Raptors 905 have waived Jay Harris, the team announced Wednesday.
The 905 had to make a roster cut after acquiring John Jordan from Erie in a trade Tuesday. Cutting a point guard was a natural move given that four of the team’s 13 players were lead guards, but Harris is a bit of a surprise, given that he was the team’s second-round draft pick and one the team seemed really high on. The 905 have now waived the first three draft picks they ever made.
With Harris departed, Jordan figures to slot in as Shannon Scott’s primary backup when Delon Wright isn’t on assignment, with Ahston Smith standing as the third point guard and defensive specialist.
The 23-year-old Harris was averaging 6.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 16.7 minutes over 20 games while shooting 37.9 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent on threes. He’s also earned 10 DNP-CDs as head coach Jesse Mermuys toyed with his second unit, and Harris never really found a chemistry with his fellow reserves despite good individual offense. He has the tools to be a scorer, projecting as a potential microwave man well down the line, but his game is still pretty raw and one-dimensional.
The Valparaiso, Wagner, and Ilinois-Chicago product always came across as a nice, engaging presence around the team, if that quells any concern this may have been a non-basketball related move.
The Jordan-for-Harris swap represents a downgrade in terms of overall long-term upside, but the 905 needed steady point guard help pretty desperately. Despite the recent winning streak and general up-turn in performance since the calendar flipped, they still rank first in turnover percentage and 14th in total offense. The point of the D-League is long-term development, but this move makes some sense if the organization feels the lack of reliable point guard play was working as a detriment to the development of others.
The 905 are next in action on Friday at 8 p.m.
