Only a brief offseason after Jared Rhoden was released after suffering an injury, the Toronto Raptors announced on Sep. 26 that they have signed Rhoden. Terms of the deal were not announced, but it is likely a non-guaranteed or Exhibit-10 contract.
In ten games with the Raptors last year, Rhoden averaged 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.9 steals per game. Though his 3-point shooting was middling (32.4 percent from deep), he shot a preposterous 66.7 percent from 2-point range.
Rhoden profiles as a jumbo shooting guard with size and length. He defends well and fits into Toronto’s hellacious pressure scheme that it wants the young players to apply. Though his 3-point stroke has been exceptional for his entire career in the G League (around 40 percent on his career), it didn’t translate to the league in his brief stint with the Senior Dinos.
Ian Finlayson covered Rhoden in great depth for Raptors Republic last season:
Rhoden is on the same page as Jones and Rajaković, saying that his role in the NBA is going to be as a defender first. Both the players and coaches have echoed the idea that running similar systems has helped make it easy to “directly translate” what they do in the G League to the Raptors. And not a lot of players end up in Rhoden’s shoes – spending their third straight season on a two-way contract – without establishing that they can step into an NBA rotation and guard if needed. He too mentioned his “long arms,” when I asked about his defence. (Rhoden’s wingspan is listed at six-foot-11 on various draft and prospect websites.)
But he’s no slouch on offence either, using his outlier athleticism to feast in transition while also showing an ability to score at all three levels in the G League. He’s a fluid mover, can finish with both hands at the basket and does so fearlessly and with efficiency. His jumper has also only improved in his time in the pros, hitting at a 39.9 percent clip from distance on 571 career G League attempts, compared to his 31.2 percent mark in college. And he isn’t satisfied, still looking to add more to his game.
With Rhoden on the roster, the Raptors now have a full 21 players signed for camp. Media Day is set for Sep. 29, which will see our own Samson Folk in attendance. Then the Raptors — and Raptors Republic — are off to Calgary for Training Camp.
The season is getting close!
