The Toronto Raptors wrapped up their preseason with a close win over the Brooklyn Nets Friday night. With the season just days away, the Raptors have decided who will be cut from the opening-day roster. Toronto has waived Jared Rhoden, Jahmi’us Ramsey, and Branden Carlson, signed Jamison Battle to a two-way contract, and locked Bruno Fernando into the 15th roster spot. Carlson was previously on a two-way contract, but Battle beat him out for that roster spot.
Raptors have made final roster cuts, waiving Jared Rhoden, Jahmi’us Ramsey & Brenden Carlson. After a strong preseason, Jamison Battle is signing a 2-way contract (replacing Carlson). Bruno Fernando wins the 15th roster spot, giving them an extra big with Olynyk (back) banged up.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) October 19, 2024
Who Made The Cut For The Raptors Opening Day Roster?
Bruno Fernando
The Raptors have a thin frontcourt. After Jakob Poeltl, Kelly Olynyk is there to back him up, but the team needs a third-string center to plug and play if one of them gets injured. That’s where Fernando comes in. At 6’9″, he provides another big body to throw out there in case the Raptors need him. However, throughout preseason, it’s hard to tell if Fernando has done more good than bad for Toronto. Fernando has been extremely foul-prone, averaging 3.8 fouls in just 14 minutes. In addition to his foul problems, he has struggled to make quick decisions in coach Rajakovic’s .5 offense system, averaging 1.6 turnovers and just 0.8 assists.
Fernando has been in the league for four seasons now, has 203 NBA games under his belt, and is 26, meaning he knows his role and still has some room to grow. Due to his size and athleticism, Fernando makes the cut, but his play has left much to be desired.
Jamison Battle
Following a five-year NCAA career, Battle went undrafted in 2024 before signing with the Raptors to play in summer league. Battle impressed the Raptors in Vegas with his sharpshooting, connecting on 60% of his outside shots over five summer league games. This earned him an invite to training camp, where he continued to impress. Over the preseason, Battle has kept up his impressive shooting, knocking down 57.1% of his threes across five games. For a team as starved for spacing as Toronto, Battle provides a threat teams have to respect behind the arc. Combined with his shooting, Battle provides some much-needed depth on the wings, standing at 6’7″. While he spent five years in the NCAA, Battle is still just 23 years old and a rookie. This leaves a lot of room for the Battle to grow into the player the Raptors need.
Why They Made The Raptors Opening Day Roster
Fernando fills a positional need for the Raptors with his size and rebounding and provides insurance in case one of Poetlt or Olynyk gets hurt. While he still needs to improve, you can’t teach his size, and with Fernando, the Raptors don’t need to play Scottie Barnes or Jonathan Mogbo as a small-ball five. Battle has impressed with his play throughout the offseason earning his way from summer league to training camp. Battle provides the most critical thing in the NBA: three-point shooting while having the size to play on the wings. He showed enough to be worth a two-way contract.
