range. He shot 41% from downtown in college, and although that didn’t fully translate into the NBA — just shot just 33% with the Spurs (14-for-43 in those 29 games) — he’s shot the ball well from distance in the G League (37% across this season and last, including 41% in 11 Showcase Cup games this season).

Is that enough to crack Nick Nurse’s roster? Probably not. Wieskamp hasn't made his rep as a defender, to be sure, and that remains top of mind for the Raptors; their schemes are famously (infamously?) hard to master and Nurse has never shown a long leash. (Unless he’s got a soft spot for guys from Iowa??) In any event, it’s a 10-day flyer during a home stand so there’s no better time to give a player a shot, and why not give it to one who addresses such a big need?

The Raptors are second last in the league in three-point percentage, and of course, are coming off a historically awful shooting night on Wednesday, where they just 2-for-23, and 0-for-8 from downtown, in the first quarter of their eventual loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

If Wieskamp can hit his shots in whatever opportunity he gets, he’ll be a welcome addition.